Under the Earth, Over the Sky

Product Information

I like to start with the “negative” first because I believe it important to end on a positive note. While I don’t have much of anything I didn’t like, there are a few things I’d like to note: I was getting the vibes in the very beginning that there was going to be this ancient grudge between the male love interest and his brother that would get resolved through a great deal of character growth and maturity....but the brother just turned out to be a little shit with little nuance between the two of them, and there were two OTHER brothers who got mentioned but we never met and it felt like a huge wasted opportunity because there was a ton of mentioned history between the male MC and his brothers. (Nothing makes me angrier than platonic plot lines with a ton of potential that are completely wasted…am I petty? Probably. Do I care? Nope.)

Literally the one and only thing I didn't like about this book was that now that I'm finished it's over. I want to know more! See the child growing up more and see all the other events long term affects! Learn more about the characters and the world and the past. Don't get me wrong, the book was a perfect length, not too long or short. It's just that I, as a reader, don't want to leave this magical world that Miss Emily has crafted yet. His relationships with his dad-not-dad, Galen, was quite wholesome which reflected in his relationship with his son. Ultimately the found family of it all is what convinced me to read this story and I was not disappointed. Iohmar was a loving and devoted father. The other way the author got me was with the stunning illustration work, done by none other than herself! I really appreciate that extra step of effort! Lastly, while I liked the play with time, it was off putting to see “the child’s” (don’t want to spoil his name for anyone; names are powerful things you should know) age progression. One moment he was but a wee babe who couldn’t speak and then the next chapter he was suddenly speaking in complete sentences. I got used to it, but it was jarring and his various ages confused me. Perhaps this was the point though, and I make a note of this in my pros section. Until a human family can be found for the child, Iohmar will look after him. The winds of Látwill sweep fairies through the starry sky, the forests capture the feeble-minded with their dark song, and even Iohmar, King Beneath the Earth, is subject to the will of the immortal mountains, so even the best-laid schemes can go awry.Then there was the relationship between Iohmar and Galen which I also loved but in a more amused way. It was a mentor/caretaker and his charge sort of thing but their relationship was really wholesome and good too. It was funny how Galen would scold Iohmar, this millennia old fae king, and Iohmar would actually feel bad. Like he would act like a child who was being told off by his mother for sneaking candy. It also said at one point that the younger fae would come to him for advice and stuff and that he was like the father figure of the whole Hall, so that made me like Galen’s character even more. And the way his disapproving looks are described from Iohmar’s POV just made everything better because you can literally picture it.

The actual raising of the human baby might have been, sadly, my least favorite part of the story. It was sweet, sure, but I think it would have been better if the baby had behaved a bit more like an actual baby. At first, he did cry and seemed more like a real child, but became remarkably well behaved after Iohmar decided to keep him forever. I won’t say too much as to why, because that’s a bit of a spoiler, but personally, I would have liked it if Iohmar had to struggle a bit with raising a kid. Instead, it was just the perfect parts of parenting, which made me feel like the adorable parts between Iohmar and his baby weren’t really earned. Which sounds weird, but that’s the only way I can think of to phrase it. I was sold on the relationships between these characters, could believe they cared for one another, and loved that the heart of the story sat with a father and son.Of course, the dynamic between Iohmar and his adopted son was where Under the Earth, Over the Sky shone the brightest. Watching Iohmar’s cold heart slowly melt as he began to care for Lor was truly a joy, and Emily McCosh portrayed all of the ups and downs of their father-son relationship so poignantly. He was such a compelling character beyond his dynamic with Lor as well; McCosh also did an excellent job of making his life and relationships genuinely complicated, making him feel truly fleshed-out and making some of the stakes seem more real. Every part of his raising Lor tugged at my heartstrings, from the moment he realizes that he has to care for this baby, to grappling with the fact that his appearance frightens his own son. Not to praise the plague that is the Disney live-action remakes, this novel reminded me of the only good one—the dynamic between Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent and baby Aurora was similarly sweet. The fact that it’s a father-son relationship also feels so important—having a male character showing such vulnerability and care is something that we need more of, certainly. I have been struggling with reading and finishing books lately and could feel the reading slump coming but I could not put this book down. I want to thank the author for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest review. 4.5⭐️ A+ for getting me to cry multiple times throughout the book! As a mama to a little boy, this story spoke to me on a deep emotional level. The many snuggles, hugs, and carrying of the little boy made my mommy heart so warm. Even the love between the king and queen was so romantic without being spicy. Just good old loving relationships. I almost imagined the two as the sun and the moon. It was beautiful. Most of the other character interactions were similarly comforting and cozy. I especially loved the dynamic between Iohmar and his wife Rúnda; they were so quietly devoted to each other, and their gentle love fueled the already heartwarming feel of this novel. The interactions between Iohmar and the humans he encounters along the way were similarly poignant. Not only did they serve to drive home the rift between Lor’s human and adopted fae identities, Iohmar’s subtle changes in how he dealt with humans was so tender and indicative of his shifting character. Strangely, even though there weren’t as many characters, subtle interactions like these were what made the world feel lived-in—it didn’t take a lot for this world to feel populated, which helped immensely with my feeling of immersion.