Review Detail

THE FAERIE GUARDIAN by Rachel Morgan is the first of a series. The story follows the lead character, Violet Fairdale, a faerie guardian in training. While she isn’t human, she behaves just like a normal teenager -- that is one who has supreme fighting skills and can pull weapons out of thin air. Violet deals with falling in love for the first time, learning when and how to wear a dress, a suspension from school, and the loss of friends and family members. With that being said, there is a genuine contemporary feel to this fantasy novel that blurs the lines of genre and makes the read a lot of fun.

Many elements of the faeries’ lives mirror that of people today in the real world. In the book, for example, the faeries do not have cell phones, but they are able to essentially text message each other on slabs of amber. The young faeries also use social media sites, as displayed in one of the bonus scenes, “Ryn.” Additionally, the way the characters talk and relate to one another feels very colloquial, as they use familiar phrases and words. Consequently, the fantastical elements, though present and uniquely intriguing, do not overwhelm the story. As a result, Creepy Hollow, Violet’s home, seems like it could realistically coexist with ours.

The read on a whole is very light and quick. I was never bored and because I really cared about the lead character, it was impossible to put the book down. The plot twist that happens during the second half of the novel also completely switched the dynamic between everyone and took me by surprise. I am very curious to see the ripple effects of this twist in the next two books and to see how these characters continue to change and interact given the new circumstances.

Overall, THE FAERIE GUARDIAN by Rachel Morgan is very clever, entertaining, and simply put, a good read.