The Falconer by Elizabeth May
Synopsis:
"One girl's nightmare is this girl's faery tale She's a stunner. Edinburgh, 1844. Eighteen-year-old Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, has everything a girl could dream of: brains, charm, wealth, a title—and drop-dead beauty. She's a liar. But Aileana only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. she's leading a double life: She has a rare ability to sense the sìthíchean—the faery race obsessed with slaughtering humans—and, with the aid of a mysterious mentor, has spent the year since her mother died learning how to kill them. She's a murderer. Now Aileana is dedicated to slaying the fae before they take innocent lives. With her knack for inventing ingenious tools and weapons—from flying machines to detonators to lightning pistols—ruthless Aileana has one goal: Destroy the faery who destroyed her mother. She's a Falconer. The last in a line of female warriors born with a gift for hunting and killing the fae, Aileana is the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity. Suddenly, her quest is a lot more complicated. She still longs to avenge her mother's murder—but she'll have to save the world first. The first volume of a trilogy from an exciting new voice in young adult fantasy, this electrifying thriller combines romance and action, steampunk technology and Scottish lore in a deliciously addictive read." Review: I went into the book only knowing that it might include steampunk and that it is a historical fiction novel, but I got SO MUCH MORE. The element of fantasy and fae has introduced me to a new world of fiction! I never got into historical fiction because I have never been a fan of history in school and historical fiction never appealed to me but The Falconer may have changed me for good! As reader who hasn't really touched high fantasy, historical fiction, or steampunk this book itself was just so amazing I didn't even need much exposure to its parts to fall in love with it. For me the book was separated into three things: romance, plot, and the world they lived in. Each provided their own unique input. I was gripped by the first page. For many books it can take me a good chapter to finally get into the flow, but this novel had my complete attention and I couldn't stop thinking about it, which is how I knew it was good from the start. My lack of knowledge on the main parts of this novel didn't help me predict the plot line, but even with exposure to fae and historical fiction, I found that the twists and turns had my head spinning. I felt some Lunar Chronicle and Outlander vibes, but even that couldn't prepare me for some of the plot twists. The endless excitement, action, romance, and magic kept me reading and reading until my eyes were drooping and still I read on. Love triangle? Not really. I really enjoyed the romance that was expertly weaved in and not all too strongly focused on. It was strange because this time period called for the focus on marriage, weddings, and courting, but Elizabeth May was able to turn away from that for the most part. The romantic tension was definately present throughout the novel underneath the surface, but overall the shift of focus brought more attention to an entirely different world that the characters lived in. This brings in the world of Aileana who is not at ALL what she seems and her fiery attitude is a welcomed point of view in the novel. Her world is filled with gadgets in a time long ago, located at Edinburgh, Scotland. Her trinkets and gadgets remind me of Cinder from the Lunar Chronicles and I just happened to love that aspect of this novel. However, out of all the amazing things in their world I LOVED learning more about the fae. I have read some books with the fae mentioned here or there, but this novel has taught me more about fae than any other book and the entire subject is now something I can't wait to delve deeper into! If it wasn't clear, I LOVED The Falconer and I am so excited to continue reading this series! Cover: ★★★★★ Favorite Quote(s): "It's a relief to be alone." "It seems strange that such destructive creatures could build something so beautiful." "Never trust the fae."
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Stephanie C.A fan of anything fiction, furry, & fun. Archives
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