****/5
Review:
Isobel lives in the town of Whimsy and is a practice of the Craft. She paints portraits of the Fair Folk, because they can't do it themselves. The Fair Folk are immortal beings who survive with glamours, providing enchantments for the mortals, and being incredibly cryptic. If a Fair Folk attempts a Craft (painting, sewing, or even cooking) it will kill them.
Isobel is highly revered in Whimsy for her portrait work, and is blessed by the patronage of Rook, the Autumn Prince. But she paints a mortal emotion in his eyes, and he comes back for her to take her to trial among the Fair Folk. Isobel quickly learns the Fair Folk are just as dangerous as the claims say, and has to put up a fight for love and survival.
What I Liked:
I loved how the Craft is so revered, even something as simple as cooking. It was treated by the Fair Folk as another form of magic and I loved that! The ambiguity of the Fair Folk I thought was also very well done in describing their glamours, their magic and abilities, and their cunning senses.
What I Didn't Like: (spoilers)
I was so excited for Rook to take Isobel to court and see how Fair Folk court worked and such, but it only served as the reason to get her into the autumnlands, but before they arrived he had decided to take her home. He "spirited" to her by some means of magical teleportation, but they essentially had to travel on foot through the fairy lands. While I loved the travel scenes and their growth as characters, I wished I had a little more.
This book is 297 pages, which is rather short for a fantasy. I honestly think Rogerson could have included another 50-100 pages and I would have loved them all. There were aspects of the romance that felt too rushed (it's against the law for a Fair Folk to fall in love with a mortal) and I felt I was missing some good meat to their story.
This was another 100+ age gap/immortal trope but it was done as tastefully as possible. It certainly didn't feel creepy!
Parental Guidance:
I would definitely let my child read this book. It was very appropriate and clean in the romance. There is a little death and violence but nothing too gruesome. There were some excellent themes regarding family, integrity in work, and strong work ethic that added layers to the story. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a quick, sweet fantasy read.
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