Review The Falconer

The Falconer by Elizabeth May Goodreads|Amazon

Published by Chronicle Books May 6, 2014

378 Pages

#1 in some Scottish Folklore Trilogy

Source: Library New Teen Shelf

Bookologist Analysis: Lately I've been taking a little break from steampunk and a lot of paranormal books. But understand during my fasting (well it was more of an unconscious process of selection) that I could not resist The Falconer. The big sentences on the inside cover say "She's a stunner. She's a liar. She's a murderer. She's a falconer." That's one way to catch my attention (Oo look shiny), but the story also just captivates your fae hunting tendencies too.

Debutante by day. Murderess by night. Edinburgh's only hope.
Edinburgh, 1844. Beautiful Aileana Kameron only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. In fact, she's spent the year since her mother died developing her ability to sense the presence of Sithichean, a faery race bent on slaughtering humans. She has a secret mission: to destroy the faery who murdered her mother. But when she learns she's a Falconer, the last in a line of female warriors and the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity, her quest for revenge gets a whole lot more complicated. The first volume of a trilogy from an exciting new voice in young adult fantasy, this electrifying thriller blends romance and action with steampunk technology and Scottish lore in a deliciously addictive read.

Coming clean I here means I have to tell you that I just finished The Falconer. This means I am completely, utterly, am totally in love with Aileana, Scottish fae mythology, and Elizabeth May (look at her back picture, she's mysterious and getting her PhD at the University of St Andrews, where Prince William and Kate Middleton attended).

There's a balance in this book that is just oh-so delicate that you just cannot touch. The writing wasn't astonishingly detailed like Laini Taylor or seemingly blunt like Cassandra Clare, but somewhere in the middle where you find yourself consuming at supersonic rate without having to reread anything; meaning you only concentrate on the story. The characters were woven into complex Oriental carpet that you simply cannot unwind.

a) Aileana- Living a double life is simply getting too hard for her. Marriage or duty. Money or the rush of a kill. Reputation or saving people. She obviously chooses the latter ones. I adore her for the fact that she is strong in the face of everything. My other favorite heroines I love for their strength and vulnerability, but Aileana is strong and grits everything up for the sake of humanity.

b) Kiaran- Who is he? Even after reading the entire book you don't know where his loyalties lie or what he wants. This immortal fae is jaded, deadly, and stoic when we first meet him; just making us want to unravel that much more. As the book trudges on we forget the one must important rule "Never trust the fae." Kiaran becomes human a mistake that I regret for Aileana, but not for myself.

c) Gavin- Just take a hike buddy unless you are becoming a falcon any time soon. You're not exactly material we to work with. FYI he is an important character with a role. I like that roles and what he has to offer. I just dislike him as a person.

The plot was fun to tinker around with. The gist of the plot slowly became visible with this one blind spot which just made me, damnation (see I snuck in Aileana there), frustrated that oh why. This was just a cruel book- the character clung to you; the story spun you out of control till you were dizzy, and simply made you love it.

Simply and exquisitely this book swept me off my feet and I am blown away by the delicacy of the craft. I have fell in love with paranormal books all over again. The Falconer is a book that simply is too good to go unnoticed. Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️