Review of "Faerie Wishes"

Immortal, beautiful, peaceful, Talia lives a perfect life. But is perfect enough? Watching humans is fascinating to the faerie. They intrigue her to the point that she considers giving up immortality to join them. The heaviness of the choice holds her back until she happens upon one human male that brings new meaning to her life, and strengthens her desire to step away from peace and beauty. The other side of a wish is rarely ever as glorious as one expects, however…something Talia soon finds out.

Faerie Wishes is a young adult romance novel, centered on the dual existence of humans and fae. I would pin it down as more of a mystical, rather than paranormal romance. Faeries like Talia just don’t seem to fit into the same category as demons and vampires. Quite the opposite. Mixing the real world with myth and legend is obviously a hugely popular right now, but unlike many other urban fantasy or paranormal romances out there, the focus is more on the experience of the characters than the mystical, often dangerous aspects of whatever fantastic element is employed.

The relationship between Talia and Cayden is the main focus of the book. Within their romance, the central problem is whether or not Talia is going to give up her immortality and join Cayden in the human world. I enjoyed the simplicity of the romance, but at times I did wish there had been a little more than just the two of them. Later in the book (probably not until the last third) you find out that in the past Talia harbored very deep feelings for another fae. This was an interesting addition to the story, and added good conflict, but when Deaghan was introduced I immediately wondered why he hadn't been mentioned earlier.

So much focus was put on Talia and Cayden with no external conflict through most of the book. Even though their relationship was very sweet, I did feel like it lacked some intensity because I had no reference point to compare their feelings for each other. Had I known from the beginning that in the past that Talia loved Deaghan, but had been spurned, her finding comfort in Cayden’s arms would have taken on new meaning for me. 

Another issue I had with their relationship was that the progression was very quick in the beginning, and then slowed down quite a bit. Talia sees Cayden the first time, and is intrigued, and then a few chapters later they are very much in love with each other. I’m not against love at first sight, but this felt very abrupt because there was very little lead-in to the sudden change. Then, for a large section of the book the relationship stayed fairly stationary, focusing mainly on Talia’s choice. I felt like the progression could have been a little more fluid. The climax was done well, but it could have been even more impactful if there had been additional back story and a consistent building up to that point.

This next comment may not be an issue for every reader, but for some it may be. I found the level of editing to be a distraction throughout the book. I know how hard it is to edit when you self-publish. My books have some typos in them that need fixing once I’m done with final exams as well. Even the last Robert Jordan book I read had a couple of missing words and misspellings. But when it is consistent and interrupts the flow of the book, it can affect readability. I don’t think the editing issues were so major that it made the book unreadable, but more thorough editing would improve the flow and keep the reader from getting distracted.

Having brought up these points, I did enjoy the book. It was a charming love story with interesting characters, and a good moral. I thought it was a good casual read, especially for the upcoming summer months. It isn’t the kind of love story that will have you zipping through the pages, but I think it will appeal to upper middle grade, younger teen, and reluctant readers. There is no sex and almost no language, so it’s great for younger ages. Reluctant readers will probably also enjoy the streamlined plot and smaller cast of characters. And let’s face it, most kids could use a reminder that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, but it won’t be for everyone. If you’re looking for a cozy romance you’ll enjoy it, but if you want intense relationships and complicated plots this may not be the book for you.

Who would I recommend this book to? I would suggest readers aged 9-14, reluctant readers, and those readers enjoy stories of the fae.

Faerie Wishes is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Lulu, and Smashwords.