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Circuit Fae #1
Moribund
High school sophomore Syl Skye is an ordinary girl. At least, she’s trying to be. School photographer and all-around geek, she introverts hard and keeps her crush on sexy-hot glam-Goth star Euphoria on the down-low. But when a freak accident Awakens her slumbering power, Syl is forced to accept a destiny she never wanted—as the last sleeper-princess of the fair Fae.
Suddenly hunted by the dark Fae, Syl’s pretty sure things can’t get any worse. Until she discovers her secret crush, Euphoria, is really a dark Circuit Fae able to harness the killing magic in technology. Even worse, she’s been sent to destroy Syl. With mean girls and magic and dark Fae trying to kill her, it’ll take more than just “clap if you believe in fairies” to save Syl’s bacon—not to mention, her heart.
Suddenly hunted by the dark Fae, Syl’s pretty sure things can’t get any worse. Until she discovers her secret crush, Euphoria, is really a dark Circuit Fae able to harness the killing magic in technology. Even worse, she’s been sent to destroy Syl. With mean girls and magic and dark Fae trying to kill her, it’ll take more than just “clap if you believe in fairies” to save Syl’s bacon—not to mention, her heart.
ebook
First published September 12, 2017
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About the author
Genevieve Iseult Eldredge
24 books63 followersGenevieve Iseult Eldredge (she/they) writes angsty, slow-burn lesbian stories about girls who can’t decide whether to kiss or kill each other.
Sometimes they do both.
GIE is multi-published and, in her role as an editor, has guided hundreds of authors throughout the course of their publishing careers.
Her readers say GIE is a "master of world building," who is "stellar" at normalizing LGBTQIA+ characters and relationships and "writing for the broader community."
FOLLOW
Website: https://www.girlyengine.com/
Facebook: Genevieve Iseult Eldredge – Author
Twitter: @girlyengine
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/girlyengine/
Join GIE's newsletter and never miss a release: https://www.girlyengine.com/contact
REPRESENTATION
Linda Camacho at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency
THE CIRCUIT FAE SERIES
Moribund eSampler (FREE)
Moribund
Derailed - a Moribund Prequel Novella
Ouroboros
Dethroned – An Inimical Prequel Novella
Inimical
Rekindled – a Nemesis Prequel Novella
Nemesis
Eidolon – coming soon!
Sometimes they do both.
GIE is multi-published and, in her role as an editor, has guided hundreds of authors throughout the course of their publishing careers.
Her readers say GIE is a "master of world building," who is "stellar" at normalizing LGBTQIA+ characters and relationships and "writing for the broader community."
FOLLOW
Website: https://www.girlyengine.com/
Facebook: Genevieve Iseult Eldredge – Author
Twitter: @girlyengine
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/girlyengine/
Join GIE's newsletter and never miss a release: https://www.girlyengine.com/contact
REPRESENTATION
Linda Camacho at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency
THE CIRCUIT FAE SERIES
Moribund eSampler (FREE)
Moribund
Derailed - a Moribund Prequel Novella
Ouroboros
Dethroned – An Inimical Prequel Novella
Inimical
Rekindled – a Nemesis Prequel Novella
Nemesis
Eidolon – coming soon!
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
March 27, 2018
I was part of the blog tour for the second book in the series (Ouroboros) and received free digital copies of that book plus Moribund for review! Let me say this readers, I was not disappointed by what I read. An action-packed start to a series that I am really looking forward to dive into further. The chapters switch between POVs of the two main characters Syl and Euphoria who attend the same school. Their worlds collide after a freak accident and a choice between staying alive or facing immediate death, secrets that could alter the course. There is a F/F romance which I adored, I was thoroughly thrilled and left on the edge of my seat at times. The last few chapters in particular made for interesting reading with a good conclusion.
August 17, 2018
Light vs dark.
The dark fairies are struggling to hold onto the heart of their magic. Their solution is to spill the blood of the sleeper princess fairies. Rouen is a dark princess fairy. She doesn't want to help kill the sleeper princesses but has no choice. She is part of the circuit fae and to become free she must help destroy the sleeper princesses.
Syl is having a hard time at school. Her family have fallen out of favour. Syl doesn't have the money to keep up with her friends and unfortunately, they have distanced themselves from her. Syl ex-BFF is a bully and Syl is now a target of her meanness. There is a new person at school and Syl is hoping to have something of her own, but everything isn't as it seems.
This is a lesbian romance with a fantasy twist. Syl doesn't know who she really is but is dreaming about a beautiful girl.
I've joined the tour for book 3. I enjoyed this story, however, I didn't like the mean girl theme.
3 stars out of 5. This series is available on Kindle Unlimited.
The dark fairies are struggling to hold onto the heart of their magic. Their solution is to spill the blood of the sleeper princess fairies. Rouen is a dark princess fairy. She doesn't want to help kill the sleeper princesses but has no choice. She is part of the circuit fae and to become free she must help destroy the sleeper princesses.
Syl is having a hard time at school. Her family have fallen out of favour. Syl doesn't have the money to keep up with her friends and unfortunately, they have distanced themselves from her. Syl ex-BFF is a bully and Syl is now a target of her meanness. There is a new person at school and Syl is hoping to have something of her own, but everything isn't as it seems.
This is a lesbian romance with a fantasy twist. Syl doesn't know who she really is but is dreaming about a beautiful girl.
I've joined the tour for book 3. I enjoyed this story, however, I didn't like the mean girl theme.
3 stars out of 5. This series is available on Kindle Unlimited.
August 15, 2018
4,25 stars English ebook - I have dyslexia. Review follows later. My grandson has to be born in a few weeks and I am Washing all his little clothes. ☺️😃☺️😃🦋🦋🦋
August 10, 2018
I'm fairly certain that I was by no means the target audience for this book involving two 16 year olds. I couldn't stand either point of view character. Not only did both of them mentally keep telling themselves to stop being either emo (dark fae) or 'whiny-pants' (summer fae), they super were. They weren't just being tough on themselves. If you made a list of the most angsty teens around, both would be near or at the top.
I understand that they were 16, but there were some much older people around to help them (though they were kind of like Peanuts, the cartoon, parents - there but .... filler-ish (it is true the mom plays an important role, but she still played while being a stock figure - you could have gotten a wax figure of Barbara Bush from a wax museum and not lost anything)). I say this because time after time they not only acted too stupid to live; they compounded the issue over and over again by setting themselves up for stupidity. Like, one example, they figure out the super stupid 'evil dude’s plan and . . . go into a 'let's be patient' stance. Seriously, it doesn't take a genius to know some certain things that might, I say might, help () It kind of kills the tension when you know certain simple things could have been done to disrupt the major plans but . . . nothing.
Again: both are 16. Again: bloody months went by and there were several adults around who could have offered pointers, knew of the issue, were close enough to offer these pointers but did fuck all to keep the two young women from fucking up. Which they did, the young women, constantly. It's like every bloody choice they made was the wrong one. From beginning to end. WTF is up with that?
And that half-time show just pissed me off. The people in the stands .
Judging from the references, and the 'things' in the book, this really did read as if a serious attempt was made to make this 'Buffy the vampire slayer' like. With Summer Fae being Buffy, who has just the one parent (dad's somewhere unspoken in Buffy, almost never around; no mention of him in this book); Fiann, the bitchy head cheerleader in this book, is basically the bitchy mean girl Cordelia. Emo Dark Fae is 'obviously' the brooding Angel character. Scooby gang was basically missing, though (unless Lennon was supposed to be Willow; no one corresponds to Xander, and let's just forget all the rest of the Gang). The librarian who is actually something else . . . yeah, that's here also. The 'evil' principal? Yeah, that's here (and there). The popular girl who suddenly wasn't any more? Yeah, that was in both Buffy and this book (as in Buffy was a popular cheerleader until she wasn't; Summer Fae was in popular group though kinda on the fringes it seems). To a certain extent, I think the book suffers from all the constant Buffy references, because then I play the game I just did in this paragraph, and I see how much is lacking in this book.
hmm. I was thinking one of the reasons I might not be in the target audience is a lot of the pop references either not things I'd recognize, or, if I did recognize them, are fairly recent. But Buffy's old. The film was out in 1992. TV series started in 1997, ended in 2003. A 16 year old would have been alive when the show ended - barely. *shrugs* I went on an odd tangent.
The villains were stupid (I mean that they were by no means on the level of Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes, more on par with Forrest Gump). The 'good guys' allowed their whiny/emo-ness to get in the way of their brains to defeat dimwitted evil dude.
Man that villain. Shesh. Weakest villain I’ve seen in decades. Mmpsh. Stupid Forrest Gump man-boy villain.
Rating: 2.5
August 9 2018
I understand that they were 16, but there were some much older people around to help them (though they were kind of like Peanuts, the cartoon, parents - there but .... filler-ish (it is true the mom plays an important role, but she still played while being a stock figure - you could have gotten a wax figure of Barbara Bush from a wax museum and not lost anything)). I say this because time after time they not only acted too stupid to live; they compounded the issue over and over again by setting themselves up for stupidity. Like, one example, they figure out the super stupid 'evil dude’s plan and . . . go into a 'let's be patient' stance. Seriously, it doesn't take a genius to know some certain things that might, I say might, help () It kind of kills the tension when you know certain simple things could have been done to disrupt the major plans but . . . nothing.
Again: both are 16. Again: bloody months went by and there were several adults around who could have offered pointers, knew of the issue, were close enough to offer these pointers but did fuck all to keep the two young women from fucking up. Which they did, the young women, constantly. It's like every bloody choice they made was the wrong one. From beginning to end. WTF is up with that?
And that half-time show just pissed me off. The people in the stands .
Judging from the references, and the 'things' in the book, this really did read as if a serious attempt was made to make this 'Buffy the vampire slayer' like. With Summer Fae being Buffy, who has just the one parent (dad's somewhere unspoken in Buffy, almost never around; no mention of him in this book); Fiann, the bitchy head cheerleader in this book, is basically the bitchy mean girl Cordelia. Emo Dark Fae is 'obviously' the brooding Angel character. Scooby gang was basically missing, though (unless Lennon was supposed to be Willow; no one corresponds to Xander, and let's just forget all the rest of the Gang). The librarian who is actually something else . . . yeah, that's here also. The 'evil' principal? Yeah, that's here (and there). The popular girl who suddenly wasn't any more? Yeah, that was in both Buffy and this book (as in Buffy was a popular cheerleader until she wasn't; Summer Fae was in popular group though kinda on the fringes it seems). To a certain extent, I think the book suffers from all the constant Buffy references, because then I play the game I just did in this paragraph, and I see how much is lacking in this book.
hmm. I was thinking one of the reasons I might not be in the target audience is a lot of the pop references either not things I'd recognize, or, if I did recognize them, are fairly recent. But Buffy's old. The film was out in 1992. TV series started in 1997, ended in 2003. A 16 year old would have been alive when the show ended - barely. *shrugs* I went on an odd tangent.
The villains were stupid (I mean that they were by no means on the level of Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes, more on par with Forrest Gump). The 'good guys' allowed their whiny/emo-ness to get in the way of their brains to defeat dimwitted evil dude.
Man that villain. Shesh. Weakest villain I’ve seen in decades. Mmpsh. Stupid Forrest Gump man-boy villain.
Rating: 2.5
August 9 2018
January 11, 2020
Oh my, oh my, oh my! I do believe in fairies, I do, I do, I do!
I just finished Moribund (Book 1 of the Circuit Fae) and cannot wait to complete the series. This is a YA urban fantasy romance involving Syl, a yet to be Awakened Fair Princess and Rouen, a Dark Fae and Huntress. Syl’s high school and fellow students become pawns to a dark fae infused with Moribund pushing her to find her inner power to try to save her corner of the world.
Genevieve Iseult Eldredge creates an intriguing and complex world for her characters. It seamlessly exists beside our view of the world so much so that we, the reader, strongly feel that this so could be happening.
The writing is superb and loaded with witty dialogue reminiscent of Buffy the television series. I found myself hurriedly reading and turning pages to find out what happens next. This has always been my indicator of a great engaging read.
5 ⭐️ and a You really should read this book!
I just finished Moribund (Book 1 of the Circuit Fae) and cannot wait to complete the series. This is a YA urban fantasy romance involving Syl, a yet to be Awakened Fair Princess and Rouen, a Dark Fae and Huntress. Syl’s high school and fellow students become pawns to a dark fae infused with Moribund pushing her to find her inner power to try to save her corner of the world.
Genevieve Iseult Eldredge creates an intriguing and complex world for her characters. It seamlessly exists beside our view of the world so much so that we, the reader, strongly feel that this so could be happening.
The writing is superb and loaded with witty dialogue reminiscent of Buffy the television series. I found myself hurriedly reading and turning pages to find out what happens next. This has always been my indicator of a great engaging read.
5 ⭐️ and a You really should read this book!
September 19, 2017
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Moribund tells the story of Syl and Rouen. Syl is a simple sophomore in high school, except she got into an accident some weeks before the start of the story, which made her best friend turn on her somehow. She’s now a pariah at school.
Rouen is a dark fae, who is controlled by Agravaine, a meanie.
Though the world was pretty complex and original, I found it under explained and it felt like the whole setting part was rushed.
To me, the book started too fast, the connection between the main characters was too rushed, it felt like insta-love to me… I found their relationship very cliché even though it was F/F. I just couldn’t feel what the characters felt.
Speaking of the two main characters, they drove me crazy and I rolled my eyes so many times. I can’t even count the number of times Rouen called herself “emo”, which I found pretty weird at first but then, I just found it ridiculous I guess…
The side characters, Fiann and Agravaine were so cliché, I don’t even know where to start…
Thankfully, Syl’s mom, Georgina seemed pretty cool, I’m also curious about Lennon (a friend of Syl) who was pretty interesting.
So, even though I didn’t really like it and it took me a week to read, I’m still curious about the sequel and I might read it… Maybe.
Moribund tells the story of Syl and Rouen. Syl is a simple sophomore in high school, except she got into an accident some weeks before the start of the story, which made her best friend turn on her somehow. She’s now a pariah at school.
Rouen is a dark fae, who is controlled by Agravaine, a meanie.
Though the world was pretty complex and original, I found it under explained and it felt like the whole setting part was rushed.
To me, the book started too fast, the connection between the main characters was too rushed, it felt like insta-love to me… I found their relationship very cliché even though it was F/F. I just couldn’t feel what the characters felt.
Speaking of the two main characters, they drove me crazy and I rolled my eyes so many times. I can’t even count the number of times Rouen called herself “emo”, which I found pretty weird at first but then, I just found it ridiculous I guess…
The side characters, Fiann and Agravaine were so cliché, I don’t even know where to start…
Thankfully, Syl’s mom, Georgina seemed pretty cool, I’m also curious about Lennon (a friend of Syl) who was pretty interesting.
So, even though I didn’t really like it and it took me a week to read, I’m still curious about the sequel and I might read it… Maybe.
September 12, 2017
Lesbian faeries restoring the balance in the fae world while falling in love. I definitely wanted to love this, but its cliche and repetitive, “not-your-average-girl” sarcasm from both perspectives got old fast. Only good thing was two girls crushing on each other. I think this is a book I would have enjoyed in middle school because of the unique magic-world building and the romance, but there are so many small things (like micro-aggressions) that I cannot get past.
Rating: 2.5/5
What I liked:
-Two girls unapologetically falling in insta-love. I don’t like insta-love (at all), but it’s very very refreshing to see two girls doing it. The absolute best part was two disparate girls dealing with the romance even when they weren’t accepted.
What I didn’t like:
-Syl and Euphoria sound like exactly the same person. Their first person perspectives only differ in the background knowledge.
-I detest girl-on-girl petty hate. I don’t think it’s good to write stories about girls putting each other down or about girls bullying each other. I especially don’t think it’s a good idea to write about girls putting each other down because of money or sexual orientation. Even more when these stories don’t have enough undercurrent or substance or real motive for bullying. It’s true that sometimes bullying just happens because people believe they’re superior than others, and that girls can be just as heartless and cruel while others go along with it to avoid confrontation. But I would have liked better conflict than the stereotypical rich girl bullies the pretty, poor, smart, witty and somehow-better girl.
-This book doesn’t do a good job at really bringing in diverse aspects. Syl’s family loses their money and they move to poorer section of town which she calls “slums” even though by her description they are no where near as close to poverty to describe it like that. Although the book tried to include racial diversity, there were several supportive characters that had ethnic-sounding names, they had no substance and no real characteristics. They weren’t even described beyond their names. The one who had the most characterization was Lennon and she was definitely stereotyped as the pretty, nice, demure East Asian. There’s also a slew of micro-aggressions and appropriations throughout the book: from calling characters “exotic” to mixing up different cultures to fit the punchlines. There’s also a ton of ableism that comes from the moribund literally taking limbs.
Rating: 2.5/5
What I liked:
-Two girls unapologetically falling in insta-love. I don’t like insta-love (at all), but it’s very very refreshing to see two girls doing it. The absolute best part was two disparate girls dealing with the romance even when they weren’t accepted.
What I didn’t like:
-Syl and Euphoria sound like exactly the same person. Their first person perspectives only differ in the background knowledge.
-I detest girl-on-girl petty hate. I don’t think it’s good to write stories about girls putting each other down or about girls bullying each other. I especially don’t think it’s a good idea to write about girls putting each other down because of money or sexual orientation. Even more when these stories don’t have enough undercurrent or substance or real motive for bullying. It’s true that sometimes bullying just happens because people believe they’re superior than others, and that girls can be just as heartless and cruel while others go along with it to avoid confrontation. But I would have liked better conflict than the stereotypical rich girl bullies the pretty, poor, smart, witty and somehow-better girl.
-This book doesn’t do a good job at really bringing in diverse aspects. Syl’s family loses their money and they move to poorer section of town which she calls “slums” even though by her description they are no where near as close to poverty to describe it like that. Although the book tried to include racial diversity, there were several supportive characters that had ethnic-sounding names, they had no substance and no real characteristics. They weren’t even described beyond their names. The one who had the most characterization was Lennon and she was definitely stereotyped as the pretty, nice, demure East Asian. There’s also a slew of micro-aggressions and appropriations throughout the book: from calling characters “exotic” to mixing up different cultures to fit the punchlines. There’s also a ton of ableism that comes from the moribund literally taking limbs.
September 29, 2017
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Parts of this were really cute but ultimately I think it was a bit too YA-ish for me to get fully immersed. I liked both the main characters, although I did find it hard to distinguish between their voices sometimes. The story is set up with each of them narrating every other chapter and sometimes I would have to stop for a second because I would literally forget who was narrating the chapter I was reading and get confused for a second until I could figure it out. I liked the idea of the Moribund - mixing faerie magic and machinery - it's something I haven't seen a lot of before in the faerie genre but I also would have liked to see it fleshed out a little bit more. Maybe spend a bit less time on teenage drama and a bit more on world-building. I loved the whole 'goth musician' angle with Euphoria and also that lyrics from her songs were at the beginning of her chapters, but also the 'I'm so emo' jokes got a little bit out of hand at the end. At first it was pretty tongue-in-cheek but I think it definitely got old as it went on. All in all this was a pretty cute lesbian faerie romance but I definitely think things could have been a bit more well-defined. I haven't decided whether I want to continue with the series yet.
Parts of this were really cute but ultimately I think it was a bit too YA-ish for me to get fully immersed. I liked both the main characters, although I did find it hard to distinguish between their voices sometimes. The story is set up with each of them narrating every other chapter and sometimes I would have to stop for a second because I would literally forget who was narrating the chapter I was reading and get confused for a second until I could figure it out. I liked the idea of the Moribund - mixing faerie magic and machinery - it's something I haven't seen a lot of before in the faerie genre but I also would have liked to see it fleshed out a little bit more. Maybe spend a bit less time on teenage drama and a bit more on world-building. I loved the whole 'goth musician' angle with Euphoria and also that lyrics from her songs were at the beginning of her chapters, but also the 'I'm so emo' jokes got a little bit out of hand at the end. At first it was pretty tongue-in-cheek but I think it definitely got old as it went on. All in all this was a pretty cute lesbian faerie romance but I definitely think things could have been a bit more well-defined. I haven't decided whether I want to continue with the series yet.
July 12, 2017
This is a book unlike any I've ever read. Been looking for some YA LGBTQIA urban fantasy? Well, look no further!
This book has a lot of strong points, but its strongest have to be the awesome characters and the crackling, adorkable romance between Syl and Rouen. Seriously, I could not stop squeeing. From the first moment they met, I was dying to see them give in to their feels for one another. Of course, there are plenty of obstacles in their way--coming at them from both outside and within--but every hurdle only made me love these characters more. Oh, and speaking of obstacles, this book is also jam-packed with these amazing, vivid fight scenes. The magic is super-cool, and the monsters are horrible/awesome!
Action, intensity, romance, heartbreak, snappy one-liners--Moribund has it all. AND it's only the first book in the series. YAY!
This book has a lot of strong points, but its strongest have to be the awesome characters and the crackling, adorkable romance between Syl and Rouen. Seriously, I could not stop squeeing. From the first moment they met, I was dying to see them give in to their feels for one another. Of course, there are plenty of obstacles in their way--coming at them from both outside and within--but every hurdle only made me love these characters more. Oh, and speaking of obstacles, this book is also jam-packed with these amazing, vivid fight scenes. The magic is super-cool, and the monsters are horrible/awesome!
Action, intensity, romance, heartbreak, snappy one-liners--Moribund has it all. AND it's only the first book in the series. YAY!
September 3, 2018
The main thing to know about this book is that it is a YA, lesbian romance, fantasy novel. So, you know, hooray-for-that and oh-well.
Hooray! - because the world is in need of more YA / lesbian oriented novels. (You'll be screaming, "Just kiss her, already!" at the characters.)
Oh-well - because, I most certainly am not the target audience for this novel. I am not so Y any more, and the voice of the characters in this novel are specifically geared towards a Dork-Diaries set. The main character is a high school sophomore and there is an overuse of the word "so" in the prose. Part of me SO wanted to love this, but I could not get past that aspect.
The story is not too complicated. The reader can likely foresee that way the plot will unfold. Still, the tale is... cute... and the characters are put through the ringer to some degree although the peril is never such that I felt great dread. It's soo Harry-Potter-Chambers-of-Secrets. So NOT Harry-Potter-Goblet-of-Fire.
But, like I said, the book is boldly lesbian and that is ultra awesome!
Hooray! - because the world is in need of more YA / lesbian oriented novels. (You'll be screaming, "Just kiss her, already!" at the characters.)
Oh-well - because, I most certainly am not the target audience for this novel. I am not so Y any more, and the voice of the characters in this novel are specifically geared towards a Dork-Diaries set. The main character is a high school sophomore and there is an overuse of the word "so" in the prose. Part of me SO wanted to love this, but I could not get past that aspect.
The story is not too complicated. The reader can likely foresee that way the plot will unfold. Still, the tale is... cute... and the characters are put through the ringer to some degree although the peril is never such that I felt great dread. It's soo Harry-Potter-Chambers-of-Secrets. So NOT Harry-Potter-Goblet-of-Fire.
But, like I said, the book is boldly lesbian and that is ultra awesome!
December 30, 2017
So I admit, I was confused by the meaning of certain words..and they are used often and are def important to the plot (Grimmacle, Glamoury, heck even Moribund itself) yet I still enjoyed the story. It could definitely use more explanation, more back story, more history but I like the overall goal/what it attempted to be. It has potential but dang it I just couldn’t fully understand what was going on at all times and that def took away from the plot.
I’ll still read the sequel. :)
I’ll still read the sequel. :)
September 16, 2017
Finally, a YA book with lesbian characters that isn't a coming out story! I loved that, even though Syl and Euphoria face many challenges in their relationship (and are totally supposed to be mortal enemies), the main conflict isn't about them being gay. We need more normalization of gay and lesbian romance in YA!!
The book was also fast paced and full of fun dialogue. I am so excited to find a YA Urban Fantasy that stands alone and just so happens to have lesbian heroines. I am excited to read the sequel!
The book was also fast paced and full of fun dialogue. I am so excited to find a YA Urban Fantasy that stands alone and just so happens to have lesbian heroines. I am excited to read the sequel!
September 7, 2017
I received an ARC of Moribund from Netgalley.
It is a good and intriguing story but I felt throughout the whole book that there was more potential to the story. The characters were well written and I could relate to them but some of the scenes like the fighting scene was a bit weak and could have been more. I'm not a big fantasy fan but I think for everybody who is into this genre they will love this book!
andreazupanc.wordpress.com
It is a good and intriguing story but I felt throughout the whole book that there was more potential to the story. The characters were well written and I could relate to them but some of the scenes like the fighting scene was a bit weak and could have been more. I'm not a big fantasy fan but I think for everybody who is into this genre they will love this book!
andreazupanc.wordpress.com
August 25, 2019
"Because one second, one minute, one day can change your life"
2.5/5
Moribund switches perspectives between Syl Skye, the fair Fae sleeper-princess and Rouen Rivoche, the dark Fae princess and huntress. The dark Fae world is dying and in order to save it, Rouen is sent to kill all the sleeper-princesses to power their hearthstone.
On the other hand, Syl is unaware of her being the sleeper-princess. Recently, her entire world had been turned upside-down. The people who she thought were her friends are now her bullies and she has to work to help her mom out.
One of my problems with Moribund is the writing style. The two perspectives were those of 16 year old girls, so I understand the more childish tones, but it was annoying to keep hearing Rouen call herself “emo” and Syl call herself a “whiny pants”. This book is like maximum teen angst if that’s what you’re looking for. I liked the concept and plot of the circuit fae, but I think the teen angst really got in the way of that.
I did think the relationship that developed between Syl and Rouen was cute. It seemed a bit too possessive and insta-lovey for my taste, but I liked how they pushed each other to be stronger.
"They’re not my blood and they’re not perfect, but that’s okay.
Families never are."
I received a copy from Monster House Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
2.5/5
Moribund switches perspectives between Syl Skye, the fair Fae sleeper-princess and Rouen Rivoche, the dark Fae princess and huntress. The dark Fae world is dying and in order to save it, Rouen is sent to kill all the sleeper-princesses to power their hearthstone.
On the other hand, Syl is unaware of her being the sleeper-princess. Recently, her entire world had been turned upside-down. The people who she thought were her friends are now her bullies and she has to work to help her mom out.
One of my problems with Moribund is the writing style. The two perspectives were those of 16 year old girls, so I understand the more childish tones, but it was annoying to keep hearing Rouen call herself “emo” and Syl call herself a “whiny pants”. This book is like maximum teen angst if that’s what you’re looking for. I liked the concept and plot of the circuit fae, but I think the teen angst really got in the way of that.
I did think the relationship that developed between Syl and Rouen was cute. It seemed a bit too possessive and insta-lovey for my taste, but I liked how they pushed each other to be stronger.
"They’re not my blood and they’re not perfect, but that’s okay.
Families never are."
I received a copy from Monster House Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 14, 2017
Syl is the "weird girl who lived" & now friendless, after an accident she can't remember. She has a bit of a crush on Euphoria, her favorite goth artist, who is actually a Dark Fae & her possible unbeknown enemy.
This book presents a very different kind of Fae, circuitry/technology mixed with Irish folklore. Constituting an enticing world which teases your curious nature so well, the more you learn, the more you thirst for. With the dual POVs of Syl & Rouen/Euphoria from the get go, we are gifted with a better understanding of intentions & responsibilities. There are two sides to every story & Rouen's is surprisingly not what you expected. And you will really really love her for it.
I really enjoyed that the start of each chapter had Euphoria lyrics or quotes from Glamma's Grimm.
This book is about fighting the odds for what you want. Can love trump everything?
Eldredge has a great sense of humor which shines in both POVs. The "crushing" is adorable even though sometimes the flirty comments may seem out of place. Not that I didn't like the flirting. The author has an easygoing, colorful way of expressing herself & I adore her quirky words like crazy-bananapants or woojy-woo. There word emo is overused. Just enough to make it a drinking game.
Enchanting & full of danger and treachery, there is an unknown sinister plan brewing alongside the one that is supposed to be saving the Dark Fae. Cleverly executed, the reveals do surprise, but evolve the story in a way that makes sense. The final battle may have been too long with all the villain comebacks.
I am addicted to the Circuit Fae world and will surely be reading the sequel.
This book presents a very different kind of Fae, circuitry/technology mixed with Irish folklore. Constituting an enticing world which teases your curious nature so well, the more you learn, the more you thirst for. With the dual POVs of Syl & Rouen/Euphoria from the get go, we are gifted with a better understanding of intentions & responsibilities. There are two sides to every story & Rouen's is surprisingly not what you expected. And you will really really love her for it.
I really enjoyed that the start of each chapter had Euphoria lyrics or quotes from Glamma's Grimm.
This book is about fighting the odds for what you want. Can love trump everything?
Eldredge has a great sense of humor which shines in both POVs. The "crushing" is adorable even though sometimes the flirty comments may seem out of place. Not that I didn't like the flirting. The author has an easygoing, colorful way of expressing herself & I adore her quirky words like crazy-bananapants or woojy-woo. There word emo is overused. Just enough to make it a drinking game.
Enchanting & full of danger and treachery, there is an unknown sinister plan brewing alongside the one that is supposed to be saving the Dark Fae. Cleverly executed, the reveals do surprise, but evolve the story in a way that makes sense. The final battle may have been too long with all the villain comebacks.
I am addicted to the Circuit Fae world and will surely be reading the sequel.
September 14, 2017
The Short of it: A fun, smooth read that gives you a great story, fun actions, and excellent characters with depth. Very enjoyable, with a satisfying ending that will leave you wanting the next book.
The Long of it: As an old, straight white guy I am probably not the main target demographic for this book. But the summary really caught my eye and the kindle price was great. And I do love Urban Fantasy. I got way more than my money's worth out of this book.
I found it to be very well written with clear action that is easy to follow (a serious failing of many UF books), straightforward timeline, and complex characters that are well differentiated. Especially good are the character voices for each of the protagonists; you don't need the chapter headings to tell you which point of view you are reading.
For those who like a long, detailed and extremely thoroughly documented world and magic system, this book may not be for you. It builds a solid world, but doesn't spend time on exploration of it, preferring to focus on building up the characters and their relationships. Plenty of hints and hooks were dropped, and I expect those will likely be picked up in the next book. This leads to a book that gives a great return on not a huge time investment.
Overall it had the feeling of watching a good UF TV show, and I could easily see this being adapted into a hit show in the vein of Supernatural or Once Upon a Time.
Absolutely worth the price for a fantastical, romantic, action-packed story.
The Long of it: As an old, straight white guy I am probably not the main target demographic for this book. But the summary really caught my eye and the kindle price was great. And I do love Urban Fantasy. I got way more than my money's worth out of this book.
I found it to be very well written with clear action that is easy to follow (a serious failing of many UF books), straightforward timeline, and complex characters that are well differentiated. Especially good are the character voices for each of the protagonists; you don't need the chapter headings to tell you which point of view you are reading.
For those who like a long, detailed and extremely thoroughly documented world and magic system, this book may not be for you. It builds a solid world, but doesn't spend time on exploration of it, preferring to focus on building up the characters and their relationships. Plenty of hints and hooks were dropped, and I expect those will likely be picked up in the next book. This leads to a book that gives a great return on not a huge time investment.
Overall it had the feeling of watching a good UF TV show, and I could easily see this being adapted into a hit show in the vein of Supernatural or Once Upon a Time.
Absolutely worth the price for a fantastical, romantic, action-packed story.
August 1, 2018
4.5 stars
Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend; however, I purchased a hardcopy version of this book for full price.
For all that I read urban fantasy and LGBT fiction, it surprises me that this is my first F/F urban fantasy -- and a young adult (YA) novel, at that. But if a book had to be my first, I'm pleased that this was it. It definitely took everything that I love about urban fantasy, LGBT fiction, AND young adult fiction and transformed them into something wonderful and fully engrossing.
The cover snagged my attention first, but once techno-magic was introduced in the first chapter, I was all in. This is not your grandmother's tale of the light and dark fae. This is a tale for a modern age, for modern readers. Especially readers who aren't afraid to have familiar themes expanded upon.
It's a lot harder for me to get into YA fiction than books primarily written for an "adult" audience, because the trope about how all adults are stupid and/or evil is the literal worst. Moribund employs none of that nonsense. I especially loved how Syl's mother was an integral part of the team, adding both knowledge and skill (and some delightful plot twists).
This book probably could have been about one-fifth shorter, because both point-of-view characters get pretty swept up in snarky internal monologue. I caught all the references, but I'm around the same age as the author and I'm reading this book within a year of its original release. I'm crossing my fingers that it ages well, because I know this story is a rare find for a certain demographic of teenagers.
But even though I'm not that demographic, I'm definitely still all in for Syl and Euphoria's next adventure!
Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend; however, I purchased a hardcopy version of this book for full price.
For all that I read urban fantasy and LGBT fiction, it surprises me that this is my first F/F urban fantasy -- and a young adult (YA) novel, at that. But if a book had to be my first, I'm pleased that this was it. It definitely took everything that I love about urban fantasy, LGBT fiction, AND young adult fiction and transformed them into something wonderful and fully engrossing.
The cover snagged my attention first, but once techno-magic was introduced in the first chapter, I was all in. This is not your grandmother's tale of the light and dark fae. This is a tale for a modern age, for modern readers. Especially readers who aren't afraid to have familiar themes expanded upon.
It's a lot harder for me to get into YA fiction than books primarily written for an "adult" audience, because the trope about how all adults are stupid and/or evil is the literal worst. Moribund employs none of that nonsense. I especially loved how Syl's mother was an integral part of the team, adding both knowledge and skill (and some delightful plot twists).
This book probably could have been about one-fifth shorter, because both point-of-view characters get pretty swept up in snarky internal monologue. I caught all the references, but I'm around the same age as the author and I'm reading this book within a year of its original release. I'm crossing my fingers that it ages well, because I know this story is a rare find for a certain demographic of teenagers.
But even though I'm not that demographic, I'm definitely still all in for Syl and Euphoria's next adventure!
September 12, 2017
Moribund is a fascinating new take on typical fae stories. I have to say, the synopsis is what sucked me in, and the cover is gorgeous, so I knew I had to read this book.
Moribund is the tale of a shy, geeky sixteen year old girl named Syl who discovers a secret she didn't know she had. A secret her mom has been keeping from her for her entire life. She's one of the Summer Fae's Sleeper princesses, although she has no idea what that means. At least not right away.
Euphoria, Syl's glam-Goth crush, also happens to have a secret. She's a Dark Fae, but oh, so much more than that. Exiled by the Dark Fae, Euphoria is forced to join forces with a horrible person who not only convinces her to do bad things, but infects her with evil magic that turns her into one of the Circuit Fae. He does this because he has plans for her; plans she wants nothing to do with. He also has other nefarious plans that make him pure evil.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun, unique, and adorable. I especially found Euphoria to be a great character. She may have drawn the short straw in life, but she didn't let that stop her from stepping outside of what she was expected to do/be/act like/etc.
I do wish there had been a little more world building when it came to the home of the Dark Fae. I was intrigued by Euphoria's original home, and I would've liked to have seen more detail with that. But hopefully there will be tons more in the sequel. I'm also curious about the Summer Fae world, and if that will play a part in Syl's life at all.
The plot of the story moves along at a decent pace, and there were times I found myself unable to put the book down, even though I knew I should so I could "adult" for a little while. That's how good it was. It sucked me in and didn't want to let go.
Overall, Moribund is an exciting, unique read that's LGBT friendly, but doesn't focus solely on that aspect. Nor is it a main plot point. At least not to me. Sure, both characters are crushing on each other, but their romance is sort of sidelined by everything else going on.
I highly recommend this book to fans of urban fantasy, fans of stories about fae, and fans of LGBT friendly fiction. I give Moribund 5 well-deserved stars!
Moribund is the tale of a shy, geeky sixteen year old girl named Syl who discovers a secret she didn't know she had. A secret her mom has been keeping from her for her entire life. She's one of the Summer Fae's Sleeper princesses, although she has no idea what that means. At least not right away.
Euphoria, Syl's glam-Goth crush, also happens to have a secret. She's a Dark Fae, but oh, so much more than that. Exiled by the Dark Fae, Euphoria is forced to join forces with a horrible person who not only convinces her to do bad things, but infects her with evil magic that turns her into one of the Circuit Fae. He does this because he has plans for her; plans she wants nothing to do with. He also has other nefarious plans that make him pure evil.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun, unique, and adorable. I especially found Euphoria to be a great character. She may have drawn the short straw in life, but she didn't let that stop her from stepping outside of what she was expected to do/be/act like/etc.
I do wish there had been a little more world building when it came to the home of the Dark Fae. I was intrigued by Euphoria's original home, and I would've liked to have seen more detail with that. But hopefully there will be tons more in the sequel. I'm also curious about the Summer Fae world, and if that will play a part in Syl's life at all.
The plot of the story moves along at a decent pace, and there were times I found myself unable to put the book down, even though I knew I should so I could "adult" for a little while. That's how good it was. It sucked me in and didn't want to let go.
Overall, Moribund is an exciting, unique read that's LGBT friendly, but doesn't focus solely on that aspect. Nor is it a main plot point. At least not to me. Sure, both characters are crushing on each other, but their romance is sort of sidelined by everything else going on.
I highly recommend this book to fans of urban fantasy, fans of stories about fae, and fans of LGBT friendly fiction. I give Moribund 5 well-deserved stars!
May 8, 2018
2.5 stars
Full review soon
Full review soon
September 4, 2017
Check out my book blog for more book reviews and other bookish posts!
I received an ARC of Moribund from Netgalley. I decided to request this book because I loved the pose of the character on the cover, and the blurb was quite intriguing.
It’s #ownvoices for lesbian representation.
__
I thought I’d love this book. I really did. Thus, I was really disappointed that I absolute did not enjoy this ARC, not at all. It wasn’t a nice reading experience.
The writing is so repetetive. At times, I thought I was reading the same page by accident, that’s how repetetive it was. It was exhausting to read and certainly didn’t make the story more enjoyable. The two perspectives were so similar to each other that I only could distinguish the narrator based on the context and whether the narrator was using the word “emo”. I also wasn’t a fan of the verses at the beginning of Euphoria’s chapter because they mostly just summed up what had happened in the chapter before .
What I absolutely hated is that the characters aren’t nuanced at all. They either just evil or very good (and being forced to do evil). Syl and Euphoria are just such good people, like they don’t do anything wrong unless they are forced to do so. One of the evil characters states that he is doing these evil actions because of the way that he was treated by his community. He wants to create a place for all those who have been treated badly by his community. A community that one of the main characters also belongs to. However, that’s it. He’s still the evil character, and the author doesn’t illuminate on how he came to be evil. There is no nuanced discussion about this issue! The other evil character is portrayed in the same way, she’s the evil girl. However, we don’t find out why she decided to join forced with the other evil character. Nevertheless, it’s established that she is awful.
None of the minor characters were that memorable. I know the names of some of them, but they were not developed at all. They just seemed to function as plot devices and decorations. For example, I was seriously expecting a story arc about how one of Syl’s friends ditches Syl for the evil girl, but Syl still trusts her. Why would Syl trust her? However, once the main characters get what they need from her, that’s it. The main characters suspect a teacher of being more than she shows, but that mystery is also never solved.
Euphoria is described as having bronze skin, blue eyes and high cheekbones. Syl says that this gives her an exotic look, which is one of my most hated adjectives for POC people. Syl describes herself fighting as a combination of Jackie Chan and Jet Li, and Euphoria yells “Olé” and describes that she is saying it like a bullfighter. This is appropriation.
I’m not a fan of a person being the amazingly talented one, and both of the main characters fall into this trope. They could do nothing wrong, and even when one of them thought she couldn’t do something, the other character would remind her that she could and motivate her, and obviously they would be able to do it. They were absolutely perfect.
I will say this though. The either of combining fae magic with machinery was cool. However, I felt rather confused with this combination because it wasn’t explained that well. Another aspect that I feel worldbuilding should have touched on is that fair Fae are not affected by iron. Also, why are the dark fae not affected by steel – an iron alloy, but by pure iron???
Ableist terms were used in this book. I also wasn’t a fan of Euphoria saying that no self-respecting dad would want his daughter to have boys at her party and manipulating another character’s father with that logic. What the hell?
__
I didn’t enjoy this book at all. It wasn’t written well, it was boring and the worldbuilding was lacking in so many areas.
I received an ARC of Moribund from Netgalley. I decided to request this book because I loved the pose of the character on the cover, and the blurb was quite intriguing.
It’s #ownvoices for lesbian representation.
__
I thought I’d love this book. I really did. Thus, I was really disappointed that I absolute did not enjoy this ARC, not at all. It wasn’t a nice reading experience.
The writing is so repetetive. At times, I thought I was reading the same page by accident, that’s how repetetive it was. It was exhausting to read and certainly didn’t make the story more enjoyable. The two perspectives were so similar to each other that I only could distinguish the narrator based on the context and whether the narrator was using the word “emo”. I also wasn’t a fan of the verses at the beginning of Euphoria’s chapter because they mostly just summed up what had happened in the chapter before .
What I absolutely hated is that the characters aren’t nuanced at all. They either just evil or very good (and being forced to do evil). Syl and Euphoria are just such good people, like they don’t do anything wrong unless they are forced to do so. One of the evil characters states that he is doing these evil actions because of the way that he was treated by his community. He wants to create a place for all those who have been treated badly by his community. A community that one of the main characters also belongs to. However, that’s it. He’s still the evil character, and the author doesn’t illuminate on how he came to be evil. There is no nuanced discussion about this issue! The other evil character is portrayed in the same way, she’s the evil girl. However, we don’t find out why she decided to join forced with the other evil character. Nevertheless, it’s established that she is awful.
None of the minor characters were that memorable. I know the names of some of them, but they were not developed at all. They just seemed to function as plot devices and decorations. For example, I was seriously expecting a story arc about how one of Syl’s friends ditches Syl for the evil girl, but Syl still trusts her. Why would Syl trust her? However, once the main characters get what they need from her, that’s it. The main characters suspect a teacher of being more than she shows, but that mystery is also never solved.
Euphoria is described as having bronze skin, blue eyes and high cheekbones. Syl says that this gives her an exotic look, which is one of my most hated adjectives for POC people. Syl describes herself fighting as a combination of Jackie Chan and Jet Li, and Euphoria yells “Olé” and describes that she is saying it like a bullfighter. This is appropriation.
I’m not a fan of a person being the amazingly talented one, and both of the main characters fall into this trope. They could do nothing wrong, and even when one of them thought she couldn’t do something, the other character would remind her that she could and motivate her, and obviously they would be able to do it. They were absolutely perfect.
I will say this though. The either of combining fae magic with machinery was cool. However, I felt rather confused with this combination because it wasn’t explained that well. Another aspect that I feel worldbuilding should have touched on is that fair Fae are not affected by iron. Also, why are the dark fae not affected by steel – an iron alloy, but by pure iron???
Ableist terms were used in this book. I also wasn’t a fan of Euphoria saying that no self-respecting dad would want his daughter to have boys at her party and manipulating another character’s father with that logic. What the hell?
__
I didn’t enjoy this book at all. It wasn’t written well, it was boring and the worldbuilding was lacking in so many areas.
August 17, 2017
I recommend Moribund to fans of original fae lore when it comes to their Urban Fantasy cravings, engaging stories about self-discovery while juggling almost-crushing responsibilities, and overcoming adversity in adrenaline-fueling life and death situations. It comes with a good serving of sweet and angstylicious FxF teen romance plus strong, kick-ass (and snarky-ish) heroines you’ll love both as a couple and on their own.
November 25, 2017
This story has two points of view, the first is a young girl named Syl and the other is a Dark Fae named Rouen (called Euphoria in the mortal world.) Syl and her former friend have survived an unsurvivable train accident that took scores of lives, but has no memory of the incident. Rouen is a dark Fae princess, who is forced to become a huntress as a punishment. What does she hunt? She hunts Fair Fae princesses who have not yet "awakened" to their place as royalty or their Fae powers. And Syl or her former friend must be a Fair Fae. Euphoria goes to Syl's high school to rout out the real princess, only to find herself drawn to Syl in a way she never has been to another person. Syl responds with equal measure.
Euphoria now knows that Syl is the princess, but regardless of orders, she cannot bring herself to harm Syl. Instead, they team up, go undercover, and investigate why the Hunter really wants the fair Fae dead and quickly realize he wants to destroy the Fae worlds and set up his own kingdom with mortals as his slaves and minions. Can they stop the Hunter before he is able to bring his plan to fruition? And just how far does Syl's and Euphoria's attraction go? Is it enough to save the Fae worlds?
I was intrigued with the story and the writing. Syl was a well developed character in the early pages of the book, but Euphoria takes the reader a while to fully understand, because she goes from one guise to another in quick succession. But we do finally get a good understanding of her character which is very strong and she wants only to be of service to and help her people who are dying. The real antagonist in the story is the Hunter, who is not nearly as well developed but this may be because he is not as important in the first book. However, there is little doubt that he is evil and treacherous. We see most of his characterization built through Euphoria's repulsion to him and her thought upon this issue.
I did not give it a fifth star because it shifts from Syl's viewpoint to Euphoria's and back again so quickly at times that I have to reread a few short passages to ensure that I knew exactly whose point of view was current. I dislike when the reading becomes choppy because I'm not sure whose point of view is in a given passage.
Because this is girl on girl romance, I haven't decided whether to continue with the series. I try and remember that we are talking Fae and one isn't even human, so it is actually interspecies romance, but I do not really care for "alternative" lifestyle reading.
Euphoria now knows that Syl is the princess, but regardless of orders, she cannot bring herself to harm Syl. Instead, they team up, go undercover, and investigate why the Hunter really wants the fair Fae dead and quickly realize he wants to destroy the Fae worlds and set up his own kingdom with mortals as his slaves and minions. Can they stop the Hunter before he is able to bring his plan to fruition? And just how far does Syl's and Euphoria's attraction go? Is it enough to save the Fae worlds?
I was intrigued with the story and the writing. Syl was a well developed character in the early pages of the book, but Euphoria takes the reader a while to fully understand, because she goes from one guise to another in quick succession. But we do finally get a good understanding of her character which is very strong and she wants only to be of service to and help her people who are dying. The real antagonist in the story is the Hunter, who is not nearly as well developed but this may be because he is not as important in the first book. However, there is little doubt that he is evil and treacherous. We see most of his characterization built through Euphoria's repulsion to him and her thought upon this issue.
I did not give it a fifth star because it shifts from Syl's viewpoint to Euphoria's and back again so quickly at times that I have to reread a few short passages to ensure that I knew exactly whose point of view was current. I dislike when the reading becomes choppy because I'm not sure whose point of view is in a given passage.
Because this is girl on girl romance, I haven't decided whether to continue with the series. I try and remember that we are talking Fae and one isn't even human, so it is actually interspecies romance, but I do not really care for "alternative" lifestyle reading.
September 20, 2017
Book review for Moribund, Circuit Fae Book one by Genevieve Iseult Eldredge
Publisher: Monster House Books, LLC (September 12, 2017), 300 pages, ASIN: B01MR7K3TN
website: https://www.girlyengine.com/
FaceBook: Genevieve Iseult Eldredge - Author
Twitter: @girlyengine
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/girlyengine/
THE CIRCUIT FAE
.5. Derailed - The Moribund Prequel Novella (Spring 2018)
1. Moribund (Fall 2017)
2. Ouroboros (Fall 2018)
I’ve been reading a lot of YA fantasy lately to be able to capably vote for SFWA’s Norton Award and to invite authors to speak at conferences, workshops and lecture series.
Fair Fae Syl Skye and Dark Fae Rouen Rivoche (whose stage name is Euphoria because she casts spells with her music) first notice each other innocently enough by bumping into each other outside a crowded ladies’ room. It isn’t until later meetings that they find themselves battling a nearly irresistible attractive force. With a mutual enemy trying to harm them, their families and the land itself, the two girls form an uneasy alliance. Can Fair Fae and Dark Fae work together? Can they be friends and more?
Moribund by Genevieve Iseult Eldredge ranks up with the best of them. It scores A+ in all my writing checklist categories: Unique, fast-paced, well-researched, contained authentic voices, made me laugh out loud, memorable, properly timed release of information, twisted plotlines, gorgeous language including names and setting, logical and consistent throughout, realistic ages for characters, solid high school drama, caring description of costumes, wish fulfillment aspects satisfied without cheating, made the reader think long after finishing the book, elegant packaging, and a belief that you could run into the characters on the street and you wouldn’t be too terribly surprised to find out that they really existed.
Take my advice. Procure and enjoy.
Publisher: Monster House Books, LLC (September 12, 2017), 300 pages, ASIN: B01MR7K3TN
website: https://www.girlyengine.com/
FaceBook: Genevieve Iseult Eldredge - Author
Twitter: @girlyengine
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/girlyengine/
THE CIRCUIT FAE
.5. Derailed - The Moribund Prequel Novella (Spring 2018)
1. Moribund (Fall 2017)
2. Ouroboros (Fall 2018)
I’ve been reading a lot of YA fantasy lately to be able to capably vote for SFWA’s Norton Award and to invite authors to speak at conferences, workshops and lecture series.
Fair Fae Syl Skye and Dark Fae Rouen Rivoche (whose stage name is Euphoria because she casts spells with her music) first notice each other innocently enough by bumping into each other outside a crowded ladies’ room. It isn’t until later meetings that they find themselves battling a nearly irresistible attractive force. With a mutual enemy trying to harm them, their families and the land itself, the two girls form an uneasy alliance. Can Fair Fae and Dark Fae work together? Can they be friends and more?
Moribund by Genevieve Iseult Eldredge ranks up with the best of them. It scores A+ in all my writing checklist categories: Unique, fast-paced, well-researched, contained authentic voices, made me laugh out loud, memorable, properly timed release of information, twisted plotlines, gorgeous language including names and setting, logical and consistent throughout, realistic ages for characters, solid high school drama, caring description of costumes, wish fulfillment aspects satisfied without cheating, made the reader think long after finishing the book, elegant packaging, and a belief that you could run into the characters on the street and you wouldn’t be too terribly surprised to find out that they really existed.
Take my advice. Procure and enjoy.
August 1, 2017
Cheeky, heartfelt, full of magic and mayhem. How could you not love two female protagonists finding themselves and each other in a snarky angsty drama full of fun?
April 7, 2019
Full Review on my blog!
I wanted to love this book, really I did. It has so much going for it, but it never quite came together for me.
Moribund tells the story of Syl and Rouen. Syl is a simple sophomore in high school, except she got into an accident some weeks before the start of the story, which made her best friend turn on her somehow. She’s now a pariah at school.
Rouen is a dark fae, who is controlled by Agravaine, a meanie.While the characters did need a little more development and their voices weren't very distinct, I actually liked the writing style itself. I also loved the idea of meshing modern day technology and classic fae magic, its really unique... but maybe could have been executed better.
Nonetheless, it was still a good and intriguing story. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this author. I recommend it, maybe you'll like it more than I did!
_________________________________
Moribund | Review
Derailed | Review
Ouroboros | Review SoonTM
Dethroned | Review SoonTM
Inimical | Review SoonTM
Rekindled | Review SoonTM
Nemesis | Review SoonTM
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
I wanted to love this book, really I did. It has so much going for it, but it never quite came together for me.
Moribund tells the story of Syl and Rouen. Syl is a simple sophomore in high school, except she got into an accident some weeks before the start of the story, which made her best friend turn on her somehow. She’s now a pariah at school.
Rouen is a dark fae, who is controlled by Agravaine, a meanie.While the characters did need a little more development and their voices weren't very distinct, I actually liked the writing style itself. I also loved the idea of meshing modern day technology and classic fae magic, its really unique... but maybe could have been executed better.
Nonetheless, it was still a good and intriguing story. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this author. I recommend it, maybe you'll like it more than I did!
_________________________________
Moribund | Review
Derailed | Review
Ouroboros | Review SoonTM
Dethroned | Review SoonTM
Inimical | Review SoonTM
Rekindled | Review SoonTM
Nemesis | Review SoonTM
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
September 23, 2018
I really, really enjoyed this book, and am glad I found it. I love that its a YA urban-fantasy that allows the readers to see the story from both our heroines' perspectives. Syl is your typical teenager, who tends to over react in a ton of ways, and her narration style reflects that. Rouen, on the other hand is a little more measured, but because she's also a youngster, she also has some pretty teen like moments.
I loved the concept of one part of faery needing to find another way to keep their realm from dying, and using modern tech to try to stop that death. Faery is divided into the traditional Summer (fair fae) and Winter(dark fae) courts here, and so far we've only met the Rouen and the bad guy, who are members of the dark fae. And while the sleeping-princesses are technically fair fae, we don't meet anyone from the actual fair fae court, so that part of the world is still a bit of a mystery.
If anything that does bug me about the book, is that it is really unclear how old Rouen actually is. There's one part in the book where I was like, "well if this character is acting this way towards her, is she actually seventeen?" There are some weird things that happen with the plot that I think smoothed out better near the end of the book.
I love that it is an urban fantasy that has lesbian main characters. There aren't too many urban fantasy LGBT+ books that don't fall into the paranormal romance sub genre. I could tell that Eldredge made an effort to flesh out the fantasy elements as much as the romance. It's keeping me hooked for the next book in the series.
I loved the concept of one part of faery needing to find another way to keep their realm from dying, and using modern tech to try to stop that death. Faery is divided into the traditional Summer (fair fae) and Winter(dark fae) courts here, and so far we've only met the Rouen and the bad guy, who are members of the dark fae. And while the sleeping-princesses are technically fair fae, we don't meet anyone from the actual fair fae court, so that part of the world is still a bit of a mystery.
If anything that does bug me about the book, is that it is really unclear how old Rouen actually is. There's one part in the book where I was like, "well if this character is acting this way towards her, is she actually seventeen?" There are some weird things that happen with the plot that I think smoothed out better near the end of the book.
I love that it is an urban fantasy that has lesbian main characters. There aren't too many urban fantasy LGBT+ books that don't fall into the paranormal romance sub genre. I could tell that Eldredge made an effort to flesh out the fantasy elements as much as the romance. It's keeping me hooked for the next book in the series.
February 18, 2019
I love this series! I'm usually not into urban fantasy but I got this book when it was free because I wanted to try a new fantasy series. I ended up purchasing the other books in the series before finishing the first five chapters.
In this book, Rouen and Syl deal with figuring out their feelings for each other while Rouen is under a Contract of Blood and Bone to kill all fair Fae princesses. The problem? Syl is the last fair Fae princess. I love the tension this creates between the two. Rouen tries her best to protect Syl but at the end of the day, when Agravaine uses her true name, she has to obey the Contract. That puts Syl in a lot of danger because she just found out she's a Fae princess and doesn't have full control of her powers.
The dialog is witty and I laughed out loud several times. It was difficult to put this book down. I stayed up late because I needed to know how Rouen and Syl got out of trouble. The story moves quickly and the action scenes are amazing.
Most of the story takes place in Virginia but you get a glimpse of the dark and fair Fae worlds (you learn a lot more about these worlds in the later books).
In this book, Rouen and Syl deal with figuring out their feelings for each other while Rouen is under a Contract of Blood and Bone to kill all fair Fae princesses. The problem? Syl is the last fair Fae princess. I love the tension this creates between the two. Rouen tries her best to protect Syl but at the end of the day, when Agravaine uses her true name, she has to obey the Contract. That puts Syl in a lot of danger because she just found out she's a Fae princess and doesn't have full control of her powers.
The dialog is witty and I laughed out loud several times. It was difficult to put this book down. I stayed up late because I needed to know how Rouen and Syl got out of trouble. The story moves quickly and the action scenes are amazing.
Most of the story takes place in Virginia but you get a glimpse of the dark and fair Fae worlds (you learn a lot more about these worlds in the later books).
April 4, 2018
Cool!!
A unique take on Fae Folk and High School... yes, that's right I said faeries and teenagers. I can remember dreaming about magic taking me away or giving me the power to break the nerdy, librarian wannabe role I was stuck in throughout my high school years. App classes, drama, choir, the horrors of not being into competitive sports, shudder. But, there was no magic for me, t h ere were just magical books, dreams and imagination.
I'm kind of glad I wasn't a sleeping princess in need of trauma, fear, and pain to awaken me. No famous singer to moon over... but learning to believe in myself? That bit of magic most definitely happened. As did exploring the possibilities. So give this series a read. I opted to order books two and three before I finished the first hundred pages. It is simply that intriguing.
A unique take on Fae Folk and High School... yes, that's right I said faeries and teenagers. I can remember dreaming about magic taking me away or giving me the power to break the nerdy, librarian wannabe role I was stuck in throughout my high school years. App classes, drama, choir, the horrors of not being into competitive sports, shudder. But, there was no magic for me, t h ere were just magical books, dreams and imagination.
I'm kind of glad I wasn't a sleeping princess in need of trauma, fear, and pain to awaken me. No famous singer to moon over... but learning to believe in myself? That bit of magic most definitely happened. As did exploring the possibilities. So give this series a read. I opted to order books two and three before I finished the first hundred pages. It is simply that intriguing.
September 23, 2017
This seemed like a super interesting read full of action and adventure. The main things that sold me were the modern fantasy with LGBT!
Ahhh, the characters were so adorable! In addition, they seemed to pop out of the pages. The romance also wasn't unrealistic at all, which happens often in fast-pasted stories.
I was a little uncertain about this book at first because of the complex plot, but the world building was so well done and I felt myself on the edge of my seat most of the time!
This story was so beautifully written and crafted. I can tell this author put a lot of heart into this book.
This was an intense and grappling introduction to this series. I definitely hope to read more in the future!
Final Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Ahhh, the characters were so adorable! In addition, they seemed to pop out of the pages. The romance also wasn't unrealistic at all, which happens often in fast-pasted stories.
I was a little uncertain about this book at first because of the complex plot, but the world building was so well done and I felt myself on the edge of my seat most of the time!
This story was so beautifully written and crafted. I can tell this author put a lot of heart into this book.
This was an intense and grappling introduction to this series. I definitely hope to read more in the future!
Final Rating: 4.5/5 stars
September 3, 2017
Not a bad story, just not all it could be. I liked the characters and the basic story. I was reading what I hope was an uncorrected proof as there were many errors in the book and that really bothers me (mostly double and wrong words not caught by autocorrect like using that'll instead of what'll etc). I feel the finally fight scene was a bit weak. It will be interesting to see where these characters go in the next book.
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