Review: Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan

Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan
Publication: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books (April 2, 2003), Hardcover, 370 pages / ISBN 1582348103
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating:
Find @ Amazon or IndieBound
Challenges: Countdown 2010 (2003 #1)
Read: September 2009
First sentence: Henry got up early on the day that changed his life.

In one sentence: As realistic a story with faeries and demons and magic can be while still be kid-friendly and yet also exciting.

I’m pretty wary of stories with faeries in them, since they can go in either two directions: really good or really, really bad. Really cheesy (and/or so dark and violent they border on vampires) or fantastically magical, and of course I prefer my faeries magical but realistic with a hint of danger about them. Like Artemis Fowl, or…Doc Sidhe, maybe! And thankfully Faeries Wars is on the really good side of things– not cheesy at all (but it is quite gore-y).

Summary from Amazon:

When Henry Atherton helps Mr. Fogarty clean up around his house, he expects to find a mess and a cranky old man; what he doesn’t expect to find is Pyrgus Malvae, crown prince of the Faerie realm, who has escaped the treacherous Faeries of the Night by traveling to the human world through a portal powered by trapped lightning. An egomaniacal demon prince, greedy glue factory owners Brimstone and Chalkhill, and the nefarious Lord Hairstreak, leader of the Faeries of the Night, all dream of ruling the Faerie realm and are out to kill Pyrgus. Enlisting the help of his sister, Holly Blue, and his new friend, Henry, Pyrgus must get back to the Faerie world alive before one of his many enemies gets to him instead. But how many portals are open, and can Pyrgus find the right one before it falls into the wrong hands? Conjuring scenes filled with vivid color, unforgettable detail, and fearless characters, author Herbie Brennan brings readers to the Faerie world, where nothing is ever what it seems and no one can be trusted.

Probably the best thing about Faerie Wars is how it deals with the faerie myth and changes it around. Faeries, in this book, aren’t tiny things with wings granting wishes and/or tricking people out of their money. Instead, they pretty much look just like humans and live in a pretty much human-like world– with a few little differences. Like, oh, magic. And demons. And less technology. It’s a pretty interesting switch, and one that I appreciated.

There’s something almost raw about Faerie Wars, something that made me ache uncomfortably when I was reading it. I think it must be the mix of real-world with fantasy-world: even when fantastic things are happening in the faerie world, Henry still has to deal with his parents’ divorce and his sister’s spitefulness, and it makes everything seem on edge even when nothing’s really happening.

The characters seem like real children trying to be adults (although Pyrgus pulls it off better than the others), and the story is exciting and magical while still being surprisingly realistic. The writing doesn’t seem like much, but I think it’s actually sneakily fabulous. Overall, it’s a very good start to a series and I can’t wait to continue onwards.

Get your own copy from Amazon or your favorite indie bookstore!

Other reviews: Have you reviewed this book? Let me know and I’ll post the link here!