Scan barcode
ailsaod's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved this! While Reckless didn't live up to my past impressions, Fearless surpassed them. This book hits the balance of both being very fun and having deeper levels to dig into if you so choose. What I think is especially interesting is how the setting enhances the story - this book is about a Jacob going on an adventure to try and stop a curse that is killing him but it easily becomes a metaphor for terminal illness. I normally hate it when stories focus on terminal illness - My sister's keeper had me miserable in the least fun of ways - but here Jacob is surrounded by immortal fairies and elves who are unable to understand his desperation, here Jacob has to confront that he will likely die before Fox when he always assumed she would leave him first due to her shapeshifting abilities. In the mirrorworld you can life forever in a moment if you find the right magical object and these things make Jacob's plight much more interesting.
Another, very different, reason I love this book is that I adore Nerron. Nerron acts as Jacob's rival in this book and while Jacob isn't a particularly nice person, Nerron is SO much worse. Nerron is hateful and paranoid but he has just enough bad luck and sad backstory behind him to make him sympathetic without overdoing it. I think he's great but definitely in an 'I'll appreciate him from a distance because he is a mess' kind of way.
This book is probably one of the best I have read this year - which makes me sad that book three is such a let-down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty
Fantasy racism
More...