
When biologist Callie falls through a fairy portal, she's mistaken for an assassin by a dangerous Unseelie prince. BookTok's dark fantasy obsession that turned non-readers into Kindle owners - where forbidden attraction meets deadly trials in a mushroom-lover's lush, otherworldly adventure.
Jeneane O'Riley is the #1 bestselling author of How Does It Feel? and a rising voice in whimsically dark and romantic fantasy. Her debut novel launched the Infatuated Fae series, which combines forbidden romance, human-fae dynamics, and lethal trials in a richly imagined world where danger and desire collide.
O'Riley's love of storytelling began in childhood, evolving from bedtime fantasies into darker, tension-filled narratives. A Hobby Mycologist and nature enthusiast based in Ohio, she draws inspiration from the forest, weaving elements of the natural world into her atmospheric fantasy settings. Her characters are intelligent, morally complex, and unapologetically bold, designed to keep readers hooked through unpredictable twists and emotional intensity.
Following How Does It Feel?, O'Riley continued the series with What Did You Do? (2024), Where Did You Go? (2025), and Can You Take It? (2025). Her work has gained significant traction on TikTok and social media, building a devoted fanbase drawn to her unique blend of whimsy, darkness, and romance. The Infatuated Fae series has become a breakout sensation in the romantasy genre.
How Does It Feel by Jeneane O'Riley is a dark fantasy romance following Callie Peterson, an environmental scientist who accidentally falls through a mushroom circle into the Unseelie Fae realm. After being stabbed and left for dead by guards, she's challenged to three deadly trials by a powerful Fae villain who becomes obsessed with her despite his hatred for humans. The story blends enemies-to-lovers romance with political intrigue in the dangerous Fae court.
Jeneane O'Riley is a #1 bestselling author specializing in whimsically dark and romantic fantasy novels. A hobby mycologist and nature enthusiast from Ohio, she combines her love of fungi and environmental science into her storytelling. How Does It Feel is her debut novel in the Infatuated Fae series, which gained significant popularity on TikTok. Her work features morally gray characters, plot twists, and tension-filled romances that cater to readers who love the villain.
How Does It Feel is ideal for readers who enjoy dark fantasy romance, enemies-to-lovers tropes, and morally complex fae characters. Fans of romantasy with political intrigue, trials, and spicy content will appreciate this book. However, it contains graphic depictions of abuse, sexual assault, and violence, making it suitable only for adult readers comfortable with darker themes. Those who love nature-based fantasy elements and human-fae dynamics will find this particularly engaging.
How Does It Feel is worth reading if you enjoy dark romantasy with intense emotional stakes and morally gray characters. The book offers vivid world-building in the Unseelie Fae realm, a compelling enemies-to-lovers romance, and unique elements like the protagonist's environmental science background. However, readers should be prepared for graphic content and a writing style that some reviewers noted reflects a debut author. The TikTok popularity and series continuation suggest strong reader engagement despite mixed critical reception.
Callie Peterson works in Willow Springs studying luna moths when she searches for rare mushrooms to cure a parasite affecting them. She accidentally falls through a mushroom circle into the Unseelie Fae realm, where guards stab her and leave her for dead. A magical fox heals her, but she's discovered and challenged to three deadly trials by an Unseelie Fae royal who becomes dangerously obsessed with her. Survival means freedom; failure means death in this dark fantasy romance.
How Does It Feel explores several core themes:
The book examines hatred converting to desire and the complexity of morally gray characters.
The recurring line "You're like a goddamn Disney princess" in How Does It Feel refers to Callie's unique ability to connect with animals, who consistently help and protect her. This nickname, often used by Cliff, highlights the contrast between Callie's gentle nature and the brutal Unseelie realm she enters. Her animal affinity becomes crucial to her survival, as seen when a fox heals her fatal wound and guides her through danger, making this seemingly whimsical trait a powerful survival mechanism.
The Unseelie Fae realm in How Does It Feel represents the darker counterpart to the benevolent Seelie court, characterized by political tension, power struggles, and deep-seated hatred for humans. This dangerous world connects to the human realm through portals like mushroom circles. The Unseelie court values brutality and power, with royals refusing to touch humans they consider repulsive. The realm's harsh environment creates the backdrop for Callie's deadly trials and the unlikely romance that develops.
Mushrooms serve dual narrative purposes in How Does It Feel. Scientifically, Callie seeks rare toxic mushrooms to kill parasites plaguing luna moths, reflecting author Jeneane O'Riley's mycology background. Magically, mushroom circles function as portals between the human and Fae realms—Callie's discovery of a mushroom ring leads to her fall into the Unseelie world. This connection between nature, science, and magic creates a unique fantasy element that distinguishes the story from typical fae romance.
The Unseelie Fae villain challenges Callie to three deadly trials to entertain his people while determining her fate. These trials test her survival skills and wit in the dangerous Fae realm. If Callie survives all three challenges, she gains her freedom and can return to the human world. However, failure means death at the hands of the Fae who's become obsessively infatuated with her despite his intention to kill her, creating a twisted dynamic of desire and destruction.
How Does It Feel stands out in fae romance through its unique environmental science angle, with the protagonist being a biologist studying moths rather than a typical fantasy heroine. Unlike Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses, which balances darkness with court politics, O'Riley focuses heavily on the brutal Unseelie court and visceral content. The book's mycology elements and nature-based magic differentiate it from traditional fae romances, though it shares the enemies-to-lovers and trial tropes common to the genre.
How Does It Feel contains explicit content warnings including physical and emotional abuse, manipulation and coercion, graphic sexual encounters, sexual assault, and imprisonment. The Unseelie Fae realm is depicted as brutal and dehumanizing toward humans, with violence being a central element. The romance includes dark themes of obsession and power imbalances. Readers sensitive to these topics should approach cautiously, as the book embraces its "whimsically dark" categorization with intense, mature content throughout.
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Criado por ex-alunos da Universidade de Columbia em San Francisco
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Criado por ex-alunos da Universidade de Columbia em San Francisco

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What if the monsters from our childhood nightmares weren't just figments of our imagination, but beings from another realm watching us from the shadows? In the small town of Willow Springs, Callie Peterson has built a quiet life as an environmental scientist, devoting herself to conservation work at the local wildlife rehabilitation center. At 29, her passion for luna moths and innovative mushroom-based treatments has become her sanctuary after childhood trauma-the loss of her mother and sister in a car accident that left her with only a mysterious V-shaped scar and memories of encountering what she believed was a fairy with butterfly wings. The locals view her with suspicion for enforcing hunting regulations, leaving her isolated except for Cliff, the game warden harboring unrequited feelings, and her colleague Cecelia. When the Lepidoptera Migratory Society rejects her application to track monarch butterflies in Mexico-suggesting she might abandon science to start a family-Callie doubles down on her local conservation work. Her routine shatters when she encounters a beautiful red fox with extraordinary golden eyes and sparkling fur that seems eerily familiar, leading her to befriend Earl, an elderly gas station attendant with surprising botanical knowledge. During their mushroom foraging expeditions, Earl's warnings about certain specimens grow increasingly ominous. When they discover a perfect ring of destroying angel mushrooms, Earl becomes visibly distressed, mentioning they form "fairy rings" that some believe are portals to other worlds. Despite his warnings, Callie's scientific curiosity remains undeterred-setting her on a path that will challenge everything she believes about reality.