A Deal with the Elf King came out right after Holly Black's
The Cruel Prince trilogy got wrapped up and the majority of fans longed to jump back into a similar world of wicked elves and epic romances.
A Deal with the Elf King to me was a Hallmark version of a fantasy romance. It was fairly predictable and had very sweet main characters. It frankly read a lot like a cute fairy tale retelling. I guess it lacked the edginess of Holly Black's novels and overall, was not dark enough. I would say that I liked the way the book started and then it definitely went downhill. I especially disliked the Hallmark plotline of: they meet - dislike each other - slowly get to know each other - fall in love - miscommunication - they part - back together/happy end. There are more books in this series, but if I understand it correctly, each book is a standalone story. The first one definitely wrapped up nicely without a cliff hanger. I will not be continuing on. If you are looking for something sweet to read with romance, and a fairy tale setting, this could be a good choice. But definitely do not expect anything mind-blowing or super original. 2.5 out of 5 stars.
