How to Survive a Fairy Bargain - Laura J. Mayo - ★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Laura J. Mayo

SERIES: Fairies and Familiars, #2

GENRE: Fantasy

PUBLICATION DATE: October 7, 2025

RATING: 3.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: A fairytale fantasy continuing Theo's story from Book One. Good characters, many returning and some new. A thin plot with a weak mystery. Offers popcorn entertainment but no depth or logic. I liked it, but not as much as the first book. The second book of the Fairies and Familiars duology and needs to be read in series order.

Plot Preview: (This preview contains minor spoilers from the first book.)

Theo is trying to settle in her a new life as Cecily's familiar, but with most fairies either being ignorant about or obnoxious to humans, Theo is struggling. She misses Kaz, the only person who would have understood her problems. To add to her woes, she is being stalked by a stranger. When the stranger finally approaches her, Theo learns about a thousand-year-old secret, and finds herself right in the middle of new fairy bargains and dangers.

The story comes to us in Theo's third-person perspective.

When I first saw the cover for Book One: 'How to Summon a Fairy Godmother', I was immediately blown away. The inner content was as funny and sassy as the cover indicated. Needless to say, I had been waiting for this second part of the duology since I completed that wonderful story.

Was this sequel worth the wait?

Not exactly.

Does this book bring the story to a satisfying conclusion with no cliffhangers?

Absolutely yes.

Is this sequel as good as the first book?

Definitely not.

Bookish Yays:

🧚🏻 Cecily. One of my favourite characters in Book One, and the absolute favourite this time, even though her role is so limited.

🧚🏻 Theo. Just as blunt as ever, and still so relatable. I love how she has grown as a character.

🧚🏻 The banter between Theo and so many other characters. Great fun!

🧚🏻 The found-family trope, with the myriad human and fae characters coming together for a common purpose. Well handled.

🧚🏻 The Fae world. To be fair, there’s no elaborate world building this time as the first book already established the setting well. That's not a flaw of this book as that's how sequels should be. But as I already knew the setting, I enjoyed seeing some more of its intricacies.

🧚🏻 Continuing the pattern from the first book, this one also has some whimsical chapter titles. They do offer spoilers at times, but in general, they suit the quirky tone of the book.

🧚🏻 The fabulous cover art. I love how it stands out amid so many similar-looking books!

Bookish Okays:

🔮 The start is very slow and rambling. It takes ages for the story to get going. Thankfully, the tempo is somewhat decent in the second half.

🔮 The returning characters, especially the ones active in Theo’s life such as the other familiars and her music troupe. It was nice to see all of them again. However, those who’ve read the first book will be surprised by the return of one character, and this return essentially negates everything said in their arc in Book One. Too convenient.

🔮 There are two key new characters. Alby the goblin is absolutely adorable. I can’t recollect any other fairytale book where a goblin is portrayed so nicely. On the other hand, Arlys is a total cookie-cutter grump. I wish his character had better definition.

🔮 The “romance” never overpowers the main plot, which I appreciate. However, given how there is a clear romantic direction taken in this story, I wish it had been tackled better. The feels were missing.

🔮 The ending. Good, not great. Some infodumping, some predictability, some intense moments, lot of suspension of disbelief. But all comes to a satisfying finish, so there’s that.

Bookish Nays:

🔔 The plot is quite thin this time around. While there are adventurous quests this time as well, they aren’t as clearly defined or impactful as in the first book. It feels more like Theo is winging her way to her goal in a very meandering manner. This also leads to the book feeling repetitive, and even dragged in between.

🔔 The “secret” revealed to Theo by the stranger. Too wild, mostly unconvincing, and leaves a lot of plotholes. Most of all, this revelation and some of the subsequent events contradict a few things mentioned in the first book. It feels like deliberate misleading.

🔔 For a book with fairies and familiars and many other magical beings, the magic itself is quite limited. I missed the lush fantasy offered in the earlier novel. The guilty party is easily guessable. There should at least have been some strong contenders for us to cast our suspicions on, but there’s just one possible villain, and quite an obvious one. I didn’t get how everyone else in the story couldn’t figure it out.

Overall, while I did like this book somewhat, my positive feelings are more because of a nostalgic liking for the characters than for a genuine enjoyment of this story. Book One had a solid plot that delivered on believability, intrigue, and entertainment. A part of its appeal also was that it was an unusual Cinderella spinoff. This second book proceeds with a threadbare plot that sustains merely on the appeal of its lead characters, and has no retelling-like elements.

I still like this author’s imagination, so I just hope this sophomore novel is a teeny deviation from her potential standard. I am interested in reading what she writes next.

As the second book of the ‘Fairies and Familiars’ duology, this book continues the story from its predecessor and brings it to a proper close. (Not that a close was needed; the first book ended at a good-enough point.) As such, this book shouldn’t be read unless you have read Book One.

Recommended to fans of the first novel. Proceed with lowered expectations.

My thanks to Orbit Books for providing the DRC of “How to Survive a Fairy Bargain” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.