Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley

Here is a summary with spoilers for Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley

Kenna Heron is a woman who doesn’t care much what others think. Her father abandoned her and her mother, and her mom has since died. Kenna survives by visiting the bog, a mysterious and scary place, but she goes searching for objects that can be traded. One day, she finds a knife, and she realizes it can go for a lot of money if she can sell it. She takes it, and finds that it is quite odd, in fact, when the knife nicked her, there was no blood. She puts it to the side to think about it later.

Back in town, they are in full swing for some festivities for the Winter Solstice. This year is extra special, as it is the year the humans celebrate with the fae now that they live in times of peace. The fae request four humans to be sent via the bog to their eternal city. Kenna has zero desire to go, despite her mother wanting that for her. Kenna goes to find her best friend Anya, and the two go to the festivities together. But it comes to an abrupt halt for Kenna, as the humans are chosen, and Anya is picked. She decides to help Anya and accompany her to the bog. In the dark, Kenna realizes she still has the knife, and it helps her see the correct path to the fae world. That is, until they get attacked. Kenna sees death and Anya missing, only to black out.

When Kenna wakes, she finds herself in the fae city, but not as an honored guest. They want to know how she made it to them. Then King Osric decides, instead of killing her for sport, one of the men mentions that she should be given to the Earth House, so she can be the handmaiden to the princess Lara, who is about to go through her immortality trials. This idea was given by a fae named Lord Kellen (the king’s vengeance), who happens to be the assassin for the king. With no choice, Kenna is swept away to Lara. She learns that the Earth House is a neutral house in the fae world, many either oppose or support King Osric, the one who gave Kenna her fate.

Kenna is introduced to Lara, who already wants nothing to do with her. When Oriana, the current queen, tells Lara she has to use Kenna, they come up with a plan. Have Kenna spy, and talk to other servants to get the info she needs. Lara agrees. During Kenna’s free time, she goes to look for a place to escape and finds it difficult as she will get killed anytime she steps in another one of the four houses. While snooping, she runs into Prince Drustan, a noble fae in the Fire Court. He gives her some advice. She also runs into Kellen again, who tells her to watch herself and not try to sneak out.

During a lunch, Kenna meets some of the other servants, and makes friends with a few of them, including Aidan. She also learns how lucky she is as a human, as many other humans are sent to whorehouses or have their tongues cut out. Kenna continues to follow Lara to all of her events, including to the first dinner to talk about the immortality trials. During the dinner, King Osric brings out some traitors, people he believes are traitors. He makes each of the heads of houses kill one of the traitors to prove their loyalty; Kenna sees how a few of them want to make it quick, while others want to drag it out.

The first trial is close, and Kenna is able to learn that the first test is the Void, to test their courage in complete darkness. Oriana decides to show Kenna a secret. She has access to the Void via a key. She gives the key to Kenna, and instructs her to enter and help lead Oriana through the Void. Their plan works, and Oriana gets through just fine. The only snag that Kenna ran into was Kellen was there asking questions, and ends up requiring her to be a spy for him.

The next trial is the Illusion Trial, and it happens to be a series of riddles. Kenna and Lara find a way to write messages to each other so she can help Lara. Between the two of them working together, they manage to get Lara to the end and she passes the trial.

That night, Kenna decides to explore the tunnels more, specifically to meet the Nasties, also known as the Dark Fae. She meets the queen there, who mentions how much she hates Osric, she wants him dead so she can take over. The queen also takes a great interest in Kenna’s knife. Kenna, at this point, has been able to communicate on and off with the knife. But once Kenna uses the knife against the Dark Fae, she is able to talk to her quite often, and learns that the knife has a name: Caedo.

During another ball, both Drustan and Kellen come to find Kenna; they know that she went to the Dark Fae, and they both want to know why and what happened.

It is then time for the Light Trial, which turns into a poison torture. The key this time is that they must handle the torture in silence. Kenna is able to drink half of all of the potions for Lara, and the two manage to pass the trial again.

Kellen, wanting Kenna to be a better spy, gives her a mission: find out what his brother, Hector, is doing. Kenna goes to spy and learns that Hector wants the king dead. The two brothers are very different when it comes to their support.

There is yet another festival, and Kenna goes in disguise. At one point, Drustan comes for her, and the two end up spending the night together, and it is Kenna’s first.

Kenna keeps spying and sneaking around, she ends up going to the brothel. She finds that it’s the king’s brothel, and many are humans and they are treated terribly. She manages to make a few friends, and personally makes a vow to try and help them out if she can. While there, she sees Drustan, and she’s furious he is there at a king’s establishment. But then he starts talking about the rebellion. She overhears everything he has to say, and Drustan knows it. He officially asks her to be on the rebellion side. She knows she is playing a fine game, by officially joining the rebellion, but also still spying for Kellen.

It is time for the next trial, the Earth House Trial. Lara does not seem worried about this one, until the king announces that contestants can kill each other and hunt each other. Kenna now has to sneak into the forest and help Lara for the week. Near the end, some of the contestants come for Lara, and Kenna is revealed in the process. Not wanting the word to get back that Lara is technically cheating, Kenna feels the knife, and ends up killing one of the contestants. When the trial is completed, Osric announces that the knife that killed this contestant was thought forgotten, and once belonged to a very powerful queen.

Kenna’s time is often spent with Drustan, she loves being with him and is falling for him more and more. Executions continue to happen, one of which made Kenna extremely unhappy. One where a baby was taken from the mother because she was of one house and the man was from another. Osric doesn’t want any house to mix with another, it makes for alliances and will make it easier for houses to overthrow him in the future. Kenna also learns more about Caedo, she often has to feed it animal blood just to make it more manageable.

It’s the final night of festivities, and to see which fae completed the trials. Before everything is announced, an execution takes place, where Prince Drustan is once again accused of treason, and the king wants proof right then of his innocence. It is then that Selwyn, Lara’s brother, shows up and admits it was all his plan, he admits to all of the treason. Even though he is underage, the king decides to kill Selwyn, and Drustan does nothing about it, and lets it happen. Lara and Kenna have a reaction when he is killed, and the king wants retribution from them as well. He takes Lara’s magic away, and her mother Oriana disowns her. Despite all of Kellen’s talking the king down, Osric decides to kill Kenna. The next thing Kenna knows, she overhears the Shards speaking about her. They mention that she is the Blood House reborn, and since she technically took part of the trials, she now has been granted her magic.

Kenna wakes up still on the ground, no one has come to her, and she realizes that she has magic that she didn’t have before. Her knife, Caedo, confirms everything she just learned. Now, Caedo wants revenge on everyone there. While Kenna is coming up with a plan, Osric brings out his new plaything, and in a shock, Kenna realizes it is Anya, her best friend she assumed dead. As Kenna is planning, Nasties attack, and Kenna takes her chance, and goes straight for Osric. Caedo urges her on, and Kenna kills the king.

There is then a fight for the throne, between Hector and Drustan. Hector claims that no one should trust Drustan, as he just let a child ally die for him. The two look to Oriana for the Earth House vote, she, like always, stays neutral and doesn’t vote. That is when everyone finds out that Kenna is now head of house for the Blood House. She now has the vote, but Kenna refuses, saying she doesn’t trust either of them. Drustan is upset by this, but Hector finds it funny. Kenna then takes Lara, who no longer has a home, and Anya, who is still trying to recover, to her new home in the Blood House