The Falconer

It’s just another blasted secret of his. I’m considering keeping a tally of all the questions Kiaran evades, so that when each answer is finally revealed at some incredibly inopportune moment, I can look at the count and remember how much he hides from me.

Catherine grasps the sleeve of Kiaran’s frock coat, twisting the fabric to pull him to her, her eyes dazed. The faestruck will rip and tear clothing for another touch of a faery’s skin. She hasn’t reached that point, not yet, but any further contact with him and she might.

‘Is that right? The fellow teaches you to slaughter his own kind and you don’t believe that’s a wee bit worthy of suspicion?’

‘But your friend offered it,’ Derrick complains. ‘So she might not have explicitly said, “Derrick, please eat all of the honey in my kitchen,” but it was implied by the mere fact that she has a kitchen.’

He turns to look at me, and our faces are a mere breath away. Everything around me fades and blurs and my gaze drops to his lips.
Gavin’s voice sounds so very far away. ‘Get back, faery. Now.’
Bloody hell. I recoil from Kiaran, suddenly aware of what I almost did. My cheeks flush and my heart speeds up in embarrassment. I swear, I was tempted to kiss Kiaran, and in front of Derrick and Gavin, no less. What is wrong with me?

7 out of 10

7 out of 10

"Time won't fix me."

“When Dante described the circles of Hell, he clearly forgot the one where a hungry pixie sits on one's shoulder for eternity.”

‘Daaaaaancing,’ Derrick cries. ‘I love daaaancing! Tell him to toss you over his head!’

"'Derrick giggles. ‘Whirling! I love to whirl. Ask him to whirl faster! I see lights. Do you see the lights? Aileana? Do you see the lights’"

— The Falconer (Охотницы) #1/3
— The Vanishing Throne (Исчезающий трон) #2/3
— The Fallen Kingdom (Павшее королевство) #3/3

My crusade "give a book second chance" continues, and after Red Queen I am back to faeries. The first time I read The Falconer I couldn't move past 15% of the story, because steam-punk part kept driving me nuts. I think it's clinical. Me and this genre exist in different universes and we can't find a way to tolerate each other. This time, I decided to clench my teeth and fight through my dislike. I read negative and positive reviews on this book and after finally reading the named book, I can sa

My crusade "give a book second chance" continues, and after Red Queen I am back to faeries. The first time I read The Falconer I couldn't move past 15% of the story, because steam-punk part kept driving me nuts. I think it's clinical. Me and this genre exist in different universes and we can't find a way to tolerate each other. This time, I decided to clench my teeth and fight through my dislike. I read negative and positive reviews on this book and after finally reading the named book, I can say that the positive side wins, for me. I really am not in the mood to write a big review (reviewer's slump?), so if you want a more thorough opinion, I advice you to read my friend Katerina's review.

The Falconer is not an original story, moreover, I know that it resembles Darkfever a lot. I haven't read that popular series yet, but supposedly Elizabeth May did and is a fan of the series, then she decided to write some kind of a fan fiction. I must add that it was a good idea in this case, because The Falconer is a rich entertaining story. I don't know how I will feel after reading the original, but so far I am mostly satisfied with everything.

My only major problem was a relationship between our MCs: Aileana Kameron & Kiaran MacKay. I think their romance was rushed and appeared out of nowhere after the 60% of the book. First they just trained together and had strictly business relationship. Kiaran was cold and asshole-ish and he NEVER showed any interest in Aikeana except for her fighting skills. Aileana saw his unearthly beauty and found him alluring, but she understood it all had to do with his Fae powers. No romantic thoughts there. But then the switch clicked and Aileana started to swoon over Kiaran, thinking how she could save him and all. And Kiaran out of thin air became goody two shoes. Seriously, guys, THAT was strange. I didn't have time to comprehend their romance or to be invested in it. Maybe it's just me and my perception.

One of the best things about this book is, strangely, not the MCs but the secondary ones. We have a very funny pixie called Derrik. He likes to talk a lot and is easily drunk on honey, so you better hide it if you have any:

At that precise moment, Derrick barrels through the ballroom doors, bright as ever. He hovers above my shoulder and lands gracefully on my bare skin.
His wings graze my neck and he hiccups once. ‘Glorious lady.’ He stretches across my collarbone. ‘I have consumed –’ hiccup ‘– wondrous, splendid, beautiful honey. And it was –’ hiccup ‘– magnificent.’

This book has a really likable male characters whether they fae or human. One particular scene made me laugh for a few minutes non-stop:

‘For once, I agree with the Seer,’ Derrick says. ‘Keep your distance, or I will bite you.’
Kiaran picks up my drawing. ‘Try it and I’ll pluck your wings off and feed them to you.’
Derrick hisses. Gavin just looks interested, as if wondering whether such a thing might be possible.

Anyway, in the case of this book, I don't really have an opinion to read or not to read. You can give this book a try and see how it goes. At least, some moments for sure will brighten your day.