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A review by shcleveland
Faerie Fallen by Carol Beth Anderson
adventurous
medium-paced
5.0
Plot and Premise:
When rebellious young faerie Sela finds herself on the wrong side of the king’s displeasure, she is given a chance to earn back her place in the Seelie Court. To do this, she must infiltrate the household of a human family suspected of plotting against the faeries. She has two months to find out something useful, or face banishment. The mission turns out to be more than Sela bargained for when she meets Kovian, the oldest son of the Darro family.
Oh, also, this is all happening on another planet in the distant future after both faeries and human separately fled earth and colonized it.
I really enjoy this undercover sort of enemies to lovers (but unknown to one side of the equation) premise. Anderson works in a lot of our favorite romance tropes in fun, refreshing ways. The plot is engaging and twisty. Anderson reveals surprises for the reader with expert timing.
Characters:
As usual, Anderson does a fantastic job writing young adult characters who are relatable and realistic—even when they have angel wings sprouting from their backs. Sela and Kovian are each a unique blend of intelligent, innocent, and broken.
The supporting cast are developed enough. Their relationships with the main characters are well defined, but morph and grow realistically as the story progresses. We grow to hate, love, and forgive them right along with Sela and Kovian.
Worldbuilding:
The worldbuilding for Faerie Fallen is fascinating. It shows a human world frozen in a quasi early-1900s state of technological development. They have analog clocks, for example, and drive carts pulled by native beasts of burden. Yet birth control is readily available. Human society is mostly kept content in this state. The magic of the Seelie Court brings them health and relative ease of life. The beautiful faeries also protect them from the terrifying Unseelie.
Anderson also drops little hints in her worldbuilding. For example, it seems that Transa — the planet where the story takes place — seems to be in the same story universe as Anderson’s Magic Eaters books. Additional depth is added by the teasing of more revelations to come. Such as how the faeries came to exist, and… well, I’m not going to spoil anything.
Writing:
I just plain enjoy the way Anderson writes. I find her authorial voice to be pleasant and engaging. In particular, I enjoy her use of the different senses in her descriptions and imagery.
Final Thoughts:
I’m so mad about the cliffhanger ending. I wanted more of the book and I plan to pout just a little bit until I get the next one in my grubby little mitts. Anderson did a masterful job of building up a world in the early chapters and then proceeding to dismantle and warp it bit by bit through the rest of the book. Everyone in this book is wearing a mask at the start, and it is so much fun to watch those masks fall away.
5 stars. Give me the next book please.
When rebellious young faerie Sela finds herself on the wrong side of the king’s displeasure, she is given a chance to earn back her place in the Seelie Court. To do this, she must infiltrate the household of a human family suspected of plotting against the faeries. She has two months to find out something useful, or face banishment. The mission turns out to be more than Sela bargained for when she meets Kovian, the oldest son of the Darro family.
Oh, also, this is all happening on another planet in the distant future after both faeries and human separately fled earth and colonized it.
I really enjoy this undercover sort of enemies to lovers (but unknown to one side of the equation) premise. Anderson works in a lot of our favorite romance tropes in fun, refreshing ways. The plot is engaging and twisty. Anderson reveals surprises for the reader with expert timing.
Characters:
As usual, Anderson does a fantastic job writing young adult characters who are relatable and realistic—even when they have angel wings sprouting from their backs. Sela and Kovian are each a unique blend of intelligent, innocent, and broken.
The supporting cast are developed enough. Their relationships with the main characters are well defined, but morph and grow realistically as the story progresses. We grow to hate, love, and forgive them right along with Sela and Kovian.
Worldbuilding:
The worldbuilding for Faerie Fallen is fascinating. It shows a human world frozen in a quasi early-1900s state of technological development. They have analog clocks, for example, and drive carts pulled by native beasts of burden. Yet birth control is readily available. Human society is mostly kept content in this state. The magic of the Seelie Court brings them health and relative ease of life. The beautiful faeries also protect them from the terrifying Unseelie.
Anderson also drops little hints in her worldbuilding. For example, it seems that Transa — the planet where the story takes place — seems to be in the same story universe as Anderson’s Magic Eaters books. Additional depth is added by the teasing of more revelations to come. Such as how the faeries came to exist, and… well, I’m not going to spoil anything.
Writing:
I just plain enjoy the way Anderson writes. I find her authorial voice to be pleasant and engaging. In particular, I enjoy her use of the different senses in her descriptions and imagery.
Final Thoughts:
I’m so mad about the cliffhanger ending. I wanted more of the book and I plan to pout just a little bit until I get the next one in my grubby little mitts. Anderson did a masterful job of building up a world in the early chapters and then proceeding to dismantle and warp it bit by bit through the rest of the book. Everyone in this book is wearing a mask at the start, and it is so much fun to watch those masks fall away.
5 stars. Give me the next book please.