When Poppy Hill was a child she was stolen from her family’s Montana homestead and taken to the land of the fae, where she spent more than a century as a cook in the Wild King’s castle. Now back in the human world, she works for a company that brokers fairy bargains, looking for loopholes in their contracts.
Then a bargain that Poppy is negotiating goes disastrously wrong and she has to return to the world she grew up in to try to rectify her mistake, facing danger, intrigue and a pesky ex-boyfriend along the way.
This debut novel really stands out for its originality—it’s a character-driven urban/portal fantasy with fae bargains, magical contracts, and parallel worlds where what you say REALLY matters. What this isn’t is a Romantasy—while there’s tension between ex-lovers and other “romantic possibilities” that are brief and closed-door, the book focuses more on the quest and world-building. And if you enjoy “fish-out-of-water” and “be careful what you wish for” stories that aren’t overly complex or long, this one’s an easy binge read!
Told entirely through Poppy’s POV, you get to know her inner workings, wit, and backstory really well. While it starts in the human world and we get to know her coworkers and the faerie bargains she’s involved in, a major conflict happens early on to thrust her back into the faerie world. Here, her inner dialogue becomes more compelling as she relives flashbacks and travels through lands both familiar and foreign to her. Her reunion with her ex, Elan, is full of red flags—he, like all the fae, is a complex being who can’t entirely be trusted—so you may be on the fence about a rekindled romance. The world-building begins fairly simple but gets richer as Poppy travels deeper into faerie territory, winding through roads and backroads and becoming entangled in political tensions and dangerous conflicts. Add in eccentric side characters, including nefarious bargainers, an unconventional hunter, a corrupt king, and Poppy’s best fae friend Sloan, and the story becomes intricate.
Even with some uneven pacing, there’s a nice balance of action, banter, and introspective moments where Poppy processes what’s happening and is forced to make risky decisions. The banter between Poppy and Sloan—especially when she visits her in dreams—is especially intriguing, and her interactions with her ex and the hunter keep things fresh and unpredictable. Be prepared for unexpected twists that will elicit emotional reactions during the climax—and remember that we’re dealing with fae here, so expect the unexpected! The ending gives enough resolution for this to work as a standalone but also leaves unanswered questions that make a sequel very possible—and let’s hope one does come, because there’s so much of the fae world left to explore, and you’ll want to spend more time with these characters!
If you enjoy portal fantasy, fae parallel worlds, and stories about rule-bound magic with consequences, add this to your list. And do yourself a favor and get a copy of the audio to pair with the beautiful physical copy, as the incredibly talented Barrie Kreinik brings the characters and world-building vividly to life in a truly cinematic performance!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains is narrated by award-winning narrator Barrie Kreinik, who’s known for her strong character work in fantasy stories like this one!
Kreinik portrays protagonist Poppy with an intelligent, slightly guarded voice that fits her perfectly. In her inner dialogue, you really feel like she’s always thinking two steps ahead while carrying unresolved feelings about her ex and the faerie world. In contrast, Sloan is given a cooler, more detached voice that conveys her fae mindset—and you immediately sense she’s not someone you can fully trust. Elan, Poppy’s ex, has a regal-sounding voice with a playful edge, but there’s also something underneath that makes him sound a bit shady.
Where the performance really shines is during Poppy’s travels in the faerie world—you feel everything alongside her as she’s thrown from one bad situation to another and forced to make quick decisions. It’s a very immersive delivery that makes Poppy very compelling, and by the end, you’ll feel just as exhausted as she does—in the best way! Kreinik is an expert at pacing a story—once things start getting dangerous, she adds tension and urgency to her tone, and the action scenes are thrilling. By the end, after everything Poppy has gone through, there’s a subtle shift in how she’s voiced—she sounds more self-assured, and it‘s very convincing!
Overall, Kreinik elevates the entire story and keeps you engaged even through slower moments where you might be tempted to put the physical copy down—and it would be wonderful to revisit these characters in a sequel with Barrie narrating again!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains is narrated by award-winning narrator Barrie Kreinik, who’s known for her strong character work in fantasy stories like this one!
Kreinik portrays protagonist Poppy with an intelligent, slightly guarded voice that fits her perfectly. In her inner dialogue, you really feel like she’s always thinking two steps ahead while carrying unresolved feelings about her ex and the faerie world. In contrast, Sloan is given a cooler, more detached voice that conveys her fae mindset—and you immediately sense she’s not someone you can fully trust. Elan, Poppy’s ex, has a regal-sounding voice with a playful edge, but there’s also something underneath that makes him sound a bit shady.
Where the performance really shines is during Poppy’s travels in the faerie world—you feel everything alongside her as she’s thrown from one bad situation to another and forced to make quick decisions. It’s a very immersive delivery that makes Poppy very compelling, and by the end, you’ll feel just as exhausted as she does—in the best way! Kreinik is an expert at pacing a story—once things start getting dangerous, she adds tension and urgency to her tone, and the action scenes are thrilling. By the end, after everything Poppy has gone through, there’s a subtle shift in how she’s voiced—she sounds more self-assured, and it‘s very convincing!
Overall, Kreinik elevates the entire story and keeps you engaged even through slower moments where you might be tempted to put the physical copy down—and it would be wonderful to revisit these characters in a sequel with Barrie narrating again!
The audiobook of The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains is narrated by award-winning narrator Barrie Kreinik, who’s known for her strong character work in fantasy stories like this one!
Kreinik portrays protagonist Poppy with an intelligent, slightly guarded voice that fits her perfectly. In her inner dialogue, you really feel like she’s always thinking two steps ahead while carrying unresolved feelings about her ex and the faerie world. In contrast, Sloan is given a cooler, more detached voice that conveys her fae mindset—and you immediately sense she’s not someone you can fully trust. Elan, Poppy’s ex, has a regal-sounding voice with a playful edge, but there’s also something underneath that makes him sound a bit shady.
Where the performance really shines is during Poppy’s travels in the faerie world—you feel everything alongside her as she’s thrown from one bad situation to another and forced to make quick decisions. It’s a very immersive delivery that makes Poppy very compelling, and by the end, you’ll feel just as exhausted as she does—in the best way! Kreinik is an expert at pacing a story—once things start getting dangerous, she adds tension and urgency to her tone, and the action scenes are thrilling. By the end, after everything Poppy has gone through, there’s a subtle shift in how she’s voiced—she sounds more self-assured, and it‘s very convincing!
Overall, Kreinik elevates the entire story and keeps you engaged even through slower moments where you might be tempted to put the physical copy down—and it would be wonderful to revisit these characters in a sequel with Barrie narrating again!
