BEAUTIFUL WORLDS

This third volume of a YA series finds a sinister king growing more dangerous and a teenager who can track the fae torn in her allegiances.

Elise Thompson has the Sight. She’s always been able to detect the hidden feathers, pointy ears, or other characteristics of fae beings roaming the Mortal Realm. While working in the academic advising office on a college campus, she meets freshman Alexis Dearborn, a Halfling (half fae, half mortal) whose snake tattoo moves. When Elise compliments her body art, Alexis says, “I don’t have any tattoos.” Elise is used to her strange gift and doesn’t press the issue. She’s focused on her upcoming trip to Paris. The fae are allergic to iron and love older cities built mostly from stone. When she reaches Paris, she sees that her tour guide, Tommy, is an elf. He reports back to Sirius, leader of the elves, in Tír na nÓg (the Faery Realm) about the girl who can see past his glamour. The elves realize Elise could tip the scales in battling the Wild King, who’s collected an army of Solitary fae, each of whom has drifted from the civilized Courts and mutated. This pestiferous contingent has been hunting down Halflings and pressing them into service with wild magic. Battles in the Mortal streets for innocents are inevitable. In this latest installment of the Faery Realms series, Ridge (Divided Worlds, 2018, etc.) continues to skillfully blend action, mythology, and YA romance. Aside from numerous elves, the cast is a truly eclectic one—Elise is half Japanese and her best friend, Naomi, is an African-American with the skin condition vitiligo. Meanwhile, Finch, a female elf smitten with Elise, proves perpetually naive of the Mortal Realm and provides comedy relief. The bond among these girls is sweet, and would deftly carry the fantasy narrative minus the grisly Solitary fae (a mutated elf has mismatched eyes, “one a deep, solid red, the other a bulging, oozing yellow”). The author pushes her protagonists slowly but steadily toward a massive confrontation with the Wild King, which should be the central action in the next volume.

An engaging series installment that points fantasy fans to grander action ahead.