by Kristen Ciccarelli
ASIN/ISBN: 9781250821522
Publication: March 1, 2022

**I was provided a copy of the book through NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.**

All Emeline has ever wanted to do is sing, and she finally has the opportunity to sign to a big label, but when she sings, the forest of Edgewood always calls her home. Moss grows by her seats, and beetles appear from nowhere. Though she tries to ignore it as much as she can, when her grandfather goes missing, she knows it must be the Wood King who has stolen him. To save him, she will have to return to Edgewood.

Edgewood is a contemporary romance disguised as an urban fantasy. I know, I know. It means it’s probably a fantasy romance, but it doesn’t quite fit into the subgenre either because the romance isn’t as emphasized. Had I realized this sooner, I may have set different expectations for it. I thought there would be a greater focus on the fantastical elements. I thought the woods might play a larger role than they actually did. I thought the Wood King would also have a bigger presence in the story. It wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be, so this affected my overall feelings about the novel.

First, I had a difficult time trying to reconcile the existence of the forest and its inhabitants with Edgewood and the present. Additionally, the world building was somewhat lacking here. I spent some time perusing images to better imagine their coexistence because it was difficult to picture what the town looked like with an entire world also within the forest. Once I got over this block, I began to enjoy the book more.

The plot is predictable. My mind jumped ahead and unraveled much of the mysteries surrounding Edgewood before my eyes laid on the pages. I didn’t mind because I wanted it to happen that way. My overall enjoyment of the book was not hindered by the predictability but the quick resolutions. There was no time to ponder what would happen or to allow the moment to sink in because conflicts ended nearly as quickly as they appeared.

If you’re a fan of romance and fantasy, Edgewood is fairly predictable, but still a good read. There was so much to the world within the forest, but there wasn’t enough time spent on that world’s intricacies. For the most part, I enjoyed it but wanted more of the fantasy elements.