Reviews

The Fae Keeper by H.E. Edgmon

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True Rating: 4.75/5 Stars

Content/Trigger Warnings: Violence, murder, gore and body horror, on-page panic attacks and dissociation, graphic discussions of infanticide, discussions of cannibalism, off-page rape and discussions of childhood sexual abuse, animal death, discussions of gender dysphoria, discussions of real-world racism and transphobia, and emetophobia.

I was impressed with Edgmon's debut, "The Witch King," and when I saw this sequel finally hit my local store in Tokyo I snatched it up right away. I didn't even bother to read the back, because I was sure I would love it just as much. Sequels are always hit or miss; sometimes they manage to live up to the hype of the first one, and sometimes they're a disappointment. "The Fae Keeper" falls into a third category: the sequel that surpasses the first one.

The only thing that prevents me from giving this a full 5 stars is that so much happens throughout this novel it feels a bit overwhelming. I, personally, would have preferred to see some plotlines left for a possible third novel, to fully explore them more. However, Edgmon does such a good job of handling these plotlines that I can't take off too many points.

But the rest of the novel is just fantastic. It tackles some extremely difficult subject matter and themes unflinchingly, including needing therapy when it's not available, colonization, racism, and the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, just to name a few.

Be warned: this is not an easy book to read. Not because it's torture-porn, but because of the topics and the actions taken. The characters here must face decisions and actions that are all very real. Despite that, Edgmon is careful not to get too graphic with anything except some of the body horror and violence, and even that is only a few scenes. Edgmon was very careful about what they wrote more explicitly about, and what they made happen offscreen, and that is something I'm very thankful for.

This duology (?) is a must-read for anyone wanting to see different ideas and discussions of LGBTQIA+ issues, and to see a very real and relatable transgender main character. Edgmon has definitely moved very high up on my list of authors to keep an eye on, and I look forward to their next work!