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The Faerie of Central Park
The last of her kind in New York City, Tillianita tends the land and beasts as best she can, reluctantly obeying her departed father's warning to avoid humans at all costs. A freak accident casts her out of the relative safety of Central Park. Lost and alone with a broken wing, she wonders if she'll ever see her home again. On his own for the first time in his life, college freshman Dave Thompson isn't sure he'll ever fit in. When he stumbles upon an extremely realistic fairy doll, he thinks perhaps it might make a good present for a future date until he discovers that it's not a doll at all. His find turns not only his life upside down but also challenges his narrow view of the world.
327 pages, Paperback
Published April 11, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 22, 2016
Dave is a first year student at Columbia University in New York city, unsure and adrift – until the day an injured faerie lands on the windshield of his car. Thinking it is a high-quality doll he can use to impress a girl, he takes it home – only to find that it is an honest-to-goodness live faerie.
Tilly, the faerie, is the genius loci of Central Park, keeping its natural rhythms in place, taking care of the Land. She desperately needs to return – but Men are the age-old enemies of the Fey, so how can she trust Dave?
The Faerie of Central Park is a gentle, amusing story, a romance in the old meaning of the term. The story begins light-heartedly, describing Tilly's actions in Central Park and Dave's at university. Even after they meet, the story continues in a fairly predictable 'human meets non-human and get to know each other' vein, but well written and enjoyable.
The story bogged down for me in the middle, with too much description and repetition of situations that did not differ enough from each other to warrant inclusion. But it picked up again in the last third of the book as the story approached its climax and then came to an almost-satisfying conclusion.
I can't fault the writing: author Bruce Graw constructs sentences and paragraphs with skill. The characters are as developed as one would expect in a light urban fantasy, with the characters of Tilly and Dave the most developed, as is appropriate. The e-book was extremely well edited, without the common errors that spell-check misses. Only the actual story-telling wobbled, in the too-long and too-repetitious middle section, and an ending that left me with one fairly large niggle, which I won't describe so as to avoid spoilers.
Overall, three-and-a-half stars for a enjoyable urban fantasy, suitable for both young adults and older.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Tilly, the faerie, is the genius loci of Central Park, keeping its natural rhythms in place, taking care of the Land. She desperately needs to return – but Men are the age-old enemies of the Fey, so how can she trust Dave?
The Faerie of Central Park is a gentle, amusing story, a romance in the old meaning of the term. The story begins light-heartedly, describing Tilly's actions in Central Park and Dave's at university. Even after they meet, the story continues in a fairly predictable 'human meets non-human and get to know each other' vein, but well written and enjoyable.
The story bogged down for me in the middle, with too much description and repetition of situations that did not differ enough from each other to warrant inclusion. But it picked up again in the last third of the book as the story approached its climax and then came to an almost-satisfying conclusion.
I can't fault the writing: author Bruce Graw constructs sentences and paragraphs with skill. The characters are as developed as one would expect in a light urban fantasy, with the characters of Tilly and Dave the most developed, as is appropriate. The e-book was extremely well edited, without the common errors that spell-check misses. Only the actual story-telling wobbled, in the too-long and too-repetitious middle section, and an ending that left me with one fairly large niggle, which I won't describe so as to avoid spoilers.
Overall, three-and-a-half stars for a enjoyable urban fantasy, suitable for both young adults and older.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 20, 2021
This book makes me realize how horrible humans are again. There were some good parts and i enjoyed the story. About halfway through i figured out the ending but the book had me doubting this until the last chapter where it confirmed it.
May 22, 2026
I loved this book very much. I was shocked at the end. I just finished this book today and it me almost a year to finish
August 4, 2017
The Faerie of Central Park is a light urban fantasy, a gentle romance and a clash of assumptions. It opens with the one remaining genius loci of Central Park, Tilly, caring for the nature in the park, which she calls the Land. She is intrigued by humans, but is simultaneously afraid of them, and their “magic” is impossible for her to understand.
Then we meet Dave, a first year computer science student at Columbia University who really does not know what to do with his life. Tilly makes the mistake of hitching a ride on a kite to get a better view and the kite string breaks, hurling her so far from the Land that she wonders if she will ever make it back. She falls insensible, with a broken wing, onto the windshield of Dave’s car. He thinks she’s a high-quality doll he can use to impress a girl, he takes her home – only to find out that she’s alive.
What would you do with a live fairy in your dorm room?
Dave’s a nice guy, and once Tilly gets over her fear of him they end up roommates of a sort while she heals. The clash of cultures is funny. For example, the scene where they are sharing tacos at his table is hilarious, and her assumptions about human “magic” are wry and well-done. The moment when they can finally understand each other’s speech is amazing.
But Dave’s online search for ways to help his new guest attract a paranormal bounty hunter. And his best friend simultaneously sees dollar signs dancing in his eyes if he turns the fairy in, while he is worried about Dave coming under some sort of spell.
I got a little bored and skimmed when the fairy started telling the stories of her race’s shared oral history, but they were all necessary for the plot to move forward.
The book was extremely well edited. Even though the back cover of the paperback had a comic sans font, I think I can forgive that as I really enjoyed the story. If you’re looking for a paranormal romance that does not belong in the porn rack, this is for you.
Then we meet Dave, a first year computer science student at Columbia University who really does not know what to do with his life. Tilly makes the mistake of hitching a ride on a kite to get a better view and the kite string breaks, hurling her so far from the Land that she wonders if she will ever make it back. She falls insensible, with a broken wing, onto the windshield of Dave’s car. He thinks she’s a high-quality doll he can use to impress a girl, he takes her home – only to find out that she’s alive.
What would you do with a live fairy in your dorm room?
Dave’s a nice guy, and once Tilly gets over her fear of him they end up roommates of a sort while she heals. The clash of cultures is funny. For example, the scene where they are sharing tacos at his table is hilarious, and her assumptions about human “magic” are wry and well-done. The moment when they can finally understand each other’s speech is amazing.
But Dave’s online search for ways to help his new guest attract a paranormal bounty hunter. And his best friend simultaneously sees dollar signs dancing in his eyes if he turns the fairy in, while he is worried about Dave coming under some sort of spell.
I got a little bored and skimmed when the fairy started telling the stories of her race’s shared oral history, but they were all necessary for the plot to move forward.
The book was extremely well edited. Even though the back cover of the paperback had a comic sans font, I think I can forgive that as I really enjoyed the story. If you’re looking for a paranormal romance that does not belong in the porn rack, this is for you.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews