Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley
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Book Overview
Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley is an adventurous tale following Kenna Heron a lonely young woman who still yearning for the mother she lost to illness and struggles with feelings of loneliness. Her only solace is her best friend Anya whom she loves like a sister. They both share their misgivings surrounding the upcoming tribute ceremony where three women from the village will be chosen as a tribute to travel across the bog to the elusive Fae realm where they are promised lives of abundance and goodwill.
Early one morning while out fishing in the bog for treasure Kenna discovers a mysteriously beautiful dagger. Believing it will fetch her a tidy sum she plans to take it with her to the village’s tribute ceremony in hopes of selling it there. It’s at this ceremony that the unthinkable happens and Anya is chosen as tribute for the village to send to the Fae realm.
In a fit of grief and anger, Kenna decides to travel with Anya across the bog to the Fae realm to ensure she safely travels through the dangerous bog. Armed with nothing but her mysterious dagger Kenna leads the small group of women through the bog with the dagger guiding the way. It’s also due to the dagger that Kenna notices the floating orbs believed to be guiding them to the Fae realm are actually a type of Fae that feast on human flesh.
They begin to attack the women and Kenna tries desperately to lead them to safety. She loses sight of Anya and realizes she was attacked by the flesh-eating Fae. Distraught Kenna is then captured by the Fae and taken underground to King Osric and he determines instead of killing her to assign her to a life of servitude serving Earth House.
She learns that her mission is to assist Princess Oriana’s daughter Lara with winning the six deadly trials that young Fae must undergo before being given their powers and immortality. Kenna is to ensure that Lara wins or faces death.
While navigating the Fae world Kenna encounters the barbaric cruelty of King Osric and his penchant for violence. She also learns of a secret plot to usurp King Osric from power. Hungry to improve the conditions and quality of life for herself and the others in the Fae realm she begins to assist the leader in his quest to overthrow the King.
Kenna’s passions are ignited and her heart is placed on the line as she tries to make sense of this dangerous and cruel world that she’s landed in.
Book Review
Servant of Earth is an addictive fantasy book. Hawley quickly establishes the world and then pulls you into the action in no time. Despite it being a longer book I didn’t find that the story lagged it kept a steady pace where things were continually happening allowing the reader to stay engaged while progressing the plot and story.
She also created dynamic characters that were morally grey and complex. She balanced exploring the darker elements that exist within a person especially when placed in extreme situations of survival and confronting evil tyrannical political systems. Speaking of politics the political intrigue in this story was exquisite.
Additionally, the world-building was delightful and the magic system was straightforward. Hawley was able to showcase the beauty of the Fae underground while simultaneously revealing the barbaric and inhumane rule that poisoned the Fae court creating fear, discord, and anger in the Fae. She crafted unique scenes that showed and revealed how this world was structured without info dumping. For example, having Kenna spy and gather information for other High Fae allows the reader to really learn about the various Fae species, the different Fae Houses, the human servants, delve deeper into the politics of the Fae court, and the history of Mistei.
And the ending delivered surprising twists and turns that added more drama and intrigue to this story making it essential to continue reading this delightful series to see what’s next for Kenna.
My Thoughts
I was so surprised by how good this book was and how much I became enamored with this series. I think a lot of it had to do with Hawley’s writing style and how engaging and approachable it was. Also, I loved Kenna. Almost immediately I found her to be such a fierce and dominant character with a multitude of layers. She was gentle and loving capable of great emotion while simultaneously being aggressive and headstrong using her cunning and wit to navigate the dark Fae realm.
While she made some questionable decisions when it came to her romantic entanglements due to her naivete and innocence I won’t hold that against her since I’m certain if I was a young woman surrounded by a handsome Fae man such as Drustan had his eyes set on me I’d fold like a pretzel as well. However, I do foresee a lot of romantic tension in Kenna’s future.
I found the relationship between Kenna and her maid Lara so intriguing. It started off rocky but developed into such a beautiful friendship. I’m interested to see how this friendship grows and develops in the next book, especially after the events that took place in the conclusion.
Additionally, there’s a twist at the end which I had my suspicions about and I kind of predicted but I’m curious about what the future holds for this particular storyline.
Then there’s the Fae realm Mistei itself. I imagined it to have a dark enchanting beauty and found myself getting lost in this world haunting glamour of this world. I loved seeing the various Fae species and learning more about their magical abilities. We can’t forget the cruelty and barbarianism of the Fae court. The obscene violence and danger that exists at every turn. Hawley did an excellent job of balancing the beauty of Mistei with its more sinister elements. Creating a rich and compelling story.
I enjoyed how action-packed this story is and that I never got bored because something was always happening. There was always a revelation that enriched the plot and increased the intrigue. And, I appreciated how it wasn’t just about romance but there was a lot of political intrigue present in this story. I loved the duplicitous nature of Kenna and how she was playing so many sides and trying to juggle her shifting loyalties and protect her life in the process.
I found the trials to be a fun addition to this story. It showcased Kenna’s fast thinking intelligence and ability to get out of tight situations in a jam. It also revealed her ferocity and ability to be scrappy when need be. Adding depth and complexity to her character.
When it comes to the ending I was gobsmacked as everything came together. I didn’t see things happening the way they did but I did predict some of the things that took place. I’m eager to continue reading this series to discover what happens to Kenna and see if my predictions come true.
