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A review by queer_bookwyrm
Faye and the Ether by Nicole Bailey
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, blood, homophobia
"The people you are born into are not always the people you belong to."
Faye and the Ether by Nicole Bailey is book one in the Faye and the Ether series. It should be no surprise that I love Nicole's books. I have raved about her other two series, so I figured it was time to start her first series while I wait for the new one. Unlike her other two series, this one is young adult, and is just as good!
We follow Faye, a girl who grew up in the human world, but finds out that she is a selkie from a place of magical beings called the Ether. She finds out from Daron, a half-centaur, that all the mythical beings she learned about from her adopted mom are very real, but very different from the stories in the human world. Faye is thrown into an unknown world with strange rules and customs, and a prophecy that puts her squarely in the middle of a war she is totally unprepared for.
There is so much mythology in this! I love the mashup of different beings and stories and the twist Nicole gives them. I also love that a large portion of the book is spent familiarizing Faye with the Ether and actual training instead of just keeping in headfirst. It really gives us time to get to know and fall in love with the character. Not to sound like a broken record, but Nicole's characters are always fantastic! I love the way she writes group dynamics and found family. We get to see elemental magic, cultural struggles around conformity and tradition, and, of course, the power of love (spoiler alert: it's gay 😂).
As usual she has left us with a cliffhanger that had me immediately buy the next book. I'm interested to see where the story goes, especially since we are set up really well for more changing group dynamics and plot twists.
"The people you are born into are not always the people you belong to."
Faye and the Ether by Nicole Bailey is book one in the Faye and the Ether series. It should be no surprise that I love Nicole's books. I have raved about her other two series, so I figured it was time to start her first series while I wait for the new one. Unlike her other two series, this one is young adult, and is just as good!
We follow Faye, a girl who grew up in the human world, but finds out that she is a selkie from a place of magical beings called the Ether. She finds out from Daron, a half-centaur, that all the mythical beings she learned about from her adopted mom are very real, but very different from the stories in the human world. Faye is thrown into an unknown world with strange rules and customs, and a prophecy that puts her squarely in the middle of a war she is totally unprepared for.
There is so much mythology in this! I love the mashup of different beings and stories and the twist Nicole gives them. I also love that a large portion of the book is spent familiarizing Faye with the Ether and actual training instead of just keeping in headfirst. It really gives us time to get to know and fall in love with the character. Not to sound like a broken record, but Nicole's characters are always fantastic! I love the way she writes group dynamics and found family. We get to see elemental magic, cultural struggles around conformity and tradition, and, of course, the power of love (spoiler alert: it's gay 😂).
As usual she has left us with a cliffhanger that had me immediately buy the next book. I'm interested to see where the story goes, especially since we are set up really well for more changing group dynamics and plot twists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Homophobia
Moderate: Blood