A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova - Book Review

A Deal with the Elf King is an enjoyable read, but not quite what I expected considering the hype, that’s why I rated it 3.5 stars. This is one of those books Instagram made me buy because it was all over my feed and I loved the cover.

I liked the premises of the book, a world where Eldas, the new Elf king needs to find his Human Queen because only her magic can keep both their lands alive. 

Eldas didn’t feel otherworldly to me. I expected his character to be much darker, or at least mischievous.

Luella, on the other hand, is a character I liked. She is good and selfless, but she’s also not a pushover. She won’t accept her fate as the other Human Queens have. She seeks answers and does her best to control her fate. She’s a problem solver and I like that.

Two characters are forced into a formal marriage for the sake of their kingdoms. Neither wants, but they both place duty above all else. I was expecting the enemy to lovers trope but I was disappointed. They didn’t start out as enemies. She was expected to fear him. She didn’t. He was supposed to be evil, he wasn’t. I mean, he was kind of mean to her, but in a very human way and he throws tantrums like a 5-year-old.

“You will respect me!” Eldas shouts.

“Be someone worthy of respecting first!” I slam the door behind me.”

Elise Kova said “This book was a passion project for me. It was my first book back writing again after being near burn-out. And I started drafting it at the beginning of quarantine in 2020. I wanted to write a world that I could escape into… where everything was wrapped up with a happily ever after at the end. It’s my earnest hope that others can find an escape in the pages of Eldas and Luella.”

The book gets better in the second part, there’s more action and the pace picks up. Overall it was a good story, with an interesting magic system that I wish was explained in more depth. They get the happy ending they never believed was in the cards for them.