Customer Reviews

Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Length:: 1:44 Mins

My first book comes out August 25, 2009! Check it out: As You Wish

The faery Queen's Hunter fights for the best of both species, faery and human, in R. J. Anderson's SPELL HUNTER (also published as KNIFE).

Go Outside, kill animals, and bring them back to the Oakenwyld to be used as food and fur blankets. But ever since Knife saw a human for the first time, she's wanted to know more. Injured in battle, Knife is nursed back to health by Paul McCormick, a human who's also benefiting from Knife's company.

If the faeries knew more about humans, their ideas and technology, maybe the Oakenfolk wouldn't be dying out. But the Queen forbids them to make contact with humans, and Knife investigates why, with the help of some secret diaries, faery allies...and Paul.

This novel charmed the pants off me, quite surprising as I'm usually not keen on faeries and/or magic in my reading. Though rather chaste, the novel's references to suicide and drug overdose may not be suitable for some children, but for older readers they provide a refreshingly mature - and realistic - viewpoint.

The friendship between Knife and Paul, how they help each other's creativity and deal with their worlds (both separate and together), is a key point, and might break through your emotional barrier as it did mine.

I don't generally read many middle grade novels, but I had read several lovely reviews of FAERY REBELS: SPELL HUNTER--a debut middle grade fantasy novel by R.J. Anderson--and then was lucky enough to receive a copy from the lovely Ms. Anderson herself. Interestingly enough, the same book has been published in the UK under the title KNIFE, with dramatically different cover art. The changes in title and artwork make it clear they're marketing it to a slightly older young adult audience over the pond, while the U.S. cover and series-friendly title are distinctly more middle grade. As a result, I wasn't sure what to expect going in--a state I honestly quite like being in when starting a new book by a new author.

Bryony is a faery who has spent her short life longing to leave the Oak tree that forms the boundary of her people's world. The only faeries allowed out in the wild at all are the Gatherers who are sent out to forage for food and the Queen's own hunter--a faery trained to hunt and protect the Oakenfolk and the fragile existence they have carved out for themselves. When she is summoned before the Queen, Bryony is stunned and elated to hear she is to be the new assistant to the Queen's hunter. Proving herself extraordinarly skilled, she changes her name to Knife and determines she will not only protect and provide for her people but discover why they are slowly dying out, unearth their mysterious and forbidden connection with humans, and discover why she is drawn to the stone House on the hill and to the unhappy boy named Paul who lives there.

What makes this story unique is the world R.J. Anderson has created. These faeries are unusual in several ways. They are tiny, much smaller than humans, and are therefore constantly in danger outside of the Oak. They are also surprisingly all female. New faeries are not born in the traditional sense, but hatched from eggs that appear when another faery dies. Lastly, they are, by and large, unemotional creatures focused on their own well-being and supremely uninterested in the welfare of those around them. As a result it is interesting following Knife tread beyond the boundaries of her world, learn how to deal with the emotions of humans, and come face to face with the many ways in which they can mess with and forever change your life. I enjoyed the mystery element to the story as well as the friendship that slowly develops between Knife and Paul through Paul's art. So much so that I wish they'd been able to spend a little more time together so that there would have been room for a little more in-depth exploration of their connection. He is a very unhappy, very sympathetic character and I immediately found myself pulling for him. The ending was very satisfying and even included some rather deft humor that had me grinning. All in all, a perfectly pleasant middle grade/younger YA novel and recommended for those who enjoy solid world building, strong friendships, and the fey. It looks like the sequel is due out May of next year. It follows Linden, a side character we meet in the first book, and will be titled REBEL in the UK and WAYFARER here in the U.S.

Here's the review I posted on our library's teenspace. It is as spoiler-free as I could make it - wish I could give 4 1/2 stars; this book is better than 4 stars, but not quite perfect.

The library's copy of R.J. Anderson's "Spell Hunter: Faery Rebels" just came in, and I grabbed it at once. Will you like this book?

I am going to give it to my 9th grade girls to review, but here are some brief hints. The book includes these very excellent things:
1. Dangerous quests, and scary fights with enemies.
2. A major mystery to be solved - and two teens from different worlds working together to solve it, along with some unexpected allies.
3. Friends inspiring one another to creativity and love.
4. A gentle, but also gripping, romance. I loved the romance!

More to follow, but, if you like any of those things, you should really read this book. As a fan of crows and maps, I did have a few minor quibbles. They are really *very* minor.
1. I like crows. They are highly intelligent and social animals. Those who have read the book will know what I mean. If you haven't read it, I hope this comment intrigues you.
2. I wasn't entirely convinced by the economy of Knife's world. On the plus side, I believed in all the characters in that world, and liked most of them.
3. Point two leads to point three - maps, please! Especially of the Oak! Tolkien spoiled me from an early age; I just adore maps in a story like this one.

If any librarians are reading this, I'd urge you to ignore the Kirkus review, which is extremely politically correct and misses the point of this story in a couple of major ways. (And I say this as a liberal feminist.) If I were reviewing this book for VOYA, I'd give it 4Q, 4 or 5P, and suggest it for almost all libraries. As to reading level, anyone from 10 or 11 on up can tackle it and enjoy the adventure, but I really think only kids of 13 or over would appreciate the delicate, psychologically and spiritually true romance. And yes, I want more of Paul and Knife! So that's a librarian's review. More from the kids later (I hope).

I really hope this book ends up getting some kind of award, so that more fantasy fans will become aware of this author. The story is wonderful for children and adults, and I can't recommend it enough.

what an absolutely delightful read. you always know when a book has found its way into your heart when you are filled with regret when the story is over. faery rebels is a middle grade novel--a genre i have not read in some time--but it is a book to be enjoyed by all ages.

knife is a fearless faery intent on finding out the truth of her people's past, when she befriends a human friend, paul.

with evocative prose and wonderful storytelling, anderson slowly unravels the mystery behind the faeries' unhappy circumstance, as knife does all she can to help her kind. knife is the perfect heroine for this fantastic debut. i recommend highly!

I had this book for just one day and I had devoured all of it by dawn. This book of a faery's independence and discovery is unlike other recent faery novels. There is such a full and sweeping scope to this universe; it's instantly real and complete- it's amazing- the frame of reference settled firmly in the faery's world, not the human one.

When Knife breaks all the rules to reach out to the human Paul, the very fate of her world hangs in the balance. Knife is beautifully drawn, and Paul a classic, almost Byronic kind of hero. I only wish I could have kept my review copy longer so I could read it to my daughter. It feels like a classic already; it's just beautiful.

Seriously beautiful, and I am so glad to have read it.

I found lots of things in this marvelous book: a compelling adventure, a nuanced world, and engaging mystery, and a sweet and occasionally heart-breaking romance. Most of all I found two characters to love: Bryony (later Knife) the faery, and Paul, the young human who becomes her friend.

I loved seeing the worlds of both faeries and humans through Knife's eyes. I read eagerly as she pieces together the clues to understand the deadly affliction upon her own people, and struggles to understand the role humans play in it. The relationship between Knife and Paul is one of my favorites in recent readings: honest, true, joyful and wrenching by turns.

Although this book was satisfying and does feel like a full and complete story, I still cannot wait for the sequel! I want more Knife and Paul!

Knife is a faerie...
dear lovers of faerie tales,
... who lives among her kind, wondering how they came to lose their magic and how they might possibly get it back again. Her people live in a great oak tree in constant terror and only go out to find food. They are also prone to the Silence, a sort of faerie Alzheimer's; and they've lost their immortality. But Knife is not afraid for she longs for more in life, and ever since her childhood, when she spotted a human for the first time, she's lived in curiosity about that race and what lives beyond her world.
This is a sweet tale and we enjoyed it, although there didn't seem anything that will cling to our memory; charming but nothing that, for us at least, stands out about it. Still, we were glad we read it, even if it turned out to be just a way to pleasantly pass a few hours.
kyela,
the silver elves

My rating is 2.5 stars.

*Caution: This review mentions a few plot points that some will consider spoilery.*

Faery Rebels - Spellhunter introduces us to a small group of faeries living in a tree in the human populated countryside. The faeries, all of whom are female, almost never leave their tree, have little to no magic and, in a very unfaerylike manner, seem to have no natural harmony with nature. Long ago, the mysterious "Sundering" took their magic from them. They exist now with little kindness or affection between them and no creativity. They do not know if other faeries still exist in the world and, at first glance, do not appear to be trying to find out.

One of the youngest among them is Bryony, a curious child who grows into a brave young woman and is chosen to be the Queen's hunter. When she is so appointed by Queen Amaryllis, who rules the group, Bryony takes the name Knife.

Just outside the large oak tree that contains this dying colony is a human house where a couple live with their son, Paul. Knife and Paul had a brief near-encounter when they were very young. They have not seen each other since, but shortly after Paul is paralyzed in an accident, they meet up - and officially meet - again. Paul has come home to recuperate - or not. He is bitter, is taking things out on his parents and is not much interested in living.

I was about half way through Faery Rebels - Spellhunter before I began to find it somewhat interesting. Anderson has crafted a rather unique take on faeries and their place in the world. Unfortunately, it turns out her take isn't one I'm much interested in learning more about. I didn't like their depressing existence, their glumness or how they were ruled. Even toward the end when some explanations and how-things-used-to-be's came out along with some revelations about faery/human interaction, I felt disappointed. Faeries give humans their muse - that's one of their primary purposes for existence? Just having someone talk to them about humans and the human world keeps faeries from being taken by the Silence? It was something of a let down - I guess the magic the faeries had before the Sundering wasn't what I'd have wished for. Further, I didn't care enough about Knife and Paul (I really hated Paul's suicide attempt in front of Knife, which struck me as sadistic and made it really, really hard for me to like him) to get past that. Certainly, my interest in their story didn't overcome my other issues enough to make me have any interest in the planned sequel. And I feel kind of sad just saying that.

While I simply didn't care for this tale, I extend kudos to Anderson for originality. Her writing style shows promise and I am likely to check out future unrelated books from her.

Faery Rebels has lovely cover art by talented fantasy artist Melanie Delon - whose work I've admired for years - and has back cover recommendations by a number of popular authors including Melissa Marr and Patricia Wrede.