by Vic Malachai
After her mother’s death, Ciar is sent to live with her grandparents on the edge of Faerie. While playing with the other children she can’t seem to fight the pull to cross into the magical world. Surely nothing will happen. Let’s find out.
Read if you like: YA high fantasy, fae stories, YA romance, slow burn, friends to lovers, first person storytelling.
Ciar grew up in quite an unusual way for the daughter of such a high-ranking lord. At seven she is suddenly free to frolic through the fields and forests surround her grandparents’ estate. The people of Brinley warn all the children never to enter Faerie. But Ciar is more curious than fearful, not having being raised on the local legends. One dare leads her over the stream and into the strange land. And she finds herself face to face with a young fae boy. Mael is beautiful and strange. And they both have so many questions. Ciar’s visits become more frequent and they form a bond that keeps the whole town waiting for the worst to happen for years. No one can trust a faerie.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a YA fae lover’s dream. There’s magic and mystery, bonds and promises, young love and courtly drama, the pull between the heart and duty and its all wrapped up in a storyteller fashion that is charming. The pair meet as children and make a match before Ciar fully understands the breadth of her decisions. She feels believably 16 and the romance is age appropriate. So don’t expect more than a few kisses. Mael is stoic and mysterious as all good fae love interests tend to be.
I couldn’t give it 5 stars because while the storytelling was fun it was also repetitive at times and I couldn’t tell if that was purposeful of an aural fashion or things that got left behind from edits. Either way, I was mentally pulled from the action.
I also wanted Ciar to have more discussion with Mael in the second half of the book. They were so close as children and then there’s a whole flurry of action (twice) and they’re together but communication isn’t great. And its not a miscommunication trope kind of moment. There’s just a lot going on so I get it but they were able to figure things out before and I missed the dynamic when the romance piece began. Basically, their romance needed more space on the page.
I also wish that some terms were more clearly explained. Some things are, and others we’re left to glean understanding which doesn’t always happen cleanly. This happens with the characters a couple of times as well. We suddenly get a lot of new characters all interacting and it was hard to keep them all straight for a moment there.
So, while this book had some weaknesses it didn’t lessen my desire to see what was in store for Ciar and Mael. Overall, I found it really fun and refreshing. A fantasy book that doesn’t rely on attempting to reinvent folklore. A new, classic fae story for teens!
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