Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Supernatural | Romance
Published: July 31, 2022
Kindle Unlimited: No
Audiobook: No
Downloaded from NetGalley and encouraged to provide an honest review.
Blurb
"No well-brought-up child of Brinley would ever dream of crossing the stepping stones. In Brinley, no one ever goes out at night and cold iron guards every door and window, for the stream crossing doesn’t just lead to the deep forest—it leads to Faerie.
All children of Saxony were told Faerie stories, but the ones of Brinley whispered of protective yellow hardhay flowers and cold iron to ward away the ever-looming danger. Ciar Eckstein isn’t a well-brought-up child of Brinley. When her mother dies, her father sends Ciar and her brother to live with their grandparents, guardians of Brinley’s bridge to Faerie. Ciar’s mother’s Faerie stories were alluring, but in Brinley the tales are dark. Despite their parent’s warnings the children of Brinley play dangerous games along the bank.
Ciar is the only one to ever take the ultimate dare—cross the stream into Faerie. Faerie is beautiful and dangerous, and nothing in Faerie is quite so beautiful or dangerous as the young Fae, Mael. Ciar and Mael grow up together as Brinley watches in horrified fascination, wondering when the Fae-touched girl will disappear over the stream forever, swallowed up by the hungry woods that have claimed so many others. Brinley breathes a sigh of relief when Ciar goes off to school, town and girl finally freed. But with a promise to return hanging in the balance, is Brinley right about what waits in Faerie?"
Review
After her mother dies, Ciar Eckstein and her brother are sent to their grandparents' house to be raised. Ciar attempts to make friends in the town of Brinley; however, since she is unaware of the local beliefs, she is spurned by the kids in town. Lonely, Ciar manages to find some kids outside of town to play with her. Everything is fun and games until one of the children dares Ciar to cross the stream into Faerie. While Ciar is in Faerie, she meets a Fae, Mael.
Much to the consternation of the townspeople and her grandparents, the two become friends; however, when she goes to school, they promise each other that they'll see each other again. Mael might be waiting for her when she returns, he might become bored and never see her again, or he might just be using her as a bargaining chip.
I loved this book. It grabbed my attention from the beginning and didn't let go until I read the final page.
The setting just teems with life. There are fully developed superstitions and beliefs. Even the townspeople, no matter how small of a role they play, Ciar deals with have a bit of flavor and don't come across as two-dimensional. The Faerie and the creatures in it are incredibly detailed and the world that Ciar interacts with comes to life. Any detail that is pertinent to the plot is painstakingly rendered so that readers can become immersed in the world Malachai created.
One of the aspects of the book that caught my eye was that the Unseelie Fae were the good guys and the Seelie Fae were the bad guys. For those of you who may not know the difference, Unseelie Fae control the air and water elements. So, their piece of Faerie is like winter, with plenty of ice. Unseelie Fae control the earth and fire elements, and their piece of Faerie is green and warm.
Ciar herself is just an amazing character. At first, she comes across as a bit of a spoiled brat; however, as she matures, she becomes a wonderful, selfless young adult. Mael is just as wonderful, he comes across as cold in the beginning, then he develops into this amazing, caring character. I grew to like other characters in the book who stand on their own with interesting backgrounds, but Ciar and Mael are definitely the stars of the story.
Faerie Silver, Iron Cold is definitely a new twist on Fae-human relationships. If you love all things Fae, this is the book for you.
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