The Faire

Reviews

• Cenigh

  Finished December 23, 2025

  4.25 ⭐ What a ride. I thoroughly enjoyed this series. The originality of this story was refreshing. Cora, at times, did get annoying. Simon was one of the most unique MMC that I've read and very complex. It is amusing how much Simon hates having feelings for Cora and also detests being bothered by her being upset or sad. Simon's test of Cora's love & trust was crazy and had me questioning his feelings for her. Cora's love for Simon is unwavering in this last book. I loved Simon's declaration at the end. Who knew I would end up rooting for a man-eating murder circus? This book was thought provoking, making you consider whether the ends always justify the means. Did Ringmaster's actions to stop what he thought was evil, in turn, make him just as evil or even maybe more so? It broke my heart when Simon's shadow sacrificed himself for Cora; he was my favorite character in the series. I cried during this scene; it makes me sad just thinking about it now. Evil. But…not, at the same time. He was oddly considerate in the strangest of ways. He was sweet to her. He was funny. He made her laugh and smile more than anyone else ever had in her life. And he had helped her commit murder. What said “I care about you” more than that? “Believe me or not, I care about you. I care about you all a great deal. You are my children. My family. It’s my role to provide for you. To ensure that you are all happy. I have done a terrible job. I still don’t understand you creatures. I give you all the comforts that you request. But happiness is so much more than that, isn’t it?” The giant, ancient, evil, man-eating murder-circus was sad. And that somehow broke her heart. Things like that shouldn’t feel. I love her. I shouldn’t. And I hate it. But I do. I love her. Even if it destroys what’s left of my mind. *“I love you, Cora.” It was a whispering voice. Not the one she was used to hearing in her dreams. He sounded soft and faraway, but still loud enough to be heard. “I never thought I’d ever get to play the hero. Look at me. I get to do something right.” “I’m glad I got the chance to save you. Even if it was only the one time.” “I love you, Cora. I would do anything to save you. I would pay any price…you know that.” A large, shadowy claw traced her cheek. And then she realized what the sadness in his eyes was. That wasn’t just mourning over the pain she’d been dealt. That was grief. That was goodbye. “N—no. Please.” Simon’s shadow leaned in and rested his large head against hers. “It’s all right. I have meaning now. I have purpose. I get to die for the woman I love. That’s more than I’ve ever deserved.” “Don’t cry…I wasn’t ever real, remember? I won’t be far. I’ll always be here with you. But I did a good thing. Just this once…I did a good thing.” She felt him begin to slip through her fingers. Her throat tightened, and she sobbed. “No—Laz—please⁠—” “Nothing I can do…I’m sorry. He knew. He wanted this.” “I—” She turned her attention back to Simon’s shadow. “I love you. I love you so much, I—” Her voice choked as she wept. “I will always love you. And I will always remember you.” “That means I did exist. That makes me happy.” He traced a shadowy claw over her cheek. “So beautiful…” * But if anyone ever asked her again why she loved Simon Waite, the dreadful and terrible Puppeteer, it wasn’t going to be for any of those reasons. It was because he taught her how to trust someone with her heart again. “Do you trust me, Cora? Do you really trust me? You said you did. Now…I want to find out.” “I will follow you to the ends of the Earth. I will stay at your side until we crumble to dust. I will protect you as best I can, even from myself. And when I cannot, I can only pray you rip what’s left of me apart. Because I never, ever wish to hurt you. And I never, ever wish to fail you.” He cradled her face in his hands and stepped close to her. “Cora Glass, my monstrous and villainous Queen of Harrow Faire…I love you.” In that moment, when the lie was still truth, he had asked her for her love. And she had given it. He didn’t deserve her. He knew it. But when did anything ever stop him from taking what he didn’t earn and keeping it? He was a covetous creature. And Cora Glass was his. And he would burn down the world to protect her. Family. It isn’t who you’re born with. It isn’t who raised you. It’s who you choose. It’s your clan, your friends, the people you would die for before you let them come to harm. It is who you laugh with, cry with, and who you’d help hide a body if they asked. It also doesn’t mean they’re good people.

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• Kinsey

  Started August 2, 2025 · Finished August 4, 2025

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