MAELSTROM: Southwest Faerie Chronicles

by MAGGIE CRITCHLEY, Márquez Price (editor)

Come along for a tale of love and death in the Arizona desert as you've never before seen it, run by The Fae. Teagan McCarthy is a detective, a faerie, and heir to her father's kingdom, one he created far from the mind games of the traditional courts. We meet Teagan during the most important investigation of her career thus far, who wants her family dead and, why?

203 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 23, 2024

Reviews

[RavenCantRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

An outstanding debut!

Maelstrom hit all the beats I need from my fantasy books without being derivative, with such likable characters that the banter between them alone entertained me endlessly. Twists and turns around every corner and an ending that keeps me biting my nails with anticipation for the next book in the series.

A mix of fantasy and real world blended wonderfully, you can tell the author put a lot of thought into her world building. Easy to sink into.

A truly remarkable debut from such a clever author. Can’t wait for more!

[stefwith_an_F B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting. I’m not one to read about fairies or elves but the author did a good job explaining each character. Interesting read for those who don’t have a care for this type of fantasy book. It will continue to grab your attention throughout!

[Heather Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more of a 3.5/3.75 read.

I am not a huge fantasy reader so let me start with that! With that out of the way, I did enjoy the majority of this book and I had a lot of moments of shock!

The last half of the book was so intriguing and kept me engaged. I may have thrown my book at the last 40ish pages? I think this was a good debut novel and I do look forward to uncovering more to the story in book 2.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maelstrom was a fantastic debut novel! Don’t be fooled by the quick read, Critchley fuses her novel with a deep understanding of family, love, and most importantly… magic (insert swoon here). Plus, who doesn’t love a badass woman protagonist?

As someone who doesn’t read fantasy often, I found Critchley’s storytelling not only believable but intrinsic and alluring. There was something so natural about the different realities of each character and their magical gifts. It made me wonder if faeries truly do walk among us!

Pushing the magical realm aside, Maelstrom takes place in my home state and it was so fun to see the desert painted in such an ethereal light. The brutality and beauty of the desert highlighted the elegance and strength of each character in the novel.

[Jessica Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ohh wee! This book takes you through ALL the emotions!! Like for real. You are gonna laugh, cry, be in shock, pray, get angry -mostly at the author for the way she leaves us hanging ;).
Seriously though this book has fantastic world building that is a blend of fantasy & real world. The way she introduces the characters and how she builds and highlights the relationships is unique and genius! Teagan is a spitfire and emotionally complicated and I LOVE HER! This book truly gets a 4.7 review from me.
I cannot wait to see what comes next- I need book 2 STAT!

[Jamie Archibald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a masterpiece of character development! Fantasy isn’t my go to genre but I can’t wait to see what these beautifully crafted characters will do next.