Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter by R. J. Anderson

Posted by: harmonybookreviews on: May 1, 2009

• In: Book Reviews
• 11 Comments

 Title: Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter

Author: R.J. Anderson

Rating: 10/10

Good If… You want a really awesome book about faeries or if you like fantasy or if you just want to read.

Summary (From Amazon):

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?

Talented newcomer R. J. Anderson creates an extraordinary new fantasy world and weaves a gripping tale of lost magic, high adventure, and surprising friendship in which the fate of an entire realm rests on the shoulders of one brave faery rebel

My Thoughts: I’m going to try to write this without getting all fangirl-y but…

This book is awesome. You should go buy it. NOW.

 Anyway… I wasn’t expecting much when I started this. All of the other books I’ve read with faeries in them just turned out to be okay, I’d heard very little about the other, and hadn’t read any reviews. The first chapter or so had me thinking that maybe it was going to turn out to be an okay book and by the time I hit the third chapter, I was addicted. The only times I put this down was when I had to leave the house or do my chores. Other than that, my nose was in the book all day and I refused to go to bed until I finished every page.

 So what did I love?

 First off, the world Anderson built around these faeries was so developed that it felt…real. I felt like I was there. The fact that the faeries didn’t act like mini-humans added so much to the story. Their usually un-emotional characteristics and their lifestyle was a change from reality and it felt good to immerse myself in that.

Second, the characterization was just incredible. Knife was a character that I could relate to in some ways and I adore her personality. She stood up for what she wanted and didn’t let anyone shove her around. Then there’s Paul… He was an interesting character, to say the last. The other faeries didn’t have the most developed personalities but I’m pretty sure that was done on purpose (read the book and you’ll understand) but they didn’t all run together in my mind either.

Third, the plot was just really cool and unpredictable. I don’t want to give much away but let’s just say that there was some relationship developments I wasn’t expecting, even though I was hoping it would happen, and the ending had me going “OMG. I need more. NOW!”

 And did I mention that I was definitely in a fantasy slump when I read this so it’s actually pretty incredible I got past the first chapter?

Basically, I’m just trying to find different ways of saying this – Go buy yourself a copy. NOW. You won’t regret it. 🙂