Tuesday, January 20, 2015

*Review* Fae: The Realm of Twilight by Graham Austin-King


Genre: Fantasy
Published: December 7, 2014
Pages: 352
Ages: 14+
(My Estimate)

Synopsis

The Riven Wyrde Saga continues with Fae - The Realm of Twilight. 

The Wyrde is dead and gone, its protection passed into the ether. The fae have been loosed upon the world as they begin their wild hunt, a nightmare from fables and legend made flesh. 

At Hesk, in the heart of the Barren Isles Ylsriss must confront a reality she never could have imagined when her son is stolen from her by the fae. Her desperate attempts to reclaim him lead her far from this world and deep into the Realm of Twilight where a still darker truth awaits her. 

As the Bjornmen invaders drive their way deeper into Anlan, King Pieter refuses to act. Selena is forced to confront him directly even as Devin and Obair flee Widdengate and begin a search for answers, seeking help from a woman who may little be more than a memory.

Review

It has been eight months since I read Fae: The Wild Hunt (the first book in this series) and normally for a series with this scope, re-reading the previous books is mandatory for me to feel up to speed with the storyline after a break that long. I didn't find that to be the case with Fae: The Realm of Twilight. I was thrown a little at first, until I realized that the character I was following wasn't one of the major players from the Wild Hunt (although he is a major player in Realm of Twilight). Once I had that realization, I was immediately back in the world that Graham Austin-King created in Wild Hunt. 

I was once again struck by how similar Austin-King's storytelling is to that of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. Austin-King weaves a story together, while following several different characters as their lives are affected by both the Fae and each other. I frequently found myself frustrated by the characters actions because as an outsider it's clear to me what they should be doing, and they're just not doing it. I have hope that they will see the error of their ways in the next installment of this series. 

I already knew most of the characters from Wild Hunt, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend more time with them, although I'm starting to question the role one of them has played. I am once again left with some unanswered questions, which just make me that much more anxious for the next book in the series. 

Overall I give this book 5 out of 5 stars, because it immediately pulled me in and transported me back into Austin-King's world and left me desperately wanting the next book. I would still recommend this series to fantasy fans and readers of The Song of Ice and Fire series. - Katie

*Note: If you found this review helpful, I would love it if you would vote it as such on Amazon

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Other books in this series


Title: Fae: The Wild Hunt (Book 1)
Genre: Fantasy
Published: March 9, 2014
Pages: 332
Ages: 14+
(My estimate)

Synopsis

Faeries... The fae... The stuff of bedtime stories and fables. 

But sometimes the faerie tales are true. Sometimes they are a warning... 

For a hundred generations the fae have been locked away from the world, in the cold, the Outside. They have faded out of sight and mind, into myth and folklore. But now the barriers are weakening and they push against the tattered remnants of the wyrde as they seek a way to return. 

As a new religion spreads across the world, sweeping the old ways and beliefs away before it, a warlike people look across the frozen ocean towards the shores of Anlan, hungry for new lands. War is coming, even as the wyrde of the Droos is fading. 

As the fae begin to force their way through the shreds of the wyrde, will mankind be able to accept the truth concealed in the tales of children in time to prepare for the Wild Hunt?

Review

I was blown away by this book. I stayed up until almost four in the morning trying to finish it before giving in to exhaustion with three percent of the book left (lame, I know. I should have just finished it then.) Fae - The Wild Hunt is like A Game of Thrones with more mythical creatures. Most of the action and intrigue is human based, but we get hints of supernatural elements here and there. This book has a fairly large cast of characters, but we meet them slowly and get to know them pretty well before we are introduced to new people, so it's not hard at all to keep all the characters straight.

I detracted one star from my rating for excessive typographical/grammatical errors. They are not completely riddled through the book, but there are enough to make an impression on me and quite glaring when they do occur.

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of the Song of Ice and Fire series, and other fantasy and maybe paranormal fans.

*Note: This is my review as shown on Amazon as I did not do a blog review for this book. If you found this review helpful I would love it if you would vote it as such on Amazon. I have also heard from the author that the book has been re-edited since my review was posted to correct spelling and grammar errors. I have not yet had time to do a re-read to verify this. 

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I am using this book as my one book in a series for the Book Bingo challenge. I will be using Fae: The Wild Hunt for one of my re-reads (soon I hope). 


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