Helpful Score: 1
Every once in awhile, a book comes along that makes me shake my head in wonder. It might be a fresh take on an old idea, or prose that sings, or characters that are so real they could bleed. Bones of Faerie is such a book, for all those reasons and many more I can't even articulate.
This is my first encounter with Simner's work, and in only the first few pages, I was struck by her stark, emotional writing. When a storyteller can bring a reader close to tears in only the first few pages, you know the book is not to be missed. Her word choice is deliberate and masterful at all times, and more than once I reread a sentence just to savor it one more time before moving on. To sum it up - wow. I have become a fast fan.
Beyond the actual writing, the story of the Bones of Faerie is equally special. Part post-apocalyptic thriller and part fantasy-adventure, the book spins the tale of Liza, a girl with one foot in two very different worlds. She lives in a place where magic has polluted the land, scarred by the Faerie War that destroyed the human world as we know it. Here -- in a land formerly known as Missouri -- the plants fight back when crops are harvested, butterflies burst into flames without warning and formerly gentle animals have been changed forever by magic. Magic is illegal and a scourge on society in this world, and magic ultimately robbed Liza of her mother and her infant sister, as well as other innocent children born tainted by enchantment. It is not to be trusted -- it is to be feared, to be reviled.
So when Liza begins to experience strange visions herself, she knows that she must run away to protect her family from shame -- and possibly, to save her life from the wrath of her abusive, magic-hating father. Liza finds herself lost in the enchanted woods, where magic has completely taken over and even the rocks on the ground aren't safe. To make matters worse, Liza is followed by a strange and ominous shadow that seems to want something from her. Fortunately, an old friend from home saves her life from the feral magic of the forest, and both are in turn rescued by a new, mysterious friend who gives them safe passage to another community that has embraced magic, and learned to live in harmony with it. Here, Liza realizes she can find answers to the mystery of her missing mother, her strange visions and the truth about the Faerie War. But first, Liza must learn to see life through new eyes, to overcome prejudice and fear, and to reevaluate the view of the world she's held since birth. As she discovers more and more about magic and its role in her history, she learns more about her past, her present and her future.
I enjoyed the breadcrumbs of the old world that Simner weaves into her dystopian fantasy. Here, coins are treasures from a forgotten world. Maps are artifacts -- renderings of a world of full of empty roads to cities that no longer exist. It's shiver-inducing, atmospheric stuff, and it's part of what makes this book really exciting.
Overall, Bones of Faerie is a beautifully imagined work that I have recommended to many friends -- even those I wouldn't refer to other "faerie" tales like Marissa Marr's Wicked Lovely books, or Julie Kagawa's delicious Iron Fae series (although I'm a huge fan of both). It's a quick read, full of potential waiting to be explored in its follow up, Faerie Winter.
This is my first encounter with Simner's work, and in only the first few pages, I was struck by her stark, emotional writing. When a storyteller can bring a reader close to tears in only the first few pages, you know the book is not to be missed. Her word choice is deliberate and masterful at all times, and more than once I reread a sentence just to savor it one more time before moving on. To sum it up - wow. I have become a fast fan.
Beyond the actual writing, the story of the Bones of Faerie is equally special. Part post-apocalyptic thriller and part fantasy-adventure, the book spins the tale of Liza, a girl with one foot in two very different worlds. She lives in a place where magic has polluted the land, scarred by the Faerie War that destroyed the human world as we know it. Here -- in a land formerly known as Missouri -- the plants fight back when crops are harvested, butterflies burst into flames without warning and formerly gentle animals have been changed forever by magic. Magic is illegal and a scourge on society in this world, and magic ultimately robbed Liza of her mother and her infant sister, as well as other innocent children born tainted by enchantment. It is not to be trusted -- it is to be feared, to be reviled.
So when Liza begins to experience strange visions herself, she knows that she must run away to protect her family from shame -- and possibly, to save her life from the wrath of her abusive, magic-hating father. Liza finds herself lost in the enchanted woods, where magic has completely taken over and even the rocks on the ground aren't safe. To make matters worse, Liza is followed by a strange and ominous shadow that seems to want something from her. Fortunately, an old friend from home saves her life from the feral magic of the forest, and both are in turn rescued by a new, mysterious friend who gives them safe passage to another community that has embraced magic, and learned to live in harmony with it. Here, Liza realizes she can find answers to the mystery of her missing mother, her strange visions and the truth about the Faerie War. But first, Liza must learn to see life through new eyes, to overcome prejudice and fear, and to reevaluate the view of the world she's held since birth. As she discovers more and more about magic and its role in her history, she learns more about her past, her present and her future.
I enjoyed the breadcrumbs of the old world that Simner weaves into her dystopian fantasy. Here, coins are treasures from a forgotten world. Maps are artifacts -- renderings of a world of full of empty roads to cities that no longer exist. It's shiver-inducing, atmospheric stuff, and it's part of what makes this book really exciting.
Overall, Bones of Faerie is a beautifully imagined work that I have recommended to many friends -- even those I wouldn't refer to other "faerie" tales like Marissa Marr's Wicked Lovely books, or Julie Kagawa's delicious Iron Fae series (although I'm a huge fan of both). It's a quick read, full of potential waiting to be explored in its follow up, Faerie Winter.
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