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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
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.
This book is good. It's really good. So exciting that I could hardly put it down. But the ending is the worst. It wouldn't be so bad if the other books were out already, but they absolutely are not. And basically, the book doesn't end. It stops. Argh! So yeah, I'd say definitely worth reading, but be prepared to be really mad when you're done.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Confession: I barely skimmed the last three pages. I got through 80% of mind-numbingly dull book, was willing to add it to the DNF pile, and decided to just see how it ended. Or rather, how it didn't end. That's not a cliff hanger. That's a missing final chapter.
Pls don't make fae/human love triangles. It humanizes your fae. That's a misuse of your fairy tale creature.
If you like your tropes tropey and your FMCs fiery and your love triangles pointless, and your plot as fast as a snail in a snow storm, you'll be into this. Otherwise, maybe skip it.
Pls don't make fae/human love triangles. It humanizes your fae. That's a misuse of your fairy tale creature.
If you like your tropes tropey and your FMCs fiery and your love triangles pointless, and your plot as fast as a snail in a snow storm, you'll be into this. Otherwise, maybe skip it.