A Betrayal of Storms (Realm of Fey)

I know this is the first of the trilogy, and I am excited to continue! I have thoroughly enjoyed his other books, and this has not disappointed. On to book #2!

Alderson’s story is long, heavy with world building. The romance between Erix and Robin is endearing, and the twists in the last 50 pages of the book kept me reeling. I look forward to reading the second book!

Fae and Magic and ice kingdoms and A BEEFY SOFTHEARTED GUARD to swoon over? Hell yeah.Robin is our feisty MC I adored. Truly he’s my favorite. He’s so small and precious BUT HE HAS TEETH Y’ALL (this should make you scared and horny). I loved so much how he never allowed for miscommunication. He always said what he meant and asked for clarification from others.Erix finds Robin after he was caught by fae hunters and literally on the chopping block. Erix took it upon himself to watch over this little bird, much to Robin’s wary intrigue. Especially since Robin is the lost heir to a fallen kingdom in the fae realms.Something I absolutely LOVED was how GORY this book was in a way that made Robin’s earlier circumstances cause my skin to crawl. He faced a lot of trauma and I felt it! I felt the fear and the desperation of all the fae also caught by the hunters. Sometimes books gloss over these moments and it’s hard to connect with a character who is traumatized but you feel separated from that. Ben created the perfect atmosphere!Remember I mentioned Robin being feisty and we should be horny? Oh Erix was for sure and we totally benefited from this “Guard and his ward” relationship. Multiple times.ALSO the way Ben made me DOUBT who I wanted to ship made me dizzy. I genuinely didn’t know who to trust and who had better chemistry with Robin. The ending????? I need book two NOW. Robin has a kingdom to claim, has escaped multiple assassination attempts and still has a sword dangling over his head. Ben had the audacity to LEAVE US HANGING.

I greatly enjoyed the story. This is the first time in recent memory I have read the soul of a gay character presented so believably, and above all as relatable. The characters are not treated as token fodder rife with stereotypes. The tale is set in a fantasy realm with magic, monsters, humans and elves. For fans of fantasy fiction, especially the gay men who have not seen themselves reflected as worthy of starring in one of these tales, all of you owe it to yourself to read the book. Long live the King!

I loved this book. I wasn't sure about it at first, as it is not my normal type of book. I am so glad I gave it a try.

Okay do not make the same mistake I did and finish the last half of this book with a bottle of wine because I choked like 12 separate times during the end of this book. So many fantastic twists and turns I’m struggling to understand because I’m slightly inebriated. This book is so great it definitely deserves a reread under normal circumstances ahaha. But this is literally one of the best queer fantasy books I’ve read because it perfectly normalizes queer relationships. They just are, no explanation about queer history or an attempt at explaining why. It perfectly normalizes queer love as the plain love it is. This is so rare and this author did it perfectly. Not to mention the absolutely amazing thrilling action this book is also packed with. Few authors have such an amazing talent for word choice that inspires brilliantly vivid imagery. The end of this book was completely unexpected in the best way. It never once felt hopeless which often is a problem in books like these and it makes me just drop them. But this book captured my attention 100% the whole time. I took two breaks while reading. 1. To sleep. 2. To literally cry to my sibling in the fourth to last chapter!! Please buy this. It is the perfect queer fantasy book. I absolutely cannot wait for the next one.(Minor minor minor spoilers) Also if you’re worried about a terrible cliffhanger, don’t be. This book’s conflicts are 95% solved with only a moderate (non queer related) cliffhanger. There is no queer bait so read with no worries. I want to read the next book to learn more about this fantastic world (and it’s issues) and to follow our main characters and see their relationship grow. Overall a solid 10/10. It’s been so long since I’ve read something so great.

The world of the fae in this book was very interesting to me, I really loved it. Same goes with the way the author shapes the relationship between the fae and humans, as well as the relationship between some of the fae royal families. Those are the best parts about this book, in my opinion.

Started off as a fine read on the surface level. The grammatical errors throughout the book were annoying, but could be overlooked. But steamy scenes can only carry a book so far, and the lack of depth to the story makes it one I wouldn’t recommend to friends with similar reading interests, largely in part for the way the story is painfully rushed at the end. Never been a fan the “villain” monologuing, but to have things explained point blank to tie up loose ends is painful to read. Especially knowing this isn’t a stand alone book but a trilogy.

Oh my friggin gosh! What sorcery have I stumbled across!? I only dabble in fantasy as a genre, it has to be the right world, the right characters, the right storyline. This book ticks ALL those boxes and so much more.I was immersed in the story, invested in the characters and entranced by the world so much so, that I immediately bought the second book and the audio to listen too.The author has cleverly devised a land where humans are hunters and the fey are the hunted. We are thrown into immediate jeopardy as Robin, half human/half Fey is abducted and from there 😱❄️😱 the ‘storm’ comes and is NON FRIGGIN STOP!This is not your typical fantasy novel. It has all the right ingredients but also includes a bit of magical writing that you will find yourself addicted to. The author brings this world to life, and the pace and journey itself is masterfully written. Murder, magic and some spicy MM romance will leave you breathless!Once in a while you stumble across a gem. You want to keep it a secret, so you can enjoy every moment yourself but you also want to scream about it from the rooftops. This is THAT book! I was like a crack addict, needing my next fix and I had no choice but to buy the next book. Highly recommended!

I was blown away by this book. This took me right out of my reading slump, as it was so easy to read and fun, and something I'm realizing is a staple of Ben's writing is that he will never let his readers be bored. I read this while recovering from a surgery and this was exactly what I needed. It was not only easy to read, but rich, fun and enjoyable. Ben has mastered being accessible without sacrificing any part of the quality. He's top tier. This author writes for fans of fantasy and who specifically want to have an enjoyable experience. I admire a lot of fantasy books for their writing and world building, but they aren't always necessarily fun to read. In fact, sometimes I put them off because they take so much work and makes the reading experience less enjoyable, but Ben is the master of making you enjoy every page. I read this in barely two days, and I haven't done that in a long time.The plot was really fun. I went into this only expecting Fey, in the very traditional sense and the way we have seen them depicted so far, and I definitely got what I was sold - but what I wasn't expecting was the amazing original aspects to the world that go beyond that and the genuinely cool magical elements that get revealed as the story went on. What started out as you typical but loveable seasonal fey world grew to inhabit a lot more than you'd expect and by the end there are so many unexpected elements that make me desperate for book two! Considering we are so oversaturated with fey romance these days, THIS is how you do it! Ben is a fantasy fan and you can tell, because he's so creative with his worlds and I shouldn't have expected any less. He's gonna give you so much more than you bargained for and I love all the ideas that come from him brain. Superb. I can't fault it one bit.I loved the characters. Robin is empathetic but strong, good but far from perfect. His role seems something akin to the chosen one trope, but I think the way it was done was really tasteful so that it felt organic rather than forced and not overly stereotypical. Also he is a powerful character from early on, but Ben allows for him to struggle with wielding it rather than have him become a master from the get go. The romance was really fun! It was a little jarring how early on it started but thankfully wasn't insta-love and their relationship developed in a way that completely made sense and by the end I was completely sold. It was so nice to see two men in a fantasy book where the fact they are men isn't one of the issues, and that they entered a relationship so casually and normally. Sometimes your gays don't have to struggle can just like each other and this is something I want to see more of (and if you do too, check out Ben's other books - though this is definitely A LOT steamier than the Dragori trilogy and The Lost Mage).Other characters I ordered were Althea and Gyah! Ben often times does sell me on the side characters and I'm so excited to see more of them. I feel so attached to this story now. It was so much fun just being immersed in a world that feels exciting, adventurous and fun to explore. Anytime we went somewhere new, I wanted all the details and I wanted to embrace the aesthetics and know everything there was to know. I have to admit, I didn't think I was going to love it as much as the other books of Ben that I've read, but I can honestly say that A Betrayal of Storms is my new favourite.Without a doubt, I would highly recommend!

Honestly this was such a wonderful read—for a while now I've struggled sitting down and reading a fantasy book, but this one blew it out of the water!! 😍Robin was a character I loved right from the get-go; following him as he learns who he truly is, and going on the rollercoaster as he begins to accept this, and this whole other world he's been thrust into is wonderful.Even with the bond formed with Erix—who needs protecting at all costs! The dynamic between these two was lovely to behold because it was so easy—it was like breathing as you read them together, in every scene... Even those spicy spice ones! 😏🔥One thing I loved is how much these two come from different worlds, and how much their roles are so different—they're both so kind and accepting of one another. It's probably one of my favourite things, that acceptance! 🥺It's a story that keeps you wanting more; wanting to know the stories of the different characters, of the world and different realms and who people truly are! 😍 Especially towards the end I was reading with such speed to find out what was happening!I need to get my mittens on book 2 now! ❄️

Wow. Just wow. I was utterly blown away by this book. The journey sucked me in from the very first page and I was along for the ride. There were many long nights I was glued to the pages and I struggled putting the book down because I needed to know more. There were unexpected twists around every corner that kept me wanting more. I cried with laughter and cried with sadness. The romance sub-plot was beautiful and can't wait to see it grow throughout the series. I loved the way the enemies to lovers trope was played out, it was hilarious.Only negative was it became slightly predictable after the major plot twist. However, this didn't ruin anything for me.Highly recommend.

I saw the author promoting his books on tik tok and since queer fantasy is exactly what I was looking for I took a chance on this one. I am so glad I did. The story Is good and the characters are likeable from the get go. I particularly enjoyed the world building. The author paints a wonderful world that is very quickly routed in your mind as if you are there. The magic system is intriguing too I like the idea of the seasons being the base of the four courts of the fey. After completing this one I’m more than likely going to dive straight into the second one. What a cliffhanger to leave us on! Can’t wait to read more!