Customer Reviews

Faery Magic

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I *love* shared world collections but usually find myself annoyed at having wasted my precious reading time wading through at least one clunker in the bunch. So, I approached this collection with a little hesitation, sure I'd find myself skimming at least one of the stories. I'm thrilled to report that all four stories were skillfully told and enjoyable and no skimming was necessary. My favorite was Barbara Samuel's THE LOVE TALKER which featured a cursed male faery saved from his torment by the love of a mortal woman. Sigh, this story was so romantic that it was worth the cost of the entire book. My least favorite was probably Jo Beverly's tale THE LORD OF ELPHINDALE only because the hero acted like an all-around jerk to the heroine (who was supposed to be his childhood best-friend) for far too long. This is a story that could've benefited from 100 or so more pages to flesh out his actions and make the romance more believable. Still, this was a fitting addition to the collection and is nowhere near what I'd consider a "clunker". If you enjoy romance and hold a soft-spot in your heart for faeries this is a not-to-be-missed book.

The only reason I don't give this book 5 stars is, not all stories are excellent. The first one, The Lord of Elphindale, is about a beautiful half-fairy lady, Gwen, who was conceived specially to bind one magical man to the fairy realm. Sounds interesting, isn't? However this story is my least favorite in all four. Although two main characters were attracted to each other but they kind of lacked of deep feeling for one another. So I'm not really impressed with this one. The second story, The feary braid. The concept is interesting and unique. A human girl, although raised by a fairy, struggled to her human soul to find true love and be loved in return. This story is very passionate..although I think, it's a bit 'too long'. The story moved from one event to another in a very slow speed..and sometime, made me want to say..'Alright! What's next?' But still, it's entertaining enough. The third story, Love talker, is one of "The best" novellas I've ever read. A faery lord, Galen was cursed by a fairy queen for seducing mortal women to their deaths..One fine night during his eternal curse, a plain lady with a good heart, Moira, summoned him and asked him to undo his spell on her beloved cousin. Although Galen was burned by a desire for her, he finally learned a meaning of true love and learned that, the only thing he ever wanted for all eternity is to be with a woman he loved... This story made me sigh with a smile on my lip and tear in my eyes. The author did an excellent job to describe feeling of the two main characters and all people around them. The fourth story, Dangerous gifts, is also good although not as good as 'Love talker'. It describes about how two wounded hearts helped each other to find value of themselves. With helping hands from two fairies, one with good intention and the other was to lure a lady and took her for his own, this simple story line was spiced up to above average.... So if you are looking for a really romantic book to read and don't mind a bit of fantasy, this book is absolutely for you!!. And you will love it just as I do..

All four of these stories are wonderful, and they blend well together. There is a common theme of the outsider, and it is explored magnificently in each story. Mary Jo Putney's story is a departure for her, writing fantasy, and she does an outstanding job of it. I loved her faery characters, especially. Karen Harbaugh's story is so good, it gives you goose bumps. Barbara Samuel's prose is absolutely gorgeous! Jo Beverley's story has a fascinating premise and great characters. All in all, when you buy this book, you're getting a *lot* for your money, four stories from four amazing writers, two of them, Ms. Putney and Ms. Beverley, RITA winners.

To my pleasant surprise, this is an extremely well-done anthology! All four stories are highly enjoyable and worthwhile reading! The settings, floating between the human world and faery land, and the enchanted characters make for very unusual and different kind of romance stories. As I was reading, I kept thinking that the plots would make great Disney animated films (with the sexual scenes toned down, of course. lol). I would definitely recommend this collection to anyone in need of some fantasy, enchantment and magic in their lives.

Like most other reviewers, Jo Beverley's "The Lord of Elphindale" was not my favorite, but with Beverley, even one of her poorer offerings is much richer than the best of many other writers. Drew does act like a jerk much of the time and the story would be better for more insight into his reasons. Nevertheless, there are some quite wonderful moments in the story and Gwen is an excellent heroine.

"The Faery Braid" by Karen Harbaugh is a take-off on Rapunzel. It is on the low end of the scale as well, primarily because it moves slowly and relies perhaps too much on the narrator. Nevertheless, there are wonderfully poignant moments and a fully realized ending.

"The Love Talker" by Barbara Samuel was definitely my favorite. We meet Galen ealier, but this is his story and is so beatifully done. The emotions and characterizations here are real and vivid. Perfectly delightful and worthy of 5 stars.

"Dangerous Gifts" by Mary Jo Putney is refreshing in its less-than-gorgeous romantic leads and carries a message within the tale. It is marvelously written, though it failed to tug at my emotions as the previous story did. Actually, the faeries in this tale may be more engaging characters than the human romantic leads.

This was a great delight. I loved the concept of four authors working around the same story line. Each story had its own individual flare and yet was in keeping with the theme. If you like Faery (notice the spelling) stories, this is a must read. If you've never read a Faery story this is a great place to start.

There are four stories in this anthology. A couple are excellent and a couple are not. But the main thing you should know is that it is an reissue. Another one I bought because there was not a review of it. I simply saw that it was by Jo Beverly and bought it. I realized I already had it when it came and I started to read it. It has a new cover, but the same stories.

FYI---Kristin Ramsdell, Library Journal's Romance reviewer, chose FAERY MAGIC as one of 1998's Notable Books, along with THIEF OF DREAMS by Mary Balogh, THE BRIDE FINDER, by Susan Carroll, THE LAST HELLION, by Loretta Chase, and Rosemary Edghill's MET BY MOONLIGHT.

I like the "Lord of Elphindale" by Jo Beverley best. It is a tale about true love that is willing to set the loved one free to love at his own will. It is also about the magic of love, even more powerful than any magic woven by the Faeries.