Elements: magic, faeries
Rating:
- Characters - 3 -The characters are overly archetypal, though there's a seed there of something that could be interesting, if more had been put into them.
- Setting - 4 - It's an interesting idea, though we don't get near enough details of either world for them to feel fully realized.
- Plot - 4 - The story is interesting enough, though Blue doesn't take it quite deep enough. I would have liked more details of Joseph's life before, and of Braeden's time watching him grow. I also would have loved to see more in the way of training before and between attacks.
- Genre Elements - 5 - The idea for this world is fabulous, and I would have loved a much longer look at both sides of this world and how they live alongside each other.
- Voice - 4 - The character voices are unique, but not particularly special.
- Romance Elements - 3 - Too fast. Especially for a character who has been watching Joseph since he was an infant. It would take time, regardless of everything else.
- Overall - 3.5 - Interesting story, but needed a lot of work to be a great story.
Joseph grew up in the South, but there always something a little odd about him. He finds out what the day he comes into his magic. The day he meets Braeden.
My thoughts -
The story here isn't bad, it just isn't great. The idea of a half-fae growing up in the modern human world seems fascinating to me, but it was almost completely ignored once Joseph met Braeden. I wanted to feel the conflict in him between his old world and new. I wanted him to hurt more for having to leave his friends and mother behind. I wanted to enjoy it more than I was able because it just never felt like enough. And worse, the faery world felt almost more a tool to propel the story than an actual world that exists next to ours. That, too, needed a lot of detail.
The romance borders on uncomfortable with how quickly they come together. Just a few extra sentences here would have helped. Something about the sexual nature of fae, or of how they saw a dividing line between children and adults, or...something. And Joseph, just getting used to the idea of magic, seemed to accept it all far too easily. Accepting comfort from Braeden, sure, but magic and love all in one blow? Too much too fast. I wanted more time getting used to the idea of each separately.
The ending felt wrong, too. I'm not sure how to explain why, but it just ended too quickly, and everything was just too pat in the end. I really did want to enjoy this story more than I did. It needed a lot of work to make it more enjoyable to me.
Warnings -
Mostly implications of violence and rape. Nothing that will make post readers uncomfortable for more than a moment or two.
Overall Recommendation -
If you can find it on sale, it's not horrible, but it's not worth the average price for an e-book.
Link to the story - Fireflies (on Goodreads)
Author Link - Ally Blue (on Goodreads)
If you liked this story, try -
- Blood and Ash by Kate Aaron (Goodreads)
- The Fall of the Dragon King by MomsDarkSecret (Fiction Press) (read my review here)
- The Dream of a Thousand Nights by Shira Anthony (Goodreads) (read my review here)
- The Mist Behind and the Light Before by Cathalin (AO3)
- The Quartz Key by Lianne Burwell (Online link)
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