An Immersive Fantasy of Survival in the Fae Realm
5
Servant of Earth Book Cover Servant of Earth
The Shards of Magic (Book 1)
Sarah Hawley
Fantasy Romance, Romantasy, Paranormal Fantasy
Ace
November 12, 2024
audiobook, hardcover, ebook
463

In the underground Fae realm, only the strongest and most ruthless have power—but a young human woman forced into a life of servitude is about to change everything.

Kenna Heron is best known in her village for being a little wild—some say half feral—but she’ll need every ounce of that ferocity to survive captivity in the cruel Fae court.

Trapped as a servant in the faeries’ underground kingdom of Mistei, Kenna must help her new mistress undertake six deadly trials, one for each branch of magic: Fire, Earth, Light, Void, Illusion, and Blood. If she succeeds, her mistress will gain immortality and become the heir to Earth House. If she doesn’t, the punishment is death—for both mistress and servant.

With no ally but a sentient dagger of mysterious origins, Kenna must face monsters, magic, and grueling physical tests. But worse dangers wait underground, and soon Kenna gets caught up in a secret rebellion against the inventively sadistic faerie king. When her feelings for the rebellion’s leader turn passionate, Kenna must decide if she’s willing to risk her life for a better world and a chance at happiness.

Surviving the trials and overthrowing a tyrant king will take cunning, courage, and an iron will... but even that may not be enough.

“Hope was what we made it. I wasn’t going to wait for someone else to create that future for me. I was going to seize it with my own two hands, then carve it into a shape I wanted.”

I could not put down this first book in a new fantasy series by Sarah Hawley. Who
doesn’t love the allure of a human woman in a place where danger and deception lurk
around every corner? Servant of Earth is utterly unputdownable.

“Hunger is the most efficient way to lower one’s standards.”

Kenna makes her living by pawning the items she fishes out from the bog that has
become a barrier between her world and the Fae realm. Usually, Kenna finds nothing
more than throw-away items until the day she unearths a dagger. That also happens to
be the day that the maidens of her village are sacrificed to the Fae. Of course, who
would be picked? None other than Kenna’s own best friend, Anya. Determined to keep Anya safe,
Kenna follows the group of young women through the bog to the land of the Fae only to
lose her friend in the process.

“I’d been confronted with a dark truth about myself. I enjoyed getting revenge.”

As Kenna finds herself in the Fae realm she can only rely on her keen wit to keep her
safe. Kenna becomes a servant in the house of Earth. Hence the title! (get it!)  She is tasked with keeping the
daughter of the head of the house safe throughout a set of trials that determine if a
young fae is granted their magic and power that comes with a successful tournament.
Servant of Earth is equal parts romantasy, and epic chess match. Kenna is a character
whom I adored immediately. Sarah Hawley paints such luscious imagery with intensely
high stakes and swooning romantic encounters that I gobbled up Servant of Earth in
record time. I guarantee that fans of other prolific romantasy authors will adore this new
fae-inspired fantasy.