Review: "Fairy" Good Journey
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 14, 2012
Princess Allanah is a fairy teenager who has a knack for getting into trouble, which endears her to readers almost immediately. As she escapes one day to simply be alone she finds herself literally running smack dab into another fairy. Little does she know that he is Prince Kaleb from another kingdom and their lives are soon to be intertwined more than she could have ever imagined. As she is going back to the palace she is nearly kidnapped by a servant of Maligo (an evil fairy that has been stripped of all of his natural powers). Fortunately, he doesn't succeed just yet.As all teenagers Allanah is extremely impatient; she constantly wants to know when she will receive her "powers."  One of the things I liked about this book is that all fairies have tattoos that show their lineage, particular power, and as they grow stronger with their powers the tattoos expand. Allanah has been gifted with the ability to do magic, however she has never had the patience to actually dedicate herself to the study of potions and spellcasting. She wants her "real power." For example; her mother can control the weather, her adopted sister Evyette can turn invisible, and Kaleb can see things miles away and control the wind. Interestingly enough, it is never mentioned what type of power her father the King has.What really has peaked Allanah's interest and the reader's is what the tattoo on her back represents. It's revealed in the book, and NO I'm not going to tell you.  You'll have to read it for yourself, but trust me it's worth it. Why else is an evil fairy trying to capture her?!When Allanah is kidnapped Evyette, Kaleb, and his best friend Tristan set off to save her. However, Allanah  is pretty good at saving herself-which is one of the reasons I liked her so much. While being held captive she stumbles across Brennus, a warrior fairy. Snarky, smug, yet compassionate and caring he helps Allanah and thus a love triangle is born.  Come on people, you know no YA book is complete without one!! But Allanah is smart, and is focused on controlling her powers and focusing on her magic not boys (well at least not too much)!  After Allanah realizes how much is at stake she dedicates herself to training and learning how to control all of her various powers (and I don't think she nor the reader has any idea just how many "powers" she truly possesses).One of the things that BC excels at is creating a world that you want to immerse yourself in. For example, in addition to the 5 kingdoms there are also spirit fairies, warrior fairies, magical fairies, etc. Each of these very rare types of fairies has their own training and I would assume kingdom or tribe. This is mentioned very briefly, but makes me wonder how it might tie into the story. While nothing more is mentioned regarding these powerful and rare type of fairies, I do think BC brought it into the story for a reason, but that's just a guess on my part.The story switches between POVs of Allanah, Evyette, Kaleb, and even Maligo. This allows the story to develop even more thoroughly, and believe me there are some big twists in the book.  I loved learning more of Brennus & Evy's background.I thought the pace of the book was very good, and the cliffhanger was not so intense that I was going to die until I could read the next one. It was just right to keep the reader engaged without making you feel as if you had literally just jumped off the cliff!Great job BC on creating characters that show growth, humor, and bravery. The world felt so real, that I didn't want to leave and each character started to feel like a friend. I can't wait to read the next one!