WARNING: There may be spoilers for the series
BY: E. G. Radcliffe
GENRE: YA Fantasy
PUBLISHER: Mythic Prairie Books
I started reading again in 2019. I read The Percy Jackson Series and the others that Rick Riordan wrote. I found a re-kindled love for reading, especially fantasy and science fiction. I never stopped. During the summer of 2020, when everything shut down, I read voraciously. I also started to write reviews. I was browsing my Kindle Unlimited when I came across this book “The Hidden King”, the first book in The Coming of Áed series, I thought I would give it try as the book blurb sounded great. E.G. Radcliff has created a series that will stay with me forever.
When I started reading, right from the start, the main protagonists, Áed and Ninian, were gay. I remember crying as I read this beautiful story. It was the first book I read that had LBGTQ+ representation, and they were the main characters. My son is gay and I found this incredibly touching story that changed how I looked at the fantasy genre. I told my son about this series, and while reading is not his interest, he was certainly amazed and happy. While I know there were more than likely other books with portrayal of LBGTQ+ characters, The Coming of Áed was the first I read.
I absolutely love this series. I can only describe the relationship between Áed and Ninian as poignant, touching, and at times, heartbreaking. The bond between these two characters was so strong, the reader cannot help but feel all the emotions they share. You will be left with having read a truly special series.
Of course there is the amazing elements of fantasy against the backdrop the their relationship. Ms. Radcliff expertly weaves this story together of Áed and Ninian, with their hardships of living in a very poor area, the ascendant of Áed to the throne, and a with the fae. It filled with page turning action. I highly recommend this series.
Book Blurb: The Hidden King
Hidden truths. Hidden power. Hidden destiny.
On the shores of a rusty sea, in the streets of a starving city, a young man named Áed scraps to build a life for himself and the makeshift family he loves. Scarred by a trauma he cannot remember, and haunted by the brutal damage it left behind, he has no idea of the courage his future will demand.
When a heart-wrenching tragedy shatters his family, a desperate Áed risks a treacherous journey to seek a kingdom of legend—and a new beginning. But an ancient legacy smoldering within him is about to turn deadly, and neither he—nor the legends—will ever be the same.
Book Blurb: The Last Prince
In a hellish city, the fate of a young boy rests on the very thing he fears most…
Robbed of his childhood by tragedy and betrayal and forced onto the streets, only fury makes young Ninian feel whole – and in a world of gangs and fae, Ninian is more than willing to fight for his life.
But it doesn’t take much to topple a life which is already balanced on the edge of a knife. And by the time a desperate Ninian realizes he’s crossed the wrong person, it is much, much too late.
In his frantic struggle to right his collapsing world, Ninian’s furious, bloody efforts are dredging up history he’d rather forget – the past is tired of being held at bay, and even fighting cannot protect Ninian from himself.
So when he meets a crimson-eyed stranger, a boy so broken he refuses even to speak, Ninian does not believe he has the capacity to care.
He is wrong.
And that will change everything…
BOOK BLURB: The Wild Court
What perils await on the other side of the veil?
In the seventh year of Áed’s reign, night descends on the autumn festival. But a time of revelry turns into one of fiery destruction—as fae pour across the veil and the Gut becomes a battlefield in an otherworldly war.
Determined to protect his kingdom and the people he loves, Áed finds himself catapulted into a realm as unfamiliar as it is dangerous, where magic is king and wild courts vie for supremacy.
While the faerie Queen’s missing consort holds the key to life and death, tenuous alliances raise questions about Áed’s connection to the mysterious Bone court. His survival hinges on cunning as much as illusion.
On a mission like no other, only one thing is certain: no one will survive unscathed.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
E.G. RADCLIFF IS A part-time pooka and native of the Unseelie Court. She collects acorns, glass beads, and pretty rocks, and the crows outside her house know her as She Who Has Bread. Her fantasy novels are crafted in the dead of night after offering sacrifices of almonds and red wine to the writing-block deities.
Learn more about E.G. Radcliff on her website: egradcliff.com
Purchase The Coming of Áed Merchandise: https://www.egradcliff.com/merchandise
Review of The Hidden King & The Last Prince
Review of The Wild Court
Interview with E.G. Radcliff
Purchase The Hidden King on Amazon
Purchase The Last Prince on Amazon
Purchase The Wild Court on Amazon
