REVIEW: Deal with the Elf King (book) by Elise Kova

Deal with the Elf King is fantasy romance. I bought my copy new.

Review:

Luella has devoted her whole life to becoming her village's healer, until Eldas, the Elf King, arrives and she learns that she's the Human Queen, our world's payment for peace with the elves. Now, with none of the preparation that Human Queens usually receive, Luella must go with Eldas to his lands, which need her life force in order to live and bloom. Her only hope of freedom and returning to her family and village is to find a way to end the cycle of the Human Queens before it's too late.

A couple things attracted me to this book: the gorgeous cover art (Eldas looks very much like Hades in Linda Sejic's Punderworld) and a line I read somewhere in an ad or a review that said this had elements of the Hades and Persephone myth. "Elements of" is definitely more appropriate than saying this is an adaptation of the myth - the only thing the two really have in common is that Eldas, whose powers are linked to death, is essentially king of a dead land (Hades-like) and that Luella's powers are linked to life and growing things (Persephone-like). The seasons in Eldas' land are dependent upon Luella's presence or absence.

I expected to enjoy the romance more than I did. It didn't feel entirely organic, and Luella was a bit of an idiot at times. For example, she wouldn't say that she loved Eldas because she wasn't sure if she really loved him or if that was just a part of her resigning herself to being his Human Queen. By that point, though, it was pretty obvious she loved him. The bigger worry should have been how and whether they could still be together if they managed to break the cycle.

Eldas "smirked" way too much, and the solution to Luella's quest to break the cycle was fairly obvious, or at least the elements involved in the solution were. That said, despite this book's issues, it was still somehow very bingeable.

I wish the romance had been a bit stronger and that the author had spent a bit more time showcasing Eldas' powers and how they worked. Also, I had many unanswered questions about how this world was supposed to work after Luella and Eldas accomplished what they did. Still, this was an enjoyable read, and I plan on trying more by this author at some point.