Fiction Reviews
Enchanting The Fae Queen
(2026) Stephanie Burgis, £17.99, Tor, hrdbk, 293pp, ISBN 978-1-035-06303-1
This is the second in the Queens of Villainy series of fantasy romances – the first, Wooing The Witch Queen, was read and reviewed with enjoyment by me.
As you’d expect from the name, Enchanting The Fae Queen takes broadly the same approach as its predecessor: a powerful woman with her own
kingdomqueendom meets her soul-mate and life partner, with some twists and turns along the way.But the protagonists are very different. While Queen Saskia from the first book was Gadget Hackwrench cosplaying as Evil-Lyn, give or take, the half-faerie Queen Lorelei of Balravia is rather more Jessica Rabbit in her presentation to the world. At least, that’s what she’d like people to think of her…
Powered by fae magic and mischief, Lorelei was a friend and ally to Saskia against the mighty Serafin Empire in …Witch Queen, albeit a somewhat mercurial one. As Book Two opens, she has taken it upon herself to kidnap the Empire’s High General Gerard de Moireul. Gerard, the ‘Golden Beacon’ is a man of spotless moral probity, who lives his life by honour and duty and represents the best of imperial culture, disdaining the xenophobia of the current Emperor.
This abduction, or ‘vacation’ in the lands of Faerie, as Lorelei refers to it, is the latest engagement in a seven-year war of attrition Lorelei has waged against Gerard to break his seemingly unflappable exterior. She’s tried teasing, flirtation upon flirtation and practical jokes – now it’s time for an escalation.
But such actions have unforeseen consequences. Upon arriving at her absent mother’s fae court, Lorelei and Gerard are forced by a resentful and grudge-bearing Regent Oberon to take part in the Tournament of Leaves, working as a team to overcome a series of increasingly deadly trials.
Forced into close proximity to Gerard, Lorelei must examine her motivations for persistently vexing him – is it more than caprice or espionage? Can her deeper feelings also be involved? As the point of view alternates between chapters, we also discover whether Gerard can overcome his sense of duty (rooted in what can only be described as a terrible upbringing) and allow himself to truly express his real emotions.
And as the peril and the tension rises in Faerie, meanwhile back in the mortal realm the Queen’s intervention risks causing a diplomatic incident with continent-shattering repercussions.
As befits a story about a fairy queen, Enchanting… is a bit silly, more than a little bawdy and certainly no stranger to sparkles and glitter. There is a pleasing air of camp reminiscent of Carry On films to it all – which to those who have read the book can be summarised in three words: one-handed morning press-ups.
If you know, you know.
That this novel manages to combine this with some serious sub-plots is a tribute to author Stephanie Burgis, who once again shows that she knows how to write both fantasy and romance very well and manages these tonal shifts with ease.
Lorelei and Gerard are both well-rounded characters to follow over the course of the novel. While on the surface the dynamic between them is not a million miles away from the Tale of Sir Galahad in Monty Python & The Holy Grail, both are performing roles (the femme fatale and the paragon) rooted in childhood or early adult trauma and designed for emotional protection. Comedy aside, the best bits of the novel are those in which both protagonists realise that they are looking for someone who can truly see them and accept them for who they really are.
The 'Queens of Villainy' books are shaping up to be an engaging romantasy series. As with the first book, one has the strong sense of an author who knows what she is doing, what the books are about and absolutely delivers on that brief. Recommended.
Tim Atkinson
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