Review: Fantastic world building.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 25, 2011
CharactersEilidh is an outcast faerie who has to make quite a few Big Choices in the book. Though we spend a lot of time with her, I would have liked to get to know her a little more - but I'm not really sure how this would be accomplished. Munro mentions once that he thought she didn't have much emotion, so I think the contrast between her internal thoughts in her narration and what he observes in his narration would have made her a more intriguing character.Munro is a human cop investigating murders that Eilidh knows a thing or two about. Though (I think) we spend less time in his narration, I feel like I know and understand him better. Maybe because he's human and this was the author's intent?Cridhe is the bad guy and he has some very interesting characteristics that amused me quite a bit. He, of course, desires near-unlimited power but I would have liked to see a little more motivation on this front. Why does he want all this power? At this point in my reading game, power-lust for the sake of power-lust is a little boring. With that being said, he is a very interesting character.PlotThe plot & concept (along with World Building) are definitely the strengths of this novel. The story is exciting with a lot of mystery and a little bit of romance thrown into the mix. I would have liked to have seen Eilidh and Munro spent a little more time getting to know each other, more time for their relationship to develop.I'm not sure how I feel about the scenes from Cridhe's point of view. On one hand, he's a fascinating character and I loved watching his crazy unfold. On the other, I'm not a big fan of knowing what the bad guy is doing while the good guys are trying to figure out what he's doing - it kills a lot of the mystery for me.In the climactic scene, it may seem weird and I don't know if anyone will agree with me, but I would have liked to see it be a little harder for Eilidh. It was very hard for everyone around her, but her role (sorry, trying to be vague as to avoid spoilers) seemed a bit too quick.World BuildingExcellent, excellent, excellent. Drummond's fae world is familiar enough to be comfortable, but original enough to be fresh and exciting. The magic system is well-wrought and I can tell Drummond took time to perfect it. I can't say any more except that I would love to read more stories set in this world.WritingThe quality of the writing in Blood Faerie is very good. It's written in an easy-to-read, almost conversational tone. Very very few: grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, awkward sentences, etc.OverallFantastic world-building, an original story, and a fascinating bad guy make this a well "worth-it" read, especially for fans of urban fantasy. Could have done with a smidgeon more character/relationship development, but overall a good read.Review by: Sarah of Sift Book ReviewsSift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.