The Falconer: Book 1
Gr 8 Up—In this debut novel set in an alternate 19th-century Scotland, Aileana, daughter of the Marques, has a secret: she is a faerie hunter. Aileana's world changed when she witnessed her mother violently killed by an evil faerie. Since then, the teen has been secretly training with the extremely powerful, mysterious, and good-looking Kiaran, a Daoine Sith who has given up his violent, human-killing past. Aristocratic life means nothing to Aileana anymore—all that matters is avenging her mother's death. Her killing routine gets more complicated when the fae realize that she is a Falconer, a sacred fae-killing assassin. War is coming, and Aileana is humanity's only hope, aided by Kiaran; Gavin, a Seer and future love triangle interest; and Derrick, her hysterical pixie companion. The Falconer mixes the ever-popular female assassin archetype with steampunk and Scottish faerie lore, creating a fascinating, unique world. Unfortunately, the steampunk-inspired technology does not play a large role in the story, and neither does the Scottish setting. Despite this shortcoming, May's writing is exquisite and demands a close reading to take everything in. Aileana's motives are pretty two-dimensional, but May does a good job showing the protagonist's conflicted feelings about being a killer. Aileana's Beastiary, which catalogs the fae at the end of the novel, is a nice touch. The story ends on a cliff-hanger and readers will be anxious for the next installment in this planned trilogy.—Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ