Winter Mulcahy is the last wizard in the city of Seahaven, WA and all that stands between the fractious preternatural population and total chaos. Holding the city together by the skin of her teeth, the blood of her friends, and an addiction to stimulants that is slowly killing her, the young wizard is approached by a pair of Sidhe lords. They claim that her city is harboring a fugitive who has … who has kidnapped a Sidhe prince, and that they are on a mission to rescue the boy. Winter must investigate this fugitive to get to the truth of the kidnapping, discover the cause of the surges of wild magic tearing open rifts between realms across her city, and navigate the deadly waters of preternatural politics before Seahaven both figuratively and literally rips itself apart.
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First, a confession. Fantasy has never been my thing. It’s not that I dislike the genre, it’s just that I rarely find works that appeal to my personal taste. I much prefer the high tech action and greasy spaceships of science fiction. But even so, great works of fantasy do capture my attention from time to time.
Enter Faerie Rising by A. E. Lowan.
This book fell into my reading queue through a personal recommendation. One of my friends, also a sci-fi lover, had met the authors at a literary convention. Authors, plural, as A. E. Lowan is actually a trio of writers (more on that later). They left a great impression on my friend, both socially and professionally. He purchased Faerie Rising: The First Book of Binding and posted a stellar review shortly after. I trust his opinion on such matters, so I bought the book as well.
Wow. Now this is some fantasy that I can get behind.
But before I delve into my reaction, a brief intro. Winter is the primary protagonist. She is a healer from a prominent family of wizards who have become pariahs. The story takes place in Seahaven, Washington where magical rifts have begun to unleash goblins (fae) into the Earth realm. Winter is thrust into the conflict, which is straining existing tensions between factions, a political powder keg that includes vampires and shapeshifters. Without giving too much away, let’s just say that a fuse has been lit and Winter is forced to chase the flame.
The first chapter launches you into the bloody aftermath of a battle between vampires and shapeshifters. The action spills into Winter’s shop, where she is compelled to patch up some injured friends. Tensions rise, both violently and sexually, and the story springboards as a result. When the chapter ended, the authors had my full attention.
Winter is a delightfully flawed and relatable character. She’s the reluctant hero-type with an assumed frailty, untapped power, and an inherent desire to help those in need, regardless of their loyalties. She reminded me a lot of Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There is a large cast of characters surrounding Winter (her apprentice Jessie being a personal favorite), all of which receive fully fleshed out personas. None of them feel needless, as their interwoven arcs all contribute to the mounting war.
Another thing I would like to highlight is the authors’ seamless blending of voice. Author teams are fairly common, but truly effective ones are quite rare. All too often, the tone will shift from one chapter to another as one author picks up where the other left off. Two writers are hard enough, but three? I fully expected some overlap of style, but I couldn’t tell who wrote what. If I hadn’t known that Lowan was a team beforehand, I never would have guessed. It’s a testament to how well these ladies work together.
Needless to say, I highly recommend Faerie Rising. Not because it’s a great fantasy story, but because it’s a great story all around. This is a gritty tale that any reader can pick up and enjoy. The only disclaimer I would add is that the book does not shy away from gory action and saucy language. That’s a huge plus in my opinion because I admire authors who refuse to pull their punches in order to tell the story how it needs to be told. I, for one, plan to take my black eye into the next book.
A Marvelous Dark Fantasy Thriller!
In “Faeries Rising”, Author A.E. Lowan introduces a cast of unique characters whose flaws capture the essence of humanity without being completely human themselves. The author challenges her characters to rise above extreme and dire circumstances and overcome their weaknesses in order to realize their destinies. While her main protagonist, Winter, acts as a sole caretaker for her incapacitated father, Lowan also presses her into dealing with a grave drug addiction, putting her abilities to save her beloved city in great jeopardy. Cian, a shy and introverted Fae prince in hiding, must come to terms with a past laden by sexual abuse and trauma before he can become the ruler he was truly meant to be. Jessie, Winter’s teenage apprentice with a bad attitude toward authority figures, is out of her element in the human world, but finds solace and acceptance among Winter’s kind. Each character in this plot line is fully developed and thoroughly engaging. Each is a perfect foil for the situations ahead, possessing qualities and skills that translate well to fantasy and action readers alike.
Although there is some graphic language and mild adult content in “Faeries Rising”, Lowan’s book is a great read for paranormal fantasy fans ages 13 and up. Teens will relate well to the younger characters trying to find their places in the world while adults will understand the value that role models have in forging eager young minds.
Throughout her tale, Lowan’s writing is vivid, fluid, and lyrical… “He could feel her warm hands—she always had such warm hands-tucked away like little brown birds in his own.” But don’t expect the usual, lighter fairy fare from “Faeries Rising”, for this story focuses on a dire battle for control of both worlds—Fae and human—and the imposing, malicious threat presented between the pages of this book is nothing to be ignored. And while the author’s colorful flowing narratives weaving their way between dialogue and action scenes may test a hardcore action-lovers patience, a truly brilliant, imaginative, and well-constructed dark fantasy lies at the heart of “Faerie Rising”.
A.E. Lowan’s “Faerie Rising” stands not only as a marvelous paranormal thriller but as a distinctive suspense tale set against the backdrop of a city on the edge of destruction and a group of allies who must all depend on magic and each other for its salvation. The battle for Seahaven will be fought and won, but by whom and at what expense?
Congratulations to the author on this award-winning story! This novel will be permanently featured on my website at AuthorJBRichards.com under IHIBRP 5 Star Recommended Reads!
I absolutely loved this book and the characters that A.E. Lowan has created and highly recommend it.
Winter Mulcahy is an over-worked, over-stressed, and way out of her depth wizard in the city of Seahaven, Washington. Seahaven is a town that is filled to the brim with all manner of preternatural beings, including vampires, fae, and all manner of therians – basically every manner of were-type creature that you can imagine, from rabbits to orcas, wolves to ravens. The town is on edge as each group tries to fight for dominance and Winter, being part of the wizard family that helped settle the town, is stuck in the middle trying to keep the peace between groups that would rather tear each other apart. Into this mix a faerie knight and a Sidhe (faerie) Prince come to town, looking for prince who has been kidnapped, and soon Winter is even more overwhelmed when she must try to save the city from an impending disaster, and the only way to do that is to get everybody to play nice and work together.
Winter is a well-crafted character, but she is not your typical heroine, bringing a lot of baggage with her. She is the last in the Mulcahy line, trying to keep a city full of preternatural beings from killing each other. She is an excellent healer, and not a great fighter, but she’s the only wizard still standing who can keep the minor incursions from faerie into Seahaven from getting out of control. She is burning the candle at both ends, and in the middle, and can only function by taking an energy potion daily that is slowly killing her. I love how in depth Winter’s character is, and that as the story moves along she sees what is happening to her, but struggles with asking for help, even knowing the consequences of that decision. She feels she must do everything, and not show any favoritism, otherwise the fragile truce between the different groups in Seahaven will be undone. Only through the perseverance of her friends (old and new) does she finally acknowledge the facts and accept their assistance.
The other characters are just as robust and thought out. Jessie, Winter’s apprentice, is feisty and full of spunk, though that means she often leaps before she thinks. Etienne, the faerie knight, has his own baggage and problems spanning back for hundreds of years, though he is a loyal friend and single-minded in completion of his goals. Erik, one of the city’s vampire kings, is overly protective of Winter, even as she struggles to keep her distance so as to not appear to play favorites. Lana, a succubus, has her own agenda and is quick to take action in service to her new friends. (I enjoyed the interplay between Lana and Etienne.) Each character has depth, making them fun to read as you are caught up in their struggles.
My one quibble with the story – and it’s a minor one – was the timing and pacing of the climactic ending. I loved the ending, and how it came about, as well as the conclusions and consequences that were revealed. My concern was over the pacing between the events leading up to the final battle in one chapter, then “wham” we are in the middle of the fight. I had to go back and make sure I hadn’t misplaced my bookmark and skipped a chapter. But that is a minor concern, and doesn’t detract from the overall world that A.E. Lowan has created.
Real characters with all too human flaws (even among the faerie), and a well-planned, rich, and thought out world make Faerie Rising an excellent book. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book.