Review: Fly with the Arrow by Sarah K.L. Wilson

Fly with the Arrow by Sarah K.L. Wilson
Series: Bluebeard's Secret #1
Published by Self Publish on 2021-03-02
Length: 315 pages
Reviewing Kindle from Amazon
Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2025 Beat the Backlist, 2025 SFF Reading Challenge

He’s been stealing brides for centuries and now he’s stolen her.

Izolda is as chilly and practical as her icy homeland. The prospect of an arranged marriage to a much older man doesn’t worry her. But when a stranger arrives, kills her would-be husband and claims her as his bride instead, citing a law she’s never heard of, she is left with a tangled problem on her hands.

On the one hand, her king wishes for her to become a spy for her homeland.

On the other hand, her new husband needs her as his pawn in a dangerous all-consuming fairyland game that might determine the fate of her nation more than a king ever could.

To make matters worse, her husband does not hide his former brides from her — or his intention that her fate will be the same as theirs. But his surprising kindness, hidden depths, and hinted plans might just persuade her to join him despite that.

Choosing wrong will mean the desolation of everyone she loves, for failure in this world will mean ruination in the other. And trusting the wrong people here, may well sink nations there.

Worse yet, her heart seems to be falling very quickly in love with the worst possible choice of man — her husband.

The stakes couldn't be higher and Izolda couldn’t be more torn.

With a crafty husband, a severed-head best friend who gives surprisingly good advice, and the common sense her mother gave her, Izolda must choose well. Can she win at a game a thousand years in the making?

This is an interesting read and not at all what I expected. Fly with the Arrow by Sarah K.L. Wilson is the first in a romantasy series about a young woman bargained in marriage to a ruthless immortal. Izolda is a lower noble of Pensmoore, going to court for the first time with her father and younger brothers. At nineteen, she’s nearly a spinster, and it is time for her to find a husband. When Bluebeard crashes the party, quite literally, Izolda is the first to greet him, not knowing that with her simple hello she’s given herself to him as a bride. Told entirely from her perspective, we are whisked away with Izolda to Wittenhame where a game of fate is starting and the lives of those she loves hang in the balance.

I enjoyed this one. Over the last few years, Sarah K.L. Wilson has become a go-to author of mine, especially when I’m in a reading rut. Here, she’s created a world of ruthless fae-like creatures who play with mortals as if they are chess pieces on a game board. This cruel, twisted world is as whimsical as it is deadly. If you are familiar with Wilson’s other works, it is a similar world to her Tangled Fae series.

The romance is bare bones and slow going, but I expect it will build as the series continues. Izolda is distrustful of Bluebeard at first, though he gives her no reason to be. I liked seeing their dynamic. Izolda sees herself as his wife but also his prisoner as she’s been taken from her homeland and forced into marriage. However, Bluebeard slowly wins her over with his kindness and devotion….well as much kindness and devotion as an immortal who has had fifteen previous wives can be.

Overall, I really liked Fly with the Arrow, enough that I’ve already purchased the rest of the series. Every puzzle, every encounter with a Wittenbrand is important. Unraveling the clues and navigating their harsh world is a lot for Izolda, but she’s up to the challenge. The tentative friendship Izolda builds with Bluebeard is my favorite, can’t wait to see where the author takes them. If you are a fan of fae fantasy, I highly recommend it.

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