Saturday, February 7, 2015

Faerie Blood: Song of the Lark


Faerie Blood: Song of the Lark
Tal Good - Author
4/5


Published 2014

First Sentence
"Thin fingers hovered over piano keys like dragonflies unsure of their watery landing."

Publisher's Description:

In the aftermath of her parents' abrupt separation and her father’s failing health, Olivia Grey’s innocent night on the town takes a sinister turn when she is caught in the crossfire of an ancient blood feud between immortal races, exposing a dark world of magic that she has unwittingly been a part of since her birth.

Creatures from myth and legend wage war in the dilapidated buildings of suburban New York and dark corners where mortals fear to tread. Olivia Grey, a seemingly ordinary teenage girl from a broken home, is violently thrust into this world when she is marked by a deadly curse, and her fate becomes entwined with the intrigues of immortals. Learning that the stories of her childhood are all true, Olivia embarks on a quest to find the creature who cursed her lest she succumb to a fate worse than death. But, she is not alone in her quest, as a motley crew of faeries, werewolves, mages, and friends rise to meet the challenge with her. Can Olivia embrace her birthright and stave off the darkness that threatens to devour her and the world?



Dear Reader,

Faerie Blood is a debut series from a talented writer, Tal Good. I don't normally get involved in series but I can respect those who live off them. For those of you who flock to the supernatural series, this is a perfect edition to your bookshelf. I'll start out explaining some of the main characters that stood out to me. We have Olivia, the smart but somewhat shy goth girl with a strong, firm grip on what she believes in, she's the one you can relate to. Her best friend, the wishy-washy but beautiful headstrong girl, she's the one you want to BE best friends with. I loved Taro, the fae pretty boy who has a reckless side to him but is gentle at heart. He calls Olivia his "lark", such an adorable nickname! He also brings out the comedic gold with some of his antics, like when he thought humans have wings and offered to help Olivia fly since she "broke her wing". That's the kind of stuff that sucks me into a story, those little quips and small details. The main plot line follows Olivia through this dark and twisted world searching for the "vampire" who infected her. She is slowly turning into a "ghoul" after being attacked by one. Her search is aided by a quirky bunch, which gives some intended comedic relief to a darker story-line.

One of the things I love about upcoming authors is the freedom to try something new and jump into that black area nobody has touched before. I think Tal has accomplished that with the small details to familiar fantasy creatures, such as faeries having trouble birthing twins, giving two of the characters a special feeling. I also like that she captured the true side of the goth culture, something not depicted often unless you turn to anime and comics. Another nice touch was the liberties taken with spelling to give you the feel of an accent, which was done quite well. Each chapter starts out with a quote that relates pretty darn well, giving the chapter a well appointed title. Clearly, research has been done for this book, with details such as how magicians used opium to entice the audience to believe. Want some nostalgia? How about references to that old time classic movie "Labyrinth"? Yep, this has that as well. All that aside, I think the best part of this book has to be Olivia and her strength to overcome this terrible fate she has been faced with. Tal does an excellent job conveying the terror Olivia has to go through. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll leave it at that.

Happy Reading,
AmberBug

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)

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