Forgive-Me-Not
Mari Costa
First Second
Published April 14, 2026

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About Forgive-Me-Not

A queer “enemies to lovers” journey of a lost princess and a changeling who was made to take the heir’s place as part of a fey scheme.

Aisling is many things to many people: princess, heir to the throne, teenage daughter of two loving parents… She’s also about to learn a lot more about herself: changeling. Fey creature. Hunted. Feared. Loved?

Forgive-Me-Not is the name given to the true princess — the lost teenage biological daughter to the king and queen, who’s grown up in the chaotic and untrustworthy realm of Faerie. When Forgive-Me-Not breaks into Aisling’s room the night before their 18 th birthday looking for revenge, the two embark on a long and arduous journey. And what starts as a confrontational and adversarial pairing grows into a bond of mutual understanding, friendship, and maybe something more…

My Review

Though more and more I discover that enemies-to-lovers is a challenging trope for me to enjoy, I liked the setup of this story. Aisling is a really interesting character because her existence and her growing up with a human family wrecked someone else’s life, but she didn’t make any of the choices that caused harm.

Once she understands the harm that her growing up as a princess caused, she must decide how to respond. Considering how (understandably) resentful and angry Forgive-Me-Not is with her, it would make sense for Aisling to focus on escaping without helping her captor. Instead, she begins to see Forgive-Me-Not in a different light.

The romance between these two unfolds slowly, giving readers time to connect with both characters and see layers of their personalities. I liked the pacing of their relationship.

The layout of the panels and the individual illustrations on each page really showcase the strangeness of the Fey world and how foreign it is to Aisling. I often stopped reading to soak in the visual storytelling. It’s really nicely done.

The only part that felt a little weird to me was in the end. At one point, characters with a strong connection meet, and instead of celebrating that connection in any way, they basically dismiss it as superfluous. I think that probably simplifies the romantic outcome of the story, but it did seem a little strange to me.

All in all, though, I enjoyed this one. Fans of Ethan Aldridge will want to drink up the illustrations in this imaginative Fey world.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 to 18.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
One instance of strong profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
The story includes the folklore about fey swapping a human infant with a changeling. Fey characters and other mythological beings appear in the story.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Reference to binding contracts that enslaved someone.

Drug Content
None.

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