Don't forget to check out the eBook giveaway at the bottom of the post!
FAE by C.J. Abedi
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Arc received from Diversion Books in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date: Available now via the links below!
Dannie says: frozen hell, I enjoyed a book with historical elements--and? I wanted more!
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What I Liked:
The MCs: I found Devilyn to be a well developed and intentionally complex character, but I wanted more from Caroline than I got. As the would-be queen of the light Fae, I expected her to embody those characteristics more than she did. Though in the interest of fairness it should be noted that I am particularly critical of female MCs who are rescued.
I was so frustrated by the cliffhanger ending, but in a good way. It definitely made me eager to read the next installment, which tells you the authors did a lot more right than they're given credit for on some Goodreads reviews. And boo hiss to the blogger who wrote a nasty review after only reading 6%! May your comment box be inundated with spam and all your requested galleys sent to me instead!
What I Loved:
The intensity of the opening scenes. The hook definitely did its job, and I finished reading in less than two days as a result.
The Roanoke legend connection/concept. A nice twist on the fae mythology. I actually was really engaged in this idea--which is a true credit to the authors since on the whole I loathe historical fiction to the point I refuse to review it because that's just not fair to the authors. I wanted to see more Roanoke than I got so I'm hoping there's more of that to come in future installments.
I really enjoyed the minor characters, in whom the authors clearly devoted a great deal of energy. I felt good about the way they were engaging without overshadowing the MCs. Okay, Famous may have overshadowed Caroline a bit at times. It's been a while since I've read a YA with a featured creature character, and as an animal fangirl that was refreshing for me to meet one who wasn't campy.
What I Wanted More Of:
Some practical stuff didn't seem well vetted--like the diner closing for the night around 7 or 8 pm according to the story timeline or football practice in the middle of the school day. I felt there was too much data-dump. I think that's one thing M. Marr does really well that I felt might have been overworked in these pages. After the prologue, I felt the backstory scenes were a distraction that slowed the pace for me.
**spoiler alert next paragraph only*
I did not like Caroline having to be rescued by Devilyn at the end. I had hoped that she would take control of the situation, but I also get that it's probably too early in the series for that to happen. So the jury is still out on Caroline but I am definitely Team Devilyn!
Short story long--if you like Fae lore, loved that sparkly vampire nonsense, or enjoy historical fantasy, you will love Fae. And you should probably check out the rafflecopter giveaway below!
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