Review: Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter by R.J. Anderson

Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter by R.J. Anderson

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Pub. Date: April 2009
Age Range: 10
336pp

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.

This is such an amazing book! I absolutely fell in love with the characters in this book. Out of all the fairy books that I’ve read, this is the only one where the fairies are like Tinker Bell in size. It’s refreshing to have a different take on fairies and Anderson did a fantastic job transporting me into her world. I was so wrapped up in Anderson’s world, one minute I was at the beginning of the book and the next I was at the end. Time flew by and I realized that I had a hard time putting this book down. I was mesmerized by the story line and imagery in Faery Rebels, which I have to say is superb and found myself totally spellbound.

I love the characters in Faery Rebels, Bryony – A.K.A Knife is an independent and feisty fairy in search of clues to the mysteries of her race’s past. On her journey she befriends human, Paul McCormick and relies on him to assist her in search of clues that will help her and her brethren find out what happened to their magic and why it was lost to them. The secondary characters in this book are quite interesting too.

The story is beautifully written and the plot flows effortlessly and wraps you up like a blanket and makes you just want to cuddle the book and never let it go. I can see myself reading this book to my daughter one day. I can’t wait until the sequel Wayfarer comes out!

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars