The Court of Mortals

Stariel, Book 3

By: AJ Lancaster

Narrated by: Finty Williams

Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Marrying your fae prince shouldn’t be this hard.

Hetta’s family now knows Wyn’s true identity, but that doesn’t mean they approve of their relationship. Princes are all very well, but Wyn’s not human - though he’s spent 10 years pretending to be.

With gossip spreading like wildfire, Hetta and Wyn receive a royal summons. The queen of Prydein has heard the rumors of fae intruders, and she's not letting Wyn go until she's satisfied that he and his people aren’t a threat. Convincing her would be a lot easier if someone wasn’t trying to blacken Wyn’s name and if his sister wasn’t trying to kill him.

But mortal politics aren’t the only problem the pair has to face. The Court of Ten Thousand Spires is still without a ruler, and the only way out may be for Wyn to assume the throne himself, meaning he and Hetta can never be together.

The Court of Mortals is book three of the Stariel Quartet.

©2020 AJ Lancaster (P)2020 Podium Audio

Great story

This is the third book in the series by A. j. Lancaster titled, “The Court of Mortals’. This is one of the few series where each book has been more interesting than the previous one. It’s a combination of politics, magic, fae and romance. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Love the narrator

I am sad that Finty does not narrate the next book. I love her voice and she does such a good job. Great story also

Great surprise ending.

The captivating story continues. You won’t be disappointed! I can’t wait to hear the next.

The story grows

This is the third book and I’m continually caught up in the growing story. Can’t wait for the next book!

Great third installment

This book propels the story forward. It was a great third installment. Narrator really was fantastic too. Can’t wait for the fourth.

Decent 4th book

After listening to this series more or less back to back, the writing idiosyncrasies are more glaring and are getting more annoying. The thought monologues feel so repetitive, but I enjoyed being away from Jack and being in Meridan for this book. Sadly Aunt Sybill is still there but plays a minor role. I love Wyn’s siblings.

The “cliffhanger” ending was a bummer because it’s so cliché and I was really hoping that wasn’t where the story was going, but sure enough they pulled a Breaking Dawn. My least favorite plot twist. Maybe certain people will find it heartwarming but I don’t think I’ll be reading the last book especially since the narrator is different and not great.

1-3 are Great! book 4 narrator change ruins it

I just finished book 3 and am in live with the books then I got book four. I returned it less then 20 min in. The narrator is horrible. Choppy, flat, and cant keep her horrible character voices straight.. totally ruined the last book. Guess I will have to figure out a way to get my phone to read it to me, my dang Android reads better then Fiona does. Why in the he(( did they change narrators, or at least look for one that was equal to the task....

Fantasy twist on 19th century Britain

So far I am loving this series, and as an audiobook, it is well read and entertaining. The twists and characters make it a lively listen that has me laughing out loud and gasping in surprise. It is also a new and unique take on the fae and magic in the human world, making it feel fresh and not redundant.

Sweet and unique

I have read acotar and while it’s not as spicy it is very sweet, genuine and unique. Definitely a pleasure to listen to.

Deja vu

Continuing steampunkish/gaslamp (not quite England) adventures of the unexpected but pleased to be so Lord of Stariel, Hetta, and her butler-steward-friend-and Prince of a faerie realm, Wyn. (assuming spelling) This time they go to the Big City and are beset with annoying rumors making them need to prove themselves to the mortal Queen. The author clues an observant reader in to why this is while our hapless heroes blunder around doing their best. It’s low key until more fae show up, and even the nicer ones cause problems. Multiple POV in this installment. Hetta, Wyn, & Marius iirc, with Hetta’s still the dominant POV.

Like in many fantasies, particularly those with fae, part of the reason we like our protagonists here is because they want to do good & helpful things for others without demanding tribute or favors in return. The fae relationships are largely transactional - any help induces owing a favor. So any character willing to be helpful merely because it’s the right thing to do & they can help looks more heroic in contrast. Hetta & Wyn are extremely non-transactional so we root for them more. They’re portrayed as progressive and helpful for the people but like any non-elected ruler, looking at the state of her/their domain, their privilege still causes them to overlook a lot details. Electricity & new sheep aren’t the only thing the town/home farm needs. It helps reduce my irritation from book 2 that Hetta comes to realize that, as Lord, she’s “political” whether she wants to be or not. Politics is *inherent in the position* & someone “staying above/out of politics” but still holding power isn’t apolitical.

Ok, progressive observation aside, there’s some tension in the unknown motives of the Queen, Wyn is held captive but in a golden cage, but local rumors & faeries won’t leave them alone. The populace knows about magic but are still skeptical of the fae so this book puts the reality of fae more into rhetoric mortal setting. I’m still not sure why the fae who can mind manipulate vast swath of people stick to doing it mostly to reduce minor irritations rather than to strategically improve their lot, other than keeping focused on their home realm except for bare minimum interactions with mortals. (ok, I guess I answered my own question there.)

Re: deja vu.
I listen to a couple hundred audiobooks a year. Half the reason I write reviews is so I have a way to remember which series I’ve already read when they blend in my mind. (Upside of brain fog is still being surprised sometimes with already read tales.). That said, Having purchased this book this week, somehow I’ve definitely listened to it before. I couldn’t find a review by me in audible (not that Audible makes that easy😖), there doesn’t seem to be a record of me returning it - Though it’s not old enough to be part of the extended audible library access they used to offer, and my library doesn’t have it. So I don’t know how, but I’ve definitely listened to this before. I remember the young princess a little, but the rock skipping for sure and kind of recall bits of the kerfuffle at the theater. Annoyingly, I remembered more of the end than the beginning. So now I don’t know if I should burn credits of the next two books (end of this quartet & Marius’s which comes after), when I probably read Marius’s book as the entry to this author- but I can’t remember enough to know why I don’t own it already. Which is to say I find the series kicks along & holds my interest in the characters but I don’t know if the next installments keep that up or put me off. grr.

Steam: Low. There’s more relationship interplay in the plot this time, and more time spent considering hooking up. Hilariously/frustratingly Stariel interrupts amorous activity constantly, then plot keeps our MCs apart with some pining but not extensive pining. There’s some M/F bedroom activity on page but with low detail.
(The main & secondary characters are LGBTQ friendly in the same way they’re feminist- well intentioned but living in a setting where women have less power & LGBTQ relationships are not openly acknowledged, so there’s macro & microaggressions driven my the negative dynamic that our heroes mostly power thru, but adds undue angst.)

Narration: Lovely job. I entertain myself trying to guess which words actually end in “r” because the main accent in use drops them occasionally, according to my American trained ears. Sound quality is good & my bluetooth doesn’t need to be set near max volume.