Book 1 in the Played by the Piper series
Reviewed by CJ | Rating: 4.5/5 | Steam: 🔥🔥🔥 📖
⚠️ This is a full spoiler review. If you haven’t read The Sweetest Fiend yet — go read it first. We’ll be here when you’re done.
OPENING HOOK
A Pied Piper retelling where the Piper turns out to be a powerful fae hoarding kidnapped fiends to save the world? That’s an easy sell for me. This one throws us straight in to the fire with a prologue that cracks the earth wide open, and it doesn’t let up from there.
THE FULL STORY — SPOILERS INCLUDED
We begin thirty years before the main story, as the earth is literally breaking apart, spewing molten lava everywhere. Varrik is a caught in the eruption with his fellow soldiers, including his brother Trigg, who he’s searching for as the magma overtakes them and pulls them apart. He survives with his skin steaming, and clothes burned clean off him, but when he goes looking for Trigg, he finds that only pieces of him remain. That’s the tone this book sets in its first few pages, and the hits keep on coming for a while.
The belief behind all this devastation is that the fates poured too much magic into the earth, and eventually it just couldn’t hold it in. Millions of fae died in the eruption, but a small number who came into contact with the raw Core power survived and were infused with it instead. They became the Core fae, a powerful class who now sort of run things. Nine destructive beings known as the Banes had also clawed their way out of the crack with the eruption. With unusual antlers and terrifying power, they tried to take over Brekon as soon as they were free. Over the course of five years, the Core fae beat them back, cut off their antlers, and threw them back into the cracks, but every Bane that died released a Plague on its way out, and those Plagues have been slowly crushing what was left of the fae.
That brings us to the present where we meet Estinya (Esti), working a paper mill with her aunt in the middle of a flesh-eating fly Plague so bad that people have to wrap themselves head to toe just to walk outside. Esti is a fiend (half-Bane, half-fae), conceived during the five years that the Banes walked free, and like all other fiends, she is hated. Blamed for the plagues sticking around, and everything bad the Banes did before she was born, Esti is treated like dirt by most of the people she knows. She’s resilient though, with stubby little horns she keeps covered, shimmers in her hair and her freckles, and the secret ability to read a constellation of stars on someone’s face the first time she looks at them, which gives her a read on their character.
Things are dire when the flies clear out, but it’s made worse by the fact that poison rain is what kills them, and it contaminates the water supply. They’ve been starving and barely surviving for over four months at this point, and the Govern decides this is a great time to price-gouge water instead of protecting them. In desperation one night, Esti goes out late looking for medicine for her mother, who’s bedridden with seizures. She gets caught out only a minute past curfew, and is chained to a whipping post overnight left ripped open by the whip and bleeding as punishment. This is poor timing because that’s when the next Plague of giant rats descends upon the city. She is fully braced to die chained to that post, when suddenly the rats just turn and… leave. As they scurry away in droves she hears beautiful music and sees figures walking into town.
This is how we meet Varrik as the Piper. He and his crew have been clearing plagues from the region, strolling in to politely inform Lord Halvon, the Govern, that 30,000 coin is owed for their services. When he says the city can’t pay, the Piper tells him that he will take 130 of their people instead. The Govern agrees instantly, because of course her does; he’s a slimy asshole like that. Varrik plays his pipe and everyone he’s chosen falls in line, muscles locked, completely unable to resist. Esti, who almost slipped away, gets caught at the last moment and becomes the final one taken. As she locks eyes with the Piper she reads his constellation and is given the words Defender. Thief. Liar.
From there it’s a forced march out of Hamelyn to a ferry crossing, followed shortly after that by a failed escape attempt on Esti’s part when they make camp. The guard she ran from is the one whose star-reading told her he holds a grudge, and that checks out, because he absolutely does from there out. She’s stuck camping with Varrik now so he can keep a closer eye on her, and this is where we start to see that they’re drawn to one another, even if it’s only with the goal to annoy. Once they reach his castle, he sees exactly how bad her injuries are and takes over her care himself after the healers treat her roughly, because as we learned earlier, not everyone thinks fiends deserve gentle hands.
Lucky for her, this means being locked up in his room for days on end. It’s funny and entertaining to see their back and forth as he tries to nurse her back to health without giving in to the urge to murder while as she tries to escape and be as difficult as she possibly can. Slowly she discovers that the other captured fiends and fae are being treated very well, and things may not be exactly as they appear. Varrik can’t explain everything yet, so we get pieces fed to us until they have brought enough fiends and fae together to show their hand. Fiend blood, depending which bane a fiend descends from, appears to be able to drive plagues away, even preventing them. Best of all, it doesn’t take much blood. Esti is shocked to see how many fiends are willing to help, until she see that they’re being provided a safe place to live and contribute without fear and abuse. The operation is being carried out in secret because if the Governs found out, they’d start hunting and locking fiends away instead of protecting and working with them. Which, given what we’ve already seen of Hamelyn’s Govern so far, that line of thought tracks completely.
Even though she’s furious with his methods, Esti keeps softening toward Varrik until suddenly his magic latches onto her in what I think I understand to be a soulmate-adjacent kind of bond? Maybe? Unsure of whether there’s only one or multiple opportunities, but it appears to be something that bolsters their powers. I have a few questions on this. Anyway, that’s never happened between a Core fae and a fiend before, so nobody was looking at fiends as possibilities. It rewrites everything the Core fae thought they knew about finding their Latch since they had only been searching for theirs among the fae. From there she flees and is rescued by the Piper where he risks his life for hers, then they go on to help rescue survivors of an ash Plagued village together. Seeing him drain himself nearly to death trying to save those people and being crushed that he could only pull out a few, causes Esti to shed that last big chunk of doubt she was holding onto about his character. I’m sure allowing her to send a letter home earlier also helped with that, but you can clearly see they are falling for each other through all of this, and it’s a delicious mix of spicy and sweet.
When a reply letter arrives from Aunt Leena with coin, trying to buy Esti’s freedom back, Varrik finally learns that Esti’s mother is sick, which is why she’s been fighting so hard to get home. He takes her back to Hamelyn right away, promising to bring her mother and aunt back to the castle to be properly cared for. He brings Conrad (a healer) to see if he can help her mother, and Frid (unnatural strength) along with them, plus the Woodsman, who we don’t get to know much yet. Their arrival to her house leads to a standoff with the Govern and a patrolman showing up to run Varrik out of the city. Tension is running high, and just as all hell is about the break loose, Esti’s mother collapses. Varrik moves to help her, but the second he touches her arm, there’s a blinding flash as their powers flares. Everyone stares in disbelief as antlers grow out of her mother’s head. Holy shit, I did not see that one coming. What in the actual fuck, Batman. Well played Raven Kennedy; well Played.
Anyway, back to the story. Her mother is a Bane. Those Banes that ruined the lives of all fae, especially the Core fae like Varrik.
Everyone is stunned. Esti throws herself in front of her mom and aunt, and Varrik sees immediately that she already knew. The Govern starts screaming for the women to be arrested. And Varrik, with his pipe, leads her mother, her aunt, the Govern, and the patrolman all out of the house, going cold and distant toward Esti in the process, with her and Varrik trailing behind everyone else. The book ends right there, and I have to admit that I’m pretty desperate to know what happens next.
BEST PART OF THIS BOOK
The moment the Piper’s full plan is revealed. He’s not some deranged monster stealing people in the night, he’s desperately trying to hold together what’s left of a shattered world, and once that falls into place, it recontextualizes everything leading up to it.
WORST PART OF THIS BOOK
I have no real complaints here, and would say that the “worst part” is just how dark this world is. The hits keep on coming from the very start, and by page 60 or so it was clear this book isn’t going to ease up. It’s tough, but it’s establishing how hard life is for these people and exactly what’s at stake.
THE STEAM RATING BREAKDOWN
🔥🔥🔥 — a solid warm rating. There are a couple of sex scenes, and what’s there is explicit and open door. The romance is central to Esti and Varrik’s arc but this is very much a plot-and-world-building-forward book as well.
THE TWIST WE DIDN’T SEE COMING
Esti’s mom being a Bane. I really did not see that coming, and I am totally on edge that Kennedy had the nerve to drop it on us like a bomb and then immediately call cut before we get a real reaction from Varrik. We’re left with Esti’s panicked take on it (devastated, betrayed, confused) without knowing what’s going on in his head. It’s ruthless, and it’s brilliant, and having read The Plated Prisoner series, I expected nothing less.
THE CHARACTER WE LOVED TO HATE
Lord Havlon, the Govern of Hamelyn. He’s selfish, clueless, and if not outright cruel then just completely indifferent to the suffering of the people he is supposed to protect. Every time he’s on the page you want to reach through the book and kick him in the dick.
THE ENDING — SATISFIED OR DISAPPOINTED?
It’s a cliffhanger in the truest sense with the book closing on the moment the Bane reveal happens. We are without any resolution, just Esti’s heart breaking as Varrik takes control of her and walks them away with a cold shoulder. It works because it’s clearly setting up book two rather than leaving plot threads dangling out of nowhere, but be warned that you will finish this and immediately want the next one.
WOULD WE REREAD IT?
I think it is meant to be a duology, not a hefty series like The Plated Prisoner, and if that is the case I will definitely re-read it at some point.
WHO IS THIS FOR
Readers who want something a little different from their fantasy romance. This is a Pied Piper retelling where nothing plays out quite how you’d expect, in an unusual, well-built world. The characters and world both felt well set up and explained.
WHERE TO GET THIS BOOK
📖 Physical Book
Amazon CA | Amazon US | Bookshop.org
🎧 Audiobook
Audible CA | Audible US | Libro.fm
📚 More from the Played by the Piper series
Book 1 — The Sweetest Fiend | Reviewed by CJ | ⭐ 4.5/5 | Steam: 🔥🔥🔥 — you’re here now!
Book 2 — Coming in 2027
Ready for more reviews from CJ? Find More Here
Plot Twisted. 🔥
📖 | Series: Played by the Piper Book 1 | Genre: Fantasy Romance | Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
TAGS: Fantasy Romance, Romantasy, Pied Piper Retelling, Dark Fantasy, Series Starter, New Release, Bond Trope, Forced Proximity, Plot Twisted Review, Who is the Piper, What is Esti, Do Esti and Varrik End Up Together, The Sweetest Fiend Ending Explained, Played by the Piper series, Is Varrik The Piper,