Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Nov 9, 2019
4/5 stars
This is definitely more of an action story than anything else, though I still really do enjoy the romance and the Scottish lore.
Jan 25, 2018
4.25/5 stars
Steampunk + Victorian setting + Fae = The Falconer
4/5 stars
This is definitely more of an action story than anything else, though I still really do enjoy the romance and the Scottish lore.
Jan 25, 2018
4.25/5 stars
Steampunk + Victorian setting + Fae = The Falconer
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First read 4/19/14
Retread 11/28/15
Loved, this book, loved, LOVED, LOVED this story! I must own in hardback, I loved it that much!
I think this is my first "steampunk" book. Steampunk is fantasy where there are crazy cool inventions in a time where there quite possibly can't have, because in real history they were no where near that advanced. So the setting is 1844 and as you can tell by the picture this heroine has some cool/funky looking gun = "steampunk."
So we have Aileana who is a gorgeous debutante by day but by night a cold-hearted assassin of fae as she seeks revenge on the one who murdered her mother. I rather liked her as a character I like characters who have 2 sides to them a "day and night" where they role play but have to keep the other side of themselves hidden. Which is the real Aileana well that's what so great about these kinds of stories. :) At night she trains with a very old fae named Kiaran. A icy, stubborn, guarded character who is often blunt which is refreshing. He trains and helps Aileana hunt down and kill fae. Hmmm interesting a fae who turns on his own kind, why? add more mystery to the story.
The fae themselves are freaking cool, on one hand you've got these nasty, evil, smelly creatures who are obviously bad. Then on the other hand you've got fae who are frighteningly beautiful but overall the fae are not good. Which again brings in a lot of mystery and something new to the table in regards to the fae.
I liked that there is a very nice, slow, undertone of romance. One that is subtle, always there but not one that overwhelms the story. With this however is a possible love triangle as Aileana life during the day intertwines with her desires of what goes on at night and how she has to face feelings for one now, and one she had a long time ago that could possibly be hers now.
If you like strong female characters who kick butt and a story that is fun and action packed this is it. I loved this book-I think I said that already and highly recommend this story!
Sexual Content: mild
Language: mild
Violence: moderate (fighting scenes and killings of mythological creatures of the fae)
Drugs/Alcohol: mild/none
Retread 11/28/15
Loved, this book, loved, LOVED, LOVED this story! I must own in hardback, I loved it that much!
I think this is my first "steampunk" book. Steampunk is fantasy where there are crazy cool inventions in a time where there quite possibly can't have, because in real history they were no where near that advanced. So the setting is 1844 and as you can tell by the picture this heroine has some cool/funky looking gun = "steampunk."
So we have Aileana who is a gorgeous debutante by day but by night a cold-hearted assassin of fae as she seeks revenge on the one who murdered her mother. I rather liked her as a character I like characters who have 2 sides to them a "day and night" where they role play but have to keep the other side of themselves hidden. Which is the real Aileana well that's what so great about these kinds of stories. :) At night she trains with a very old fae named Kiaran. A icy, stubborn, guarded character who is often blunt which is refreshing. He trains and helps Aileana hunt down and kill fae. Hmmm interesting a fae who turns on his own kind, why? add more mystery to the story.
The fae themselves are freaking cool, on one hand you've got these nasty, evil, smelly creatures who are obviously bad. Then on the other hand you've got fae who are frighteningly beautiful but overall the fae are not good. Which again brings in a lot of mystery and something new to the table in regards to the fae.
I liked that there is a very nice, slow, undertone of romance. One that is subtle, always there but not one that overwhelms the story. With this however is a possible love triangle as Aileana life during the day intertwines with her desires of what goes on at night and how she has to face feelings for one now, and one she had a long time ago that could possibly be hers now.
If you like strong female characters who kick butt and a story that is fun and action packed this is it. I loved this book-I think I said that already and highly recommend this story!
Sexual Content: mild
Language: mild
Violence: moderate (fighting scenes and killings of mythological creatures of the fae)
Drugs/Alcohol: mild/none
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Boricuan Bookworms- Book Reviews.
There’s no doubt in my mind that you’ve read a book like this before: a quest for revenge, impending doom on the horizon, brooding and mysterious guy with a secret way to help, a dangerous race bent on destroying humanity, the fate of the world on the shoulders of one girl. This is a very standard plot. I may just have described The Mortal Instruments to you. Or maybe Fallen, or The Iron King. Point is, a story like this has been done before.
However, what Elizabeth May brings to the table is an original and refreshing spin on the fae. The fae are no longer these compassionate, flower frolicking, creatures that mean no harm. The fae are these monsters that feed on human energy; they’re ruthless killers.
Since the murder of her mother, Aileana has dedicated her life to killing as many fae as she can. With the help of Kiaran McKay, she’s a brutal and merciless eradicator of these creatures. However, the fairy who murdered her mother is still out there, and Aileana will stop at nothing until it is destroyed. Burdened by keeping up the debutante façade while protecting those she cares about seems harder and harder each day, but Lady Aileana cannot ignore the deep desire for revenge. Just how far is she willing to go?
I love stories of women who are strong and brave and kickass. That’s why I was so interested in this story in the first place. I wanted to see first hand just how badass Aileana was. And I was not disappointed.
She doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t let anything get in the way, she knows what she has to do, and when she has to do it. I really admired Aileana, though I would’ve wished that as a narrator, she‘d showed a bit more than what she told.
I liked that Aileana had strong relationships with other characters, such as Catherine (her best friend) and Gavin (one of the love interests). My favorite side character was definitely Derrick, a pixie who was basically the comic relief. I really enjoyed his interactions with Aileana and I think he was a really dependable friend. I would’ve wanted a more solid relationship with her father, but I’m hoping this is something we’ll see later on in the next book.
Kiaran is basically the character Aileana is “closest” to, but that’s because he’s the only one that actually knows her secret. He's... definitely something. We don’t know much of him, except that he’s cold and calculating (and gorgeous) . I enjoyed every time his demeanor would slip and we would actually see into his real emotions.
There is sort of a love triangle here, but one of the few that I really enjoyed. It wasn’t a “I love both of them, what do I do?” love triangle, but mostly a “should I listen to my heart, or perform my duty?” triangle. It was really nice to see because it was like Aileana’s normal girl side and her fairy killer sides were both at war.
The romance here is not that present (even if there is a love triangle), but when it was present it was so intense. I would be clutching the book in my hands without daring to breathe because I didn’t want the tension to break. There is a lot of sexual tension and I just wanted to take the characters and lock them in a closet or something until they resolved their issues.
There was a cliffhanger. And I couldn’t enjoy it because I felt really pissed off. It was unnecessary. I was already motivated to read the second book, there was no need to end the book in such a pivotal moment.
Overall, although a story seen before, Elizabeth May finds a way to make it her own. If you’re new to fae stories, or have never found the right one for you, definitely check out this book.
There’s no doubt in my mind that you’ve read a book like this before: a quest for revenge, impending doom on the horizon, brooding and mysterious guy with a secret way to help, a dangerous race bent on destroying humanity, the fate of the world on the shoulders of one girl. This is a very standard plot. I may just have described The Mortal Instruments to you. Or maybe Fallen, or The Iron King. Point is, a story like this has been done before.
However, what Elizabeth May brings to the table is an original and refreshing spin on the fae. The fae are no longer these compassionate, flower frolicking, creatures that mean no harm. The fae are these monsters that feed on human energy; they’re ruthless killers.
Since the murder of her mother, Aileana has dedicated her life to killing as many fae as she can. With the help of Kiaran McKay, she’s a brutal and merciless eradicator of these creatures. However, the fairy who murdered her mother is still out there, and Aileana will stop at nothing until it is destroyed. Burdened by keeping up the debutante façade while protecting those she cares about seems harder and harder each day, but Lady Aileana cannot ignore the deep desire for revenge. Just how far is she willing to go?
I love stories of women who are strong and brave and kickass. That’s why I was so interested in this story in the first place. I wanted to see first hand just how badass Aileana was. And I was not disappointed.
“I’ve committed murder exactly one hundred and fifty-eight times in twelve months. My tally grows almost every night.”
She doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t let anything get in the way, she knows what she has to do, and when she has to do it. I really admired Aileana, though I would’ve wished that as a narrator, she‘d showed a bit more than what she told.
I liked that Aileana had strong relationships with other characters, such as Catherine (her best friend) and Gavin (one of the love interests). My favorite side character was definitely Derrick, a pixie who was basically the comic relief. I really enjoyed his interactions with Aileana and I think he was a really dependable friend. I would’ve wanted a more solid relationship with her father, but I’m hoping this is something we’ll see later on in the next book.
Kiaran is basically the character Aileana is “closest” to, but that’s because he’s the only one that actually knows her secret. He's... definitely something. We don’t know much of him, except that he’s cold and calculating
There is sort of a love triangle here, but one of the few that I really enjoyed. It wasn’t a “I love both of them, what do I do?” love triangle, but mostly a “should I listen to my heart, or perform my duty?” triangle. It was really nice to see because it was like Aileana’s normal girl side and her fairy killer sides were both at war.
The romance here is not that present (even if there is a love triangle), but when it was present it was so intense. I would be clutching the book in my hands without daring to breathe because I didn’t want the tension to break. There is a lot of sexual tension and I just wanted to take the characters and lock them in a closet or something until they resolved their issues.
There was a cliffhanger. And I couldn’t enjoy it because I felt really pissed off. It was unnecessary. I was already motivated to read the second book, there was no need to end the book in such a pivotal moment.
Overall, although a story seen before, Elizabeth May finds a way to make it her own. If you’re new to fae stories, or have never found the right one for you, definitely check out this book.
Rating: 2.5 stars
I am utterly conflicted about The Falconer. On the one hand, I think Elizabeth May wrote a great debut novel, I am impressed with part of the world building, and I could easily have loved it. On the other, I also had some issues with the world building, I just really wasn’t invested in the story at all, and I didn’t love it. I think it took me over two months to read the first hundred pages of this book and even when I finally read the rest of the story, I had to force myself through it at times. Not because it’s a bad book. Not because I didn’t see its qualities. Not because there weren’t parts I enjoyed. I don’t know why it felt like that, to be honest, but I do know that it shaped my opinion of the book. Because forcing yourself through a book is never a good sign. No matter how good the book.
Read the full review at Paper Riot.
I am utterly conflicted about The Falconer. On the one hand, I think Elizabeth May wrote a great debut novel, I am impressed with part of the world building, and I could easily have loved it. On the other, I also had some issues with the world building, I just really wasn’t invested in the story at all, and I didn’t love it. I think it took me over two months to read the first hundred pages of this book and even when I finally read the rest of the story, I had to force myself through it at times. Not because it’s a bad book. Not because I didn’t see its qualities. Not because there weren’t parts I enjoyed. I don’t know why it felt like that, to be honest, but I do know that it shaped my opinion of the book. Because forcing yourself through a book is never a good sign. No matter how good the book.
Read the full review at Paper Riot.
I really underestimated my hatred for love triangles. I would never understand why on earth authors are so obsessed with love triangles while we readers never for once hid our resentment toward this particular trope.
Yes, I started this book knowing there would be this unbearable trope. But well, it was still not the slightest bit easy.
This book had a badass fmc who is bloodthirsty and knows her way around killing fae as well as ball dances. Both equally vicious, obviously.
Night hunting, fun banter, a cute little pet pixie (!), revenge, vicious faeries, unbearable ball dances, supportive best friend, scotland. This book had it all.
If only the main character wasn’t confused between her childhood crush who is not so secretly in love with her, is intelligent and sarcastic, also has nice hair aaaaaannnddd the mysterious fae who has dark hair, BEAUTIFUL eyes, dark dark dark attitude with a past no one knows. Who will she choose when she is attracted toward both of them?
Like FOR GOD'S SAKE. WHYYYYYY
I'm so mad ugh
What a waste of a pretty cover.
Yes, I started this book knowing there would be this unbearable trope. But well, it was still not the slightest bit easy.
This book had a badass fmc who is bloodthirsty and knows her way around killing fae as well as ball dances. Both equally vicious, obviously.
Night hunting, fun banter, a cute little pet pixie (!), revenge, vicious faeries, unbearable ball dances, supportive best friend, scotland. This book had it all.
If only the main character wasn’t confused between her childhood crush who is not so secretly in love with her, is intelligent and sarcastic, also has nice hair aaaaaannnddd the mysterious fae who has dark hair, BEAUTIFUL eyes, dark dark dark attitude with a past no one knows. Who will she choose when she is attracted toward both of them?
Like FOR GOD'S SAKE. WHYYYYYY
I'm so mad ugh
What a waste of a pretty cover.