Forget everything you think you know about faeries. . . .
Creatures full of magic and whimsy?
Not in the Oakenwyld. Not anymore.
Deep inside the great Oak lies a dying faery realm, bursting with secrets instead of magic. Long ago the faeries mysteriously lost their magic. Robbed of their powers, they have become selfish and dull-witted. Now their numbers are dwindling and their very survival is at stake.
Only one young faery—Knife—is determined to find out where her people's magic has gone and try to get it back. Unlike her sisters, Knife is fierce and independent. She's not afraid of anything—not the vicious crows, the strict Faery Queen, or the fascinating humans living nearby. But when Knife disobeys the Faery Queen and befriends a human named Paul, her quest becomes more dangerous than she realizes. Can Knife trust Paul to help, or has she brought the faeries even closer to the brink of destruction?
Faery Rebels, by R. J. Anderson was not exactly the novel I was expecting when I saw the cover, which looked more like a Tinkebell knock-off to me, being a guy. However, I read an Amazon review which said that patience with the first part of the novel would be rewarded by the time you got further in...and they were right. I perservered through some of what I might have expected until the unexpected and intriguing finally took hold. There is a mystery to be solved here and you have to be patient and let it unfold. But once you do, you'll find a story worth reading. The interpersonal relationship between the faery, Knife, and the human, Paul, is especially interesting...far more natural and endearing than the hormonal Twilight fluff so popular these days. Anderson also brings both the mystery and the relationship between Knife and Paul to a satifying resolution by the end. All in all, a satisfying fantasy where a little patience does uncover gold.
