Aurelie: A Faerie Tale

Aurelie is the heir to her kingdom's throne. As a child, she and her friends Netta and Garin used to play with one of the fae, a young drac named Loic who gave the three of them the ability to see the fae. But when Loic's father found out, he blinded Netta and their friendship dissolved. Now Aurelie is a young adult travelling to Garin's home kingdom to try to negotiate a peace and avoid a full out war. Will she see Garin again? What about her other friends?

I got this book for free at a book swap ages ago and finally picked it up. It just didn't work for me. I found the characterizations weak, and the plot didn't make a ton of sense. There was too much packed into a mere 180 pages which made for confusing interactions and transitions. show more It was like Tomlinson wanted to capture the kind of timelessness of of a fairy tale but couldn't decide how detailed she wanted it to be. This is going straight in the donate pile for me. 2 stars. show less

I wasn't certain what to think of when I first began Aurelie. I had thought it was based on a certain fairy tale, or several, but if it is I can't find any references to its original story. The alternating chapters between Netta, Aurelie, Garin and Loic was a good way to understand better the characters and motivations as well. I was kind of puzzled by the fact that the only character not to be told in first person was Aurelie herself. Netta (who has the fewest chapters I believe) is told in first person, Garin is and Loic as well, but for some reason Aurelie, who has the most chapters, is told in third person.

This book felt divided. On the one hand you have, until Aurelie returns from Dorisen at least, a very well thought out and show more intriguing adventure/mystery. Netta's brief recounting of why the foursome broke apart so suddenly two years prior is told in a resigned and heartfelt manner. Aurelie, both anxious and excited to be going to the city of her one time best friend Garin's homeland, does her best to be dutiful and strong. Garin's chapter is told in a completely different voice. Much less formal, much more excitedly and filled with a lot more slang and idioms.

I loved the book then. I loved watching as Aurelie tried to be the diplomat, be the friend, be the Princess all the while breaking inside because its not who she wanted to be. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, turns out well at all. And none of it is her fault. Unfortunately the book splintered once she left Dorisen and returned home to Luminelle.

Instead of getting a more comprehensive view of events as the chapter narrative shifted, things became fragmented. There was a lot more telling in the last half of the book. Aurelie tells us what is it like in Loic's world. Garin tells us what the suspicious behavior of Inglis is. Loic tells us about his former nursemaid. All of which was being slowly revealed through their memories and present, but then suddenly came out in rapid exposition. Not only that, but Loic's true motivations are muddled at best--he wants to revenge himself on his former friends who broke his heart, but then seems to have forgotten this. His father is no longer a threat, but we're not told how. It felt as if entire chapters of the book were being referenced that never existed in the first place.

Netta, perhaps because of what happened to her, does a better job in her narrative, but even then we're deprived of a reunion that was everything she wanted. We're told it went well and well now things are better. We're not shown how they came to this agreement, or what they talked about. It just...happened off scene.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes. I enjoyed reading about the foursome and how they won the day. I would have enjoyed it so much more if I didn't feel like half the pages were ripped out. show less

Once there where four friends, three human and one river dragon. Princess Aurelie, Garin, Netta and Loic. The three humans were gifted with the sight of the Fae, only on the condition that no one would ever know. Netta mistakenly recognizes a Fae when visiting the marketplace and consequently loses her sight. The four friends drift apart after the tragic event. Aurelie, Garin and Netta stop visiting Loic for fear of what might happen if he finds out about Netta. Garin’s country is at war with Aurelie’s, so he has returned to his home. And after the accident Netta moves into the country with her uncle.Aurelie is deeply upset at the loss of her friends and the sting only sharpens when she loses her mother. Aurelie finds herself show more crossing the sea to Garin’s homestead on a diplomatic mission, which inevitably brings the handsome Garin back into her life. Will the princess be able to bring her four friends back together and save her kingdom at the same time?Aurelie: A Faerie Tale immerses its readers in a tale of magic and fascination. The narration of the story shifts from the four characters. Not only do readers get to know the Princess, but also the lives of the other characters. And they all intertwine meticulously. Aurelie is a beautifully written tale and I'm sure you will think so too! Readers will eagerly turn the pages full of vivid descriptions and surprising plot twists! I hadn’t read Tomlinson’s novel,The Swan Maiden, but I had heard great things about it. I am thrilled to have had the chance to read Aurelie!! show less

Aurelie is a short fairytale novel about four childhood friends – three children and one dragon (or drac). I think the premise of the novel was pretty good; it was the execution of it that lacked. A lot.

Nothing is really explained in this novel. We know there are Fae, but we aren’t explained what each one is. The only explanation is a very mini one for drac’s. It was difficult distinguishing what each country was. Names of places, people, and faeries are thrown at us without any real meaning. The children are sworn to secrecy about their ability to see Fae, and that it’d be disastrous if anyone knew about it. But what was so disastrous, besides becoming blind?

Descriptions were non-existent – we didn’t know what the Fae show more looked like, what the main characters looked like, what the countryside (besides Skoe) looked like. It was just a jumbled mess of non-description.

The characters were very one dimensional – they just lacked all around. We know that Netta is shy, Garin is brave, Aurelie is proud, and Loic is mischievous. But that’s it. I hated how everything was forgiven so easily – and that it took place off screen. If these friends didn’t speak for 2 years, why were they all happy and dandy after a few sentences of speaking? And why were they separated? I understand why they refused to see Loic, and why Netta didn’t want to see Aurelie and Garin, but why did the latter two not speak to each other?

Time isn’t distinct in this novel. One moment, we were reading about Aurelie in her room and the next paragraph, she was suddenly somewhere else, with no word whatsoever as to how she got there. One minute she’s in the dining room of the guesthouse, the next she’s at the docks with no explanation that she’s moving. show less