Review: prequel novella
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 22, 2013
(Source: Gift from author for being on her newsletter mailing list.)Rae lives with her parents and sisters in a secluded house, as one of her sisters has a gift of magic that she would be killed for if people knew about it.One day a man visits their home to buy horses from her father, and Rae recognises him as a fairy.Unfortunately the villagers hear about the fairy's arrival, and turn up with their pitchforks!Can Rae and her family find a way to get the fairy out safely? And what danger is Rae's sister in from the villagers?This is a short story about Rae who is set to be the main character in Intisar Khanani's upcoming novel - The Theft of Sunlight.Rae has a problem that causes her to be unable to walk properly, and the villagers refer to her as a `cripple'. Rae seems to be fairly brave though, and doesn't let this bother her; instead she is more concerned with protecting her sister.Other than this we don't learn much in this short story other than the fact that Rae and her family obviously live somewhere where magic is real, and feared, and faries are real too.I liked Rae though, and think she will make a great main character. I also thought that Rae's sister's magical gift was very clever, and have never heard of anything quite like it before.Overall; a fantasy short story/ prequel novella.6.5 out of 10.