What this book is about:
Sarah Jane Dillard gets more than she expects when she begins helping Aunt Lillian at her isolated homestead just up the road. Not only her, but her six sisters experience a world they didn’t know existed when Sarah Jane accidentally finds herself between a squabble in the world of the Fair Folk.
What I liked:
The world building was good, characterization okay (some of the sisters felt quite shortchanged), and what’s a good book without a great dog?
The story itself was interesting and had many unique characters and fantasy creatures, which I particularly enjoyed. I also really enjoyed the ending (which I clearly can’t give away), and the twist tossed in there.
What I didn’t like:
The story felt a bit simple. I would have liked to see more complexity in the storyline rather than more stereotyped character roles (even as the characters themselves were interesting).
Overall thoughts and opinions:
This is a great quick read book. It’s one that can be chewed through rather quickly and provides a satisfying ending after a sufficient time in the struggle, even if the struggle didn’t ever quite feel, well, too struggle-ish. The tension and question could have been amped up more, I think, and a real sense of danger injected.
I like the Fair Folk elements that I’m now starting to recognize in the stories I read. I’m starting to understand common Faerie elements and rules, which makes understanding the books a bit easier, too. That said, I still found the clinch and the tension to be lacking.
I did enjoy reading it and didn’t feel it to be a waste of my time, but I doubt I would read it again.
I give the book three stars.
