Ithandryll is the first book in the Song of the Sidhe series, and blends fantasy with romance in a compelling manner that promises an epic read to both genre fans.
Roxi Lovegood is on the run from her past. Landing in Chicago, a good place to blend into the background, she discovers that not only has she brought along baggage from her past life, but an apartment break-in reveals a relic under the floorboards that leads her into another world. Chicago has always been her dream. Now that she’s achieved one of her life goals (to live there), it becomes her nightmare.
Roxi’s belief system is challenged in a major way by events that draw her further into danger and, ironically, force her to move from her comfort zone and the distance she wants to put between herself and the world (“Some days it was easier to forget. To pretend. To focus on something more pressing and present, like finding a new job or dodging the nosy inquiries from fair-weathered “friends” who also loved to pretend.”).
Roxi is unable to just wallow in sadness, given the extraordinary circumstances of a successful flight into something even she never predicted in all her dreams of opportunity and change.
Her encounter with the alluring Devon provides her with a guide not only to this odd world, but to matters of the heart that re-form her place in both worlds. Despite his penchant for mischief and frolic, Devon, too, has experienced heartbreak.
Nikki Auberkett takes the time to entwine romance, a fantasy world, and circumstances which force Roxi and Devon to step away from their choices and predictable paths into something different, both with one another and in their new lives.
Ithandryll is replete with fine tension and whimsical moments of comic relief: “Roxi’s eyes widened. Her breath escaped her lungs. Fairies. ‘Pixies.’ Devon held no such wonderment; he grumbled the word with all the admiration of a man with a fly swatter.”
The dance between a stubborn human who taps her deepest resources to survive in this strange new land and a captivating stranger who introduces her to his world and her family makes for an engrossing story filled with numerous memorable characters and satisfying twists and turns of plot.
Libraries and readers seeking the intersection of epic fantasy and romance will find Ithandryll nicely developed, compelling in its vision of disparate people forced to tap their inner desires and heritages in order to survive, and hard to put down.
Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review
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May 2023
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ithandryll by Nikki Auberkett is a young adult fantasy romance with the wow factor. Enchanting, spell-binding, and magical. Roxi is haunted by her dark past. Trying to escape it she moves to Chicago, only to find the magical world of the fae is waiting for her. Waking up in Ithandryll, Roxi finds herself in a race to be caught by prospective fae husbands! She runs! She hides, gets caught, and is rescued. Phew, and all that is the introduction to the new world she finds herself in. Devon is her gorgeous savior, and the two of them set off on a journey to find Roxi’s way home. Only as time goes by, she realizes more and more that actually home is right where she is. But with her past can she ever trust again?
Nikki Auberkett has obviously poured her heart and soul into creating this enchanting and captivating romance. She has created diverse characters with depth and personality. Flashbacks are clear and well-written so as not to interrupt the story flow. Her writing style is easy to read and carried me along its magical journey. The descriptions and the Ithandryll world-building are quite stunning and I loved all the details. The relationship between the two main characters is passionate and I longed for them to get together. There is a little pull-and-push tension between them and each of them is holding back a secret or two. I devoured this first book and it ended on such a cliffhanger that I am thirsting for the next one…
Tracy Orchard, Readers’ Favorite
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June 2023
★ ★ ★ ★ ★