Book Rewind: The Falconer by Elizabeth May

Book Rewind is basically our version of Throwback Thursday, where we review a book that has been released for a few years already. So it is not an ARC review nor a new release review…you get Book Rewind! So today, enjoy a review of The Falconer, book 1 in The Falconer series by Elizabeth May.

 

The Falconer (The Falconer #1) by Elizabeth May

Category: Young Adult, Fantasy, Steampunk
Publication: May 6th, 2014; Chronicle Books
Purchase: Amazon

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:

[book rating=5/5]

 

This book was fucking awesome. I won’t apologize for my language.

I’d been looking for a captivating read for a few days and my usual choices weren’t working. I wanted some kind of fantasy, but nothing typical at the moment.

The Falconer feels like a mashup of the Fever series and Jennifer Armentrout’s Wicked saga. Throw in a dash of steampunk, and this is what comes out of it.

It’s brilliant. Utterly brilliant. I realize I’ve missed the stories in which faeries are the bad guys. Instead of wanting to be one and falling in love with them for being beautiful, this is the type of story in which they’re destructive, evil, hideous. Plus, you’ve got a bad ass heroine in Aileana. She’s smart and hellbent on revenge. And once she finds out the truth about her heritage, her life changes even more. She can no longer go back to being a girl worried about society and its views. Instead, she must fight to save the world. There’s plenty of action and magic, part of what I seek in a good fantasy. There’s a shady character that you aren’t quite sure you should trust, but can’t help loving him more than you should. I think my favorite thing, however, is Aileana’s refusal to be the lady that her world expects her to be. She wants more, regardless of the cost.

The Falconer surprised me. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I loved the characters — Derrick is definitely a favorite. There is action abound. A wee bit of romance. But the strong storyline is what brings it all together. Elizabeth May has woven a compelling story; one I can’t wait to continue in the next book.