Bones of Faerie

Solid and involving, this book posits a war in modern times between humans and Faerie. The world after the war is different, scarier and more dangerous. Trees and vines are carnivorous, for example. Liza has always known that any manifestation of magic mustn't be tolerated. Her father says so. Surely he's right. Isn't he? ( )

There was this one line I thought was beautiful:

Wind blew through my silence.

Very good book! :D A refreshing read with an amazing new world, a believable and intriguing fem-pro, and a great but simple plot. I enjoyed this book quite a bit. :] ( )

I have heard wonderful things about Bones of Faerie, so I decided to pick it up. I didn’t realize, however, that it takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. This makes Bones of Faerie completely different from other faerie stories on the market today. Even though I was a bit disappointed that I wasn’t transported into a beautiful, magical realm, the story itself was still good and I think we will get to see more of Faerie in future novels.

Even though I liked the characters in Bones of Faerie (particularly Allie), I am not strongly attached to them yet. I wouldn’t describe Liza as a kick-ass heroine, even though she is brave. There is just something missing, which would take her from likable to lovable. Since there is quite a bit of history between some of the older characters, I expect that the more time I spend with everyone, the more I will love them. Bones of Faerie is a pretty short read, so it is hard to get to know the characters as well as I’d might like to.

My favorite part of the novel was defiantly the plot! I like dystopians and I love faerie stories. I am typically hesitant with post-apocalyptic novels, but a post-apocalyptic world wrapped in magic worked really well for me. Part of the draw is that different areas of the world live very differently when it comes to magic. Seeing the rest of the world with Liza was great for the reader because it was new to both of us. I like learning with my characters, rather than having to figure out things they already know since authors sometimes do not explain these things.

Bones of Faerie is nothing if not unique. I have never seen dystopian and fantasy blended together in such a beautiful manner. While the characters are good, it is the plot that makes the story stand out. I am still hoping to see a really cool faerie world and hope that this will happen in future novels. ( )

Here is a synopsis of the book:

The war between humanity and Faerie devastated both sides. Or so fifteen-year-old Liza has been told. Nothing has been seen or heard from Faerie since, and Liza's world bears the scars of its encounter with magic. Corn resist being harvested; dandelions have thorns. Trees move sinister intention, and the town Liza calls home is surrounded by a forest that threatens to harm all those who wander into it. Still, Liza feels safe. Her father is strong and has protected their town by laying down strict rules. Among them: Any trace of magic must be destroyed, no matter where it is found.

So basically the plants are evil, even shadows can harm people, and there are exploding butterflies. That reminds me of the flesh eating butterflies in Snow White and the Huntsman, which is the only lingering impression that movie had on me, but let's not get on that soapbox.

Did the cover mention that Liza's dad is CRAY and even kills people who exhibit magical properties? Well yes, but I did not feel like typing the whole thing. Liza's little sister is born and she looks like a little faerie creature so the dad leaves her out overnight and something eats her, which is just bone chilling. (I am not spoiling anything here, just summarizing the cover. Much easier.) Oh and there's this little tidbit of a story that a baby was born with bird claws and definitely tore the mom up as it came out so that she bled to death.

We are a far cry from Tinkerbell and Fairy Hollow.

Liza starts seeing the future in shiny surfaces (water, metal, etc.) and has to run away from her town, lest she be harmed by her father. But I am not sure that she entirely believes he would hurt her. Even though he kills her sister, which causes her mother to leave them, and he beats her when she is "late for chores," Liza defends her father when he is spoken ill of by others. Their relationship is interesting because she believes that all magic is evil, since that is what her father has taught her. (though demon bird babies clawing their moms' lady parts during birth is pretty sinister.) He has taught her to survive and she is just his little star pupil. She even shows some of his qualities through out the story, but you'll have to discover those for yourself. But as she finds magic that doesn't hurt others, she becomes conflicted about how much good her father has really done over the years.

Liza goes on her adventure first just to run away and then to find her mother. I gave this book a B because mainly, it was short. There is nothing wrong with short, but I wished it had been longer. Like even for the sake of character development. When I finished, I was like, "is that it?" I blew through this book in about a week, which is amazing considering that it takes me ages to read a book these days. So there was no lack of action and attention holding. I was just sad that it ended so quickly. There is apparently a sequel, but I didn't know that at the time. It is pretty good even as a stand alone story.

I recommend this book if you need a quick read during travels. Like sitting in the airport for copious amounts of hours, or wherever the wind takes you. And if you like dark, post apocalyptic fantasy where trees throw their nuts at people.

Exploding butterflies!! ( )