Summer Knights Dream

“Wow, this book and author were a delightful surprise. This could have easily been a 600-page book; there was a lot of world-building and magical systems to unpack. But the author condensed all of the elements of the plot into 200 easy-to-follow pages. This ended up being a 5-star read for me because I wanted more. Lyra lives in a world where the Queen rules with her consort harem, one person from the other 3 ruling courts in the fae world. In the Night Court, the female heir is never seen nor spoken of until she finds her four mates. When she turns (21?), a geas is enacted, barring her and her family from revealing her true identity, including a disguised appearance that is only lifted when she finds one of her mates. They pass a series of mystery challenges. The people under the geas can see her true self. It’s explained well, and I can’t believe no one else has ever thought to write this as a plot point. At the first event of the season before Academy attendance that all Fae have to experience, Lyra meets her first mate, Axel. Axel is appalled by Lyra, assuming she’s a servant or lesser fae, and rejects her outright. When they meet again a month later at school, Axel and his girlfriend try to bully Lyra into leaving, not realizing she is the school’s Night Court heir and patron. So much happens between Axel and Lyra that I could not put this book down. The other great part of this series was Lyra’s brothers. She comes from a large family, and her brothers are the best. They protect her and try to guide her when needed. I loved that, as many times, the FMC is alone with no family.”