A First or Final Mischief

Fayborn #3

by J.Aleksandr Wootton

Her aunt's been abducted.
Her mother is missing.
Her enemy is waiting.

And the person she counted on for help is dead.

Too late to free the Faerie Queen, Petra Godfellow and her allies face a terrible choice: Either Petra surrenders and swears to serve James Oberon, or he will torture her Aunt Penny.

If she agrees to James's demands, the Faerie kingdom will be restored... with James on its throne, and Petra condemned to eternal servitude. Any alternative abandons Penny to torture and her mother to an unknown fate.

Unless, of course, the Cat chooses to intervene...

Genres: Fantasy

286 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 10, 2017

About the author

J. Aleksandr Wootton is a poet, author, and book-worm ("hoards books in shelves and spare rooms; likes to sleep surrounded by them." Derivation, Old Tolkienic).

In his spare time, he chairs the folklore department at Lightfoot College.

Reviews

[Erin With the Classics · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent ending to this trilogy. Although longer than its predecessors, all of the episodes were relevant to the larger plot, and were twisted together in unexpected ways. No fluff here. I enjoyed the character development, especially with Petra and Wysteria (such an intriguing person!), and the new places our characters visited, especially the Erkling’s court. And, as always, I love the way that a wide and often diverse swath of myths, legends, and fantasy tales are woven together in such an intricate, subtle, and creative way. You’ve never seen this Faerie before, though pieces of it are strangely familiar.

The interludes continue to be some of the best pieces of the books; short stories almost that broaden the world, provide origin stories (I particularly liked the one about Cat), and are, amazingly, always relevant later.

Now that I’ve read the entire story (and it is one story; you can’t start here without being bewildered), I can say that this is one I’ll definitely re-read. It’s difficult to say more (especially about this volume) without spoilers. If you enjoy intelligent fantasy, this ones for you.

Finally, (hang on, I’m going to mini-rant; feel free to stop reading here) I appreciate that Mr. Wootton avoided including a romantic plot: he created a clever, likable heroine who solved her own problems with help from a variety of friends (men, women, cats, Winds, ancient beings, adorable kids...) and who didn’t feel like she needed to Fall in Love (or, the author didn’t feel like she needed a boyfriend to show us how great she is). I’m getting tired of romance novels disguised as fantasy, and this was a refreshing change.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book was a gripping conclusion to the Fayborn series, and it had me on the edge of my seat wondering whether Petra was going to keep her freedom or surrender to Oberon. I loved that it wasn't always clear to me what outcomes were "good" or "bad," because life isn't black and white! Wootton has a gift for giving life to stories and weaving legends together in a fresh way.

[Zak Schmoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

And this trilogy has been completed. I did not expect this book to end in the way that it did. There will be no spoilers in this review, but at the moment that you think you have just about anything pinned down, everything changes. One thing that definitely characterized this particular installment of the trilogy was the elevated tension. You could feel it in the words that were chosen and even the sentence structure.

Also, another interesting element that this entire trilogy explored was the creation of fairytales. It was fascinating how many things like the Pied Piper, as just one example, are given an imaginative foundation. It made me reflect on the importance of literary tradition, and I think that is something we should do more of nowadays.

Ultimately, this trilogy is highly enjoyable, fast-paced, and well written. It is highly recommended.