• Published: January 28, 2022
• Pages: 359
• Genre(s): Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Romance
• Series: Folk #1

Ash first saw the Folk when he was a little boy. Having grown up and moved away to college, Ash is now twenty-one and moving back to his childhood home. Years after he last saw the Folk, he’s managed to convince himself it was all the imagination of his younger self. However, after tragedy strikes and Ash ends up being taken to the land of Unseelie, he must confront the truth he was unwilling to admit to himself. Faced with danger at every turn, Ash must learn who to trust, but when he finds himself drawn to the mysterious assassin prince, can he even trust himself.

Forgotten Vows:

• Published: June 9, 2022
• Pages: 422
• Genre(s): Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Romance
• Series: Folk #2

King of Death:

• Published: November 17, 2023
• Pages: 514
• Genre(s): Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Romance
• Series: Folk #3

Plot twists, Obsession, and Survival:

• There are so many aspects to this series that make it truly great – the immersion into the Faerie realm, character development, emotionally fulfilling moments, and so many more that made me fall absolutely in love with it.
• One of the things that pleasantly surprised me about this series were the plot twists. I love a good plot twist and even though its not a requirement for me to enjoy a book, when its done well I find that it really elevates it. The plot twist at the end of Mortal Skin in particular was really well done; I personally don’t mind when I guess a plot twist that’s coming, as long as it’s satisfying, but I didn’t guess the Mortal Skin cliffhanger at all. Even knowing that logically something big was going to happen, it still left me in shock (and yes, I did end up crying).
• Lonan and Ash are such well-rounded characters, very well written and full of complex emotions and decisions, and I absolutely love them! Lonan has such sad boy energy and I just wanted to wrap him up in cotton wool. I felt for Ash so much all throughout the series, he went through the absolute most and was expected time and time again to just accept it all, move on, and be completely fine – he deserved the biggest hug and I’m so glad that both him and Lonan got their happy ending.
• Relating to Ash and Lonan – their romance was everything to me personally. Their relationship verged on toxic obsession at times (all for very valid reasons, considering what they were going through) and I was absorbed the entire time. I thought their chemistry and history with one another was so buzzy and I was obsessed! – minor toxicity and all.
• Character development was a major element of this series, for Ash especially. What I found really well done was the contingency of survival that was the catalyst for Ash’s development as a character; I found Ash changed noticeably from Mortal Skin to King of Death, for the reason that he was ultimately forced to. Ash and Lonan showed how our environments shape us as people. Ash was forced to change and become a different version of himself – one that he wasn’t always proud of – because he was in a state of survival. On the other hand, Lonan grew up with that fear and never knew anything different, until he met Ash and learned to live for himself and his own happiness. Both characters changed considerably, but under different circumstances.
• I had very minor issues with this series overall – One being, that the setting of Faerie wasn’t fully expanded upon. The Faerie world felt very limited and that didn’t seem the most realistic to me; I would have liked a little more exploration of the world of the Folk. The other issue I had was the parental figures of the text – there was a stark difference in the mother figures and the father figures. The main characters birth mothers were both villains of the story, and the father figures were both martyred. I personally would have preferred more variety in that regard.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the Folk series by Lily Mayne and would rate it a 4.75 out of 5 stars. I loved so many aspects of this story and although I did have some minor issues, there was nothing substantial enough to take much off of my overall rating. Ash and Lonan were beautifully written and their relationship displayed some really interesting dynamics. This series was chock-full of twists and turns, passion, interesting characters, family dynamics, character development, and so much more. If, like me, you love fantasy and romance then you’re sure to love this series.

Song: Frozen Lake by VOILÀ