A romantic fantasy that’s dark, genuine, and joyous, by turns.
In this fantasy novel, a young man struggling to find his place in the world meets a Forest Pixie who draws him into a perilous adventure.
Twenty-two-year-old human Amer has just been fired from his bartending job. Worse, he’ll be evicted from his apartment in days because the rent is overdue. This inspires him to run an errand for his friend Nurri, who operates a neighborhood food stand. He agrees to gather rainbow root, for which wealthy people pay handsomely, from the valley, and Nurri agrees to cut him in on the proceeds. Her map leads him through the Forest to perform his task. Meanwhile, wicked King Malo has been doing his best to ruin the Forest since taking the throne six years ago. He’s imprisoned his brother and rightful ruler, Ben, and must now eliminate Fillii, a Forest Pixie who has the potential to stop him. Fillii has been granted the “Protection of the Spell” by the maiden who wished her into being, which keeps the king from killing her; Malo aims to evict her from her tree and strip away her enchantment. The foxes Ren and Truuk tell Fillii to search the valley for “something” that will allow her to defeat Malo. Instead, Fillii finds Amer, a talkative human whom she refuses to trust. Human reason always results in disenchantment, yet Fillii is surprised to see that the Forest deems Amer worthy and thinks that perhaps he can help. Calleja writes with immense humor and heart, placing her novel in the company of classics such as Peter S. Beagle’s The Last Unicorn (1968). Her characters playfully wink at readers, as when Amer notes that he’s “sitting inside a tree” with elves and a Pixie who’s “apparently going to start a revolution,” and Fillii replies, “The Forest has a weird sense of humour sometimes.” The evil Malo never shies from murdering woodland creatures, as when he coldly destroys a giant Guio bird’s eggs. But Calleja highlights beauty, as well, as in the line, “It was as if diamonds of dew hung suspended in the air all around them.” Fillii’s complicated past with another human, Casz, creates tension with Amer, who’s more like her than either realizes. A warm, cozy finale will leave readers hoping for further tales.
A romantic fantasy that’s dark, genuine, and joyous, by turns.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 224
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Aug. 10, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A fast and fun outing in an immersive alternate world.
Following The Left-Handed Booksellers of London (2020), a rescue mission lands Susan on an entity’s radar.
Susan (art student, demi-mortal) and her boyfriend, Merlin, (gender shifting and nonconforming fashionista and left-handed bookseller) are still together but taking it slowly, especially because Susan’s not comfortable with the proximity to the supernatural Old World that Merlin represents (especially because her own Ancient Sovereign father is going to be waking at the New Year). But when contact with an ensorcelled map pulls Merlin into a pocket dimension out of time, Susan doesn’t hesitate to use her heritage and artistic ability to make a translocation map to get him back safely. Their dangerous jaunt reveals the existence of a supernatural serial killer—and draws its attention to Susan. While the booksellers unravel a pattern of murders going back decades, Susan tries to avoid being the next sacrifice while grappling with fears of losing herself to the Old World and being changed into something else. And the dreams she’s having of her father’s demesne, dreams that might be more than dreams, leave her convinced that a big change is coming. All plotlines are time-sensitive enough to put the dead in deadline, keeping tension high as they face a variety of threats. While Susan’s internal conflict gets repetitive, it pays off in the climax. The leads are White; the secondary cast’s racially diverse.
A fast and fun outing in an immersive alternate world. (Fantasy. 12-adult)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-323633-2
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A smutfest of epic proportions.
A woman who's half human and half vampire is offered as a sacrifice to a trio of powerful vampires in this dark, erotic paranormal romance.
Mina's father, Cornelius, is the head of one of seven powerful vampire bloodlines. His goal is to restore the vampires to their rightful place at the top of the food chain, and he needs more progeny and bloodlines under his control to enact his plans. He has no fond feelings for his dhampir daughter, as half-vampire, half-humans are known. She possesses neither the godly strength of his kind nor the magical affinity that humans have, so he sends her off to be a sacrifice to Malachi, a vampire of another bloodline. Confined to a Gothic mansion, Malachi knows why Mina was sent to him. Her father hopes he’ll either kill her or impregnate her, adding the heir of Malachi's bloodline to his own. Malachi's home quickly becomes more crowded as Wolf and Rylan, two other vampires from his past, arrive. All three take an interest in Mina, whose blood tastes different than other dhampirs’, and they begin to unravel Mina's mysterious heritage and the deadly power play in which her father has involved them. Readers unaccustomed to dark romances may want to steer clear of this one, as there is dubious consent and graphically described violence. The sex is steamy, a nonstop carousel that sometime buries the plot. For a mindless sexual romp with seductive vampires and a woman who begins to recognize her own worth, it can be a fun read, though seeing women used as political pawns and broodmares can be distasteful, especially now.
A smutfest of epic proportions.Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72826-469-1
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
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