This was one of the most unique fantasies I’ve read in a long time. While there were recognizable elements (the secret magical world that exists between worlds, the secret magical college), there was a lot that was different, too–for one, it was also historical fiction, set in WWI-era Britain, which automatically made it feel somehow more “significant.” Second, it was very slow-paced and character-forward, with beautiful prose, and the narrator of the audible version seemed like she probably had been classically trained for the theater, as her voice was lilting and melodic. It was so slow that I almost stopped listening at one point during the first half, which was really just a setup for the second half… but I’m really glad I didn’t.
The story follows Clover Hill, a girl from a non-magical family whose brother comes back from the war with a faerie curse. The faeries showed up at the battlefield and wiped out most of the soldiers they encountered, except for four. Those four played host to a faerie who little by little began to take them over, but exerted the most power at the solstices, at which time they had to be tied up. Clover is very close to her brother Matthew, and she finds out about Camden school of magic and decides to go (at least ostensibly) to learn how to break the curse.
But when she arrives, she encounters Alden Lennox Fontaine (what a great name for “old magic!”), who is like the pinnacle of the “in” crowd. This ends up playing a pivotal role in what comes next–Clover is dazzled by him, and by their two other best friends, Hero and Eddie. The four of them become inseparable. Then Alden convinces Clover to help him learn more about opening faerie doors in secret (it’s now illegal) and she does it, mostly because of the stars in her eyes. They do so, and in the process, Clover learns how to break Matthew’s curse–but the fallout destroys their relationships with one another.
Fast forward eight years to the second half of the story. None of them have spoken to one another. Hero marries and leaves Camden without graduating. Alden becomes the head of magical enforcement. Clover becomes a scholar. Eddie virtually disappears. But eventually Clover realizes that the faerie they thought they had shoved back into her own world actually did get through… and has been inhabiting Hero’s body for the previous eight years. It’s up to her and Eddie (and eventually Alden too) to right the wrong from so many years ago.
There were a lot of surprises along the way. Very well done.
My rating: ****1/2
Language: I think a bit but not much
Sexual content: present but in a fade-to-black kind of way (so subtle that I actually missed that it happened until later)
Violence: fantasy only
Political content: mild but present
Leave a Reply