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Faery Rebels #1
Knife
Once upon a time, a fairy is born. She lives in an old oak tree at the bottom of a garden with the rest of the fairy folk. Never has she known a time when life hasn’t been hard, with many dangers and much adversity. But when she becomes the Hunter of the group and learns to do battle in the outside world, her adventures really take off...
Don’t read this book if you’re expecting fairy dust – the last thing Knife is likely to wield is a magic wand...
Don’t read this book if you’re expecting fairy dust – the last thing Knife is likely to wield is a magic wand...
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
R.J. Anderson
16 books1,466 followersR.J. (Rebecca) Anderson was born in Uganda, raised in Ontario, and has spent much of her life dreaming of other worlds entirely. She is the author of ten traditionally published fantasy/SF books for children and teens, including the UK-bestselling faery romance KNIFE. Her latest published book is TORCH (Book 3 of the Flight and Flame trilogy, which began with SWIFT and NOMAD).
* * * REVIEW POLICY * * *
I review books that I enjoyed reading and think other readers may enjoy as well, but that doesn't mean I agree with or endorse those books in every respect. If you're concerned about content, please check out other reviewers or sites that provide detailed warnings.
I'm no longer giving star ratings as I don't find them nuanced enough, but for books I've already rated, see below:
5 stars: I loved this book so much that I expect to read it again and again -- I reserve this rating for beloved classics and books that knocked my socks off.
4 stars: I really enjoyed the book and/or thought it was excellently done -- there is a good possibility that I'll re-read it.
3 stars: I enjoyed the book and thought it was well done. Should not be taken as belittling the book or its author -- it really does mean "I liked it".
2 stars: I didn't connect to this book as I'd hoped. This category includes books by authors whose other works I truly love, so it's not a dealbreaker. Just found this particular book wasn't for me.
1 star/DNF: Definitely not for me. But I won't be reviewing it because I choose to focus on books I enjoy.
* * * REVIEW POLICY * * *
I review books that I enjoyed reading and think other readers may enjoy as well, but that doesn't mean I agree with or endorse those books in every respect. If you're concerned about content, please check out other reviewers or sites that provide detailed warnings.
I'm no longer giving star ratings as I don't find them nuanced enough, but for books I've already rated, see below:
5 stars: I loved this book so much that I expect to read it again and again -- I reserve this rating for beloved classics and books that knocked my socks off.
4 stars: I really enjoyed the book and/or thought it was excellently done -- there is a good possibility that I'll re-read it.
3 stars: I enjoyed the book and thought it was well done. Should not be taken as belittling the book or its author -- it really does mean "I liked it".
2 stars: I didn't connect to this book as I'd hoped. This category includes books by authors whose other works I truly love, so it's not a dealbreaker. Just found this particular book wasn't for me.
1 star/DNF: Definitely not for me. But I won't be reviewing it because I choose to focus on books I enjoy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 582 reviews
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May 17, 2023I am shockingly biased in favour of this book.
May 17, 2009
Another fantastic debut novel! This book was just full of awesomeness. I absolutely loved reading it! The plot was something totally different, which was beyond refreshing! No faery courts, good vs. evil, life sized fae in the book. This is the type of faeries that I had always imagined hiding amongst flowers.
The characters were extraordinary. Knife was so fascinating. Such a complex character. She really made this novel. And the secondary characters were just as outstanding. They were almost as complex as Knife herself, constantly my views of them changing.
And the writing. This was one of those books that I didn’t realize I was actually reading. Anderson created this world and I was just completely captivated by it. Excellent imagery and Knife’s voice, it couldn’t have been more authentic. Well, as authentic as you can be for a faery!
I will definitely be buying a copy of this one for my personal library. If you’re looking for a great book to read this summer. Pick this one up!
The characters were extraordinary. Knife was so fascinating. Such a complex character. She really made this novel. And the secondary characters were just as outstanding. They were almost as complex as Knife herself, constantly my views of them changing.
And the writing. This was one of those books that I didn’t realize I was actually reading. Anderson created this world and I was just completely captivated by it. Excellent imagery and Knife’s voice, it couldn’t have been more authentic. Well, as authentic as you can be for a faery!
I will definitely be buying a copy of this one for my personal library. If you’re looking for a great book to read this summer. Pick this one up!
Read
May 17, 2015Re-read for galleys of the new US paperback and e-book edition, coming July 21st from Enclave Publishing. Happily, I still love this story and enjoyed reading it -- sure, there are a few changes I might make to the prose on a line level, but not in any way that would substantially alter the book. Which, eight years and eight more books later, is a pretty nice feeling to have.
* * *
Original review:
I wrote this book, so naturally I love it. :)
* * *
Original review:
I wrote this book, so naturally I love it. :)
Read
April 21, 2021I LOVE THIS BOOK SO VERY MUCH
October 23, 2021
i have neither the words nor the coherency to express just how much of a darling this book is
exactly my kind of magic
100% satisfying english breakfast tea for the hard-to-settle soul
exactly my kind of magic
100% satisfying english breakfast tea for the hard-to-settle soul
October 11, 2012
Knife was cute. Really cute.
The story starts with Bryony, a fairy of the Oakenwyld. They live in a big old oak tree and are forbidden to go outside, because humans are dangerous, especially now that they’ve all lost their magic. That’s right: all fairies were robbed from their magic and lost their creativity. When Bryony, now Knife, is appointed as the Queen’s Hunter, she meets a human being. Paul. Thus begins a truly beautiful friendship that will change the Oakenwyld forever.
Let me just start by saying this – Bryony is a badass fairy. In a world where everyone tells you the Outside could kill you, she wants nothing more than to go Outside. She steals a knife (an envelope opener) from the human house and kills a crow, which is really difficult. Immediately she is appointed as the Queen’s Hunter and gives herself a new name – Knife. When Knife meets one of the humans from the house, she’s scared, but more than that, she’s fascinated. Knife and Paul come from different worlds and have different habits, but they can talk for hours. Fairies don’t make friends, but Knife finds a friend in Paul. Too bad it’s forbidden.
I loved it. I loved the whole storyline, the history of the fairies and how they came to be these magicless, uncreative beings, and the big secret Knife finds out – what they need to become creative again, what they need to heal the sick fairies dying from the Silence, and will they ever get their magic back? The secret will shock the entire Oakenwyld to its core. Everything will change. But the biggest change happens in Knife herself.
A lovely tale ridden with fantasy and friendship.
The story starts with Bryony, a fairy of the Oakenwyld. They live in a big old oak tree and are forbidden to go outside, because humans are dangerous, especially now that they’ve all lost their magic. That’s right: all fairies were robbed from their magic and lost their creativity. When Bryony, now Knife, is appointed as the Queen’s Hunter, she meets a human being. Paul. Thus begins a truly beautiful friendship that will change the Oakenwyld forever.
Let me just start by saying this – Bryony is a badass fairy. In a world where everyone tells you the Outside could kill you, she wants nothing more than to go Outside. She steals a knife (an envelope opener) from the human house and kills a crow, which is really difficult. Immediately she is appointed as the Queen’s Hunter and gives herself a new name – Knife. When Knife meets one of the humans from the house, she’s scared, but more than that, she’s fascinated. Knife and Paul come from different worlds and have different habits, but they can talk for hours. Fairies don’t make friends, but Knife finds a friend in Paul. Too bad it’s forbidden.
I loved it. I loved the whole storyline, the history of the fairies and how they came to be these magicless, uncreative beings, and the big secret Knife finds out – what they need to become creative again, what they need to heal the sick fairies dying from the Silence, and will they ever get their magic back? The secret will shock the entire Oakenwyld to its core. Everything will change. But the biggest change happens in Knife herself.
A lovely tale ridden with fantasy and friendship.
May 3, 2020
I found the fifth book in the series, which is more like the second book to a companion duology so I was only going to read the 'fourth' book but was like 'why not go back to the beginning?' and thank goodness I did, because I'd forgotten just how perfect this series is.
First off. Look at the covers. They're everything. EVERYTHING. No cover will ever be so wonderfully magical and dark ever.
I've always loved fairies and Knife is like a dark version of Tinker Bell and Pixie Hollow, with the usual fairies can't touch iron, have true names and can't lie stuff thrown in their too. They're probably my favourite faery stories because they also incorporate the faeries as muses which I feel more modern recent fae books I've read miss out.
The whole thing is just paced really well. You've got the beginning which is a coming of age story, then the middle is a love story and the end is a quest adventure. Seriously, it has everything. READ IT.
First off. Look at the covers. They're everything. EVERYTHING. No cover will ever be so wonderfully magical and dark ever.
I've always loved fairies and Knife is like a dark version of Tinker Bell and Pixie Hollow, with the usual fairies can't touch iron, have true names and can't lie stuff thrown in their too. They're probably my favourite faery stories because they also incorporate the faeries as muses which I feel more modern recent fae books I've read miss out.
The whole thing is just paced really well. You've got the beginning which is a coming of age story, then the middle is a love story and the end is a quest adventure. Seriously, it has everything. READ IT.
Read
January 4, 2019Bryony is a young faery, impatient with being cooped in the old oak where her sadly diminished and isolated community lives. When she's apprenticed to the community's Hunter, she uses that as an excuse to spy on the humans who live nearby, in spite of many warnings and even threats from her cautious faery elders.
How she meets the human boy Paul, their relationship, and why the community is the way it is makes up an absorbing, quick-paced tale full of laughter and real emotional depth. I would have read this book to pieces as a teen. I look forward to the next.
How she meets the human boy Paul, their relationship, and why the community is the way it is makes up an absorbing, quick-paced tale full of laughter and real emotional depth. I would have read this book to pieces as a teen. I look forward to the next.
September 9, 2009
I will always think of this book as titled "Knife" as (full disclosure) I knew it in some of its earlier stages. However my friendship with and love of this book's author does not at all account for the voraciousness with which I consumed it. I had it in my possession for many months and due to a crazy schedule only opened it last night: a bias in favor of the author's success does not at all account for staying up much too late with it, trying to read it while I was driving (!), using one hand to prop it open and turn pages while working on the computer, and sitting in my car, outside my gym for an hour and a half, in order to finish it.
It is a wonderful, immensely readable, creative, and loving book - written with great respect for the ideas of love and mothership and humanity, featuring a smart, fun, tough pair of lead characters that are as admirable as they are faulted.
The part I loved best, however, was the subtle treatment of the effect a relationship with a faery must have had on Paul, who struggles with despair fairly early in the book. It brings particular lightness to the heart to see someone so challenged find solace and wonderment in his life again through his interactions with the faery world. It doesn't overburden the book; the book is not a morality play on overcoming a disability. It treats this young man as simply human, albeit a human with a problem, like all humans have.
This is an excellent book full of strong characters, intriguing plot, and imaginative touches that put me in mind of (yes) Harry Potter. I rarely write reviews here but I had to recommend this for all.
It is a wonderful, immensely readable, creative, and loving book - written with great respect for the ideas of love and mothership and humanity, featuring a smart, fun, tough pair of lead characters that are as admirable as they are faulted.
The part I loved best, however, was the subtle treatment of the effect a relationship with a faery must have had on Paul, who struggles with despair fairly early in the book. It brings particular lightness to the heart to see someone so challenged find solace and wonderment in his life again through his interactions with the faery world. It doesn't overburden the book; the book is not a morality play on overcoming a disability. It treats this young man as simply human, albeit a human with a problem, like all humans have.
This is an excellent book full of strong characters, intriguing plot, and imaginative touches that put me in mind of (yes) Harry Potter. I rarely write reviews here but I had to recommend this for all.
August 9, 2024
Look, this is basically a perfect book. Read it.
October 15, 2024
TW: attempted suicide
2024 re-read
Well it doesn't get the chirpy review it got more than ten years ago, but I'm in my forties and depressed, lol
This time, sure, I still liked it but wanted more.
___________________________
A very gripping and charming adventure.
The writing in this story is so captivating that even during this re-read it still managed to capture my attention. Not only that, but I've got the feeling that this second time around, the read was even better (not an easy feat).
Inside this book there's this captivating story of fairies and humans.
But these fairies, aren't your average Tinker Bell's. Something is wrong with them. Their magic has practically left them, and a strange sickness has started affecting a number of them.
Amongst them, there's a fairy named Knife. Now, Knife is as courageous as one can be. One day during an epic fight with one of the fairies mightiest enemies _ The Crow _she ends up severely injured...and...
Enter Paul:
Paul could be your typical human teenager with a chip on his shoulder..
He's angry and lost due to the accident that left him paralyzed, and he's having a hard time dealing with the situation.
You know? It really is true...
A good book can be read by anyone, no matter how old one is. This is "Knife's" case. Even with the paranormal element, some situations were dealt very realistically. And the budding romance between the main characters was done in a sweet way, never undermining the plot.
2024 re-read
Well it doesn't get the chirpy review it got more than ten years ago, but I'm in my forties and depressed, lol
This time, sure, I still liked it but wanted more.
___________________________
A very gripping and charming adventure.
The writing in this story is so captivating that even during this re-read it still managed to capture my attention. Not only that, but I've got the feeling that this second time around, the read was even better (not an easy feat).
Inside this book there's this captivating story of fairies and humans.
But these fairies, aren't your average Tinker Bell's. Something is wrong with them. Their magic has practically left them, and a strange sickness has started affecting a number of them.
Amongst them, there's a fairy named Knife. Now, Knife is as courageous as one can be. One day during an epic fight with one of the fairies mightiest enemies _ The Crow _she ends up severely injured...and...
Enter Paul:
Paul could be your typical human teenager with a chip on his shoulder..
He's angry and lost due to the accident that left him paralyzed, and he's having a hard time dealing with the situation.
You know? It really is true...
A good book can be read by anyone, no matter how old one is. This is "Knife's" case. Even with the paranormal element, some situations were dealt very realistically. And the budding romance between the main characters was done in a sweet way, never undermining the plot.
April 15, 2009
There aren't many faeries left in the Oak. Since the Sundering, the only faery with any magic is the Queen, Amaryllis, and the old skills have been lost. The Silence is killing off faeries, but no one knows what it is or what causes it.
When she was a young faery, Bryony was adventurous and yearned for the outdoors - a place she was never allowed to go. So she is shocked but excited to be apprenticed to Thorn, the Queen's Hunter, whose job it is to protect the Oak and hunt squirrels and other small animals for food.
She excels at her job and welcomes the dangers. Her handmade bone knives aren't good enough to defeat the crows that attack them, so she slips into the human's stone house to steal a silver craft knife. This is barely the beginning of Bryony's fascination with the humans.
With her apprenticeship finished and Thorn retired, Bryony takes a new name: Knife. She becomes increasingly obsessed in discovering what happened to the faeries' magic, why their creativity and artistry dried up, what causes the Silence, and why they are forever being warned away from humans.
Circumstances see a surprising friendship grow between Knife and the young human Paul, who lives in the stone house, and together they discover the truth - with enormous implications for their own friendship.
After a bit of a slow start, Spell Hunter eases you into a vivid world of faeries that borrows from folklore while adding new and interesting elements of its own creation. These faeries are selfish beings, who speak to each other only to issue chores or bargain. When they die they leave behind an egg from which hatches a new baby faery, which is given the name of its mother. As Paul points out, why then are faeries so female?
One of the things I liked about this story is that, while it has an English-like setting, it never actually says where it is set - it could be anywhere where oaks grow that has old manor houses dating from the 17th century. I liked it because it added to the fantastical, fairy tale, mystical quality - not bogged down by mundane, "real" details.
While Knife doesn't narrate herself, the story is told from her perspective alone, and a lot of her personality comes through in the way she perceives things around her. She makes a great protagonist, and her thought patterns and understandings are alien enough to be convincingly "faery". It's quite funny at times, the way she interprets human things.
By about halfway through, when the mystery really started to pick up, I became quite engrossed in this book and eager to see where it led. I wasn't disappointed, and while I get the moral of the ending, I admit I didn't like how it turned out.
This is a great book for younger readers, but a fun tale for older ones as well.
When she was a young faery, Bryony was adventurous and yearned for the outdoors - a place she was never allowed to go. So she is shocked but excited to be apprenticed to Thorn, the Queen's Hunter, whose job it is to protect the Oak and hunt squirrels and other small animals for food.
She excels at her job and welcomes the dangers. Her handmade bone knives aren't good enough to defeat the crows that attack them, so she slips into the human's stone house to steal a silver craft knife. This is barely the beginning of Bryony's fascination with the humans.
With her apprenticeship finished and Thorn retired, Bryony takes a new name: Knife. She becomes increasingly obsessed in discovering what happened to the faeries' magic, why their creativity and artistry dried up, what causes the Silence, and why they are forever being warned away from humans.
Circumstances see a surprising friendship grow between Knife and the young human Paul, who lives in the stone house, and together they discover the truth - with enormous implications for their own friendship.
After a bit of a slow start, Spell Hunter eases you into a vivid world of faeries that borrows from folklore while adding new and interesting elements of its own creation. These faeries are selfish beings, who speak to each other only to issue chores or bargain. When they die they leave behind an egg from which hatches a new baby faery, which is given the name of its mother. As Paul points out, why then are faeries so female?
One of the things I liked about this story is that, while it has an English-like setting, it never actually says where it is set - it could be anywhere where oaks grow that has old manor houses dating from the 17th century. I liked it because it added to the fantastical, fairy tale, mystical quality - not bogged down by mundane, "real" details.
While Knife doesn't narrate herself, the story is told from her perspective alone, and a lot of her personality comes through in the way she perceives things around her. She makes a great protagonist, and her thought patterns and understandings are alien enough to be convincingly "faery". It's quite funny at times, the way she interprets human things.
By about halfway through, when the mystery really started to pick up, I became quite engrossed in this book and eager to see where it led. I wasn't disappointed, and while I get the moral of the ending, I admit I didn't like how it turned out.
This is a great book for younger readers, but a fun tale for older ones as well.
October 22, 2020
I don't generally do stories with fairies in them, but this was a good one.
March 18, 2011
Orinally posted here.
Knife by R.J. Anderson was published as Spell Hunter in the US and is the first book in the Faery Rebels series. I got the UK edition because I think it looks much better than the US one and the UK covers for all the books in the series match. The picture below doesn't do the cover justice because it's a lot nicer in person - the blue stands out against the black and the print is shiny. I've heard a lot of good things about this book, especially from Sounisians because I believe R.J. Anderson is a member of that LJ community.
I know there are a lot of YA faery series out there - I've given several a try but I stopped with just the first book in most of them because I feel like they weren't for me. Knife was different because I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I'm glad that I already have a copy of Rebel. Ever since Bryony was a young faery, she's had this longing to go outside the Oak to discover what's out there. In this series, fairies are small creatures so they're scared of crows, foxes and even cats and dogs. Humans are viewed as monstrous creatures intent on harming them. However, Bryony doesn't understand why her people aren't brave enough to fight back. She gets the chance to prove herself when she's apprenticed to the Queen's Hunter - the person responsible for protecting the Gatherers who reluctantly leave the Oak to collect food. The Hunter also provides whatever meat, skins and fur that she can acquire. When Bryony takes over the position of Queen's Hunter, she chooses to change her name to Knife.
I really liked the faery world created by R.J. Anderson and I think it's my favorite so far out of all the faery series that I've read. It was interesting to note the similarities and differences in this world and other faery lore. I can't reveal much without mentioning spoilers but I really liked how the faeries' magic worked. Knife is such a feisty heroine. She's inquisitive even as a child and she questions the rules of the Oak. There's a mystery behind that and why her people lost most of their magic and Knife is determined to find out more about it. She's different from all the other fairies because she's not content with the status quo. She's willing to take risks even if it involves endangering herself. It was fun to see everything through Knife's eyes as she tentatively explores the world beyond the Oak and the humans that live in the House. I really liked how the friendship between Knife and Paul, a human teen, developed - initially, they were just curious about how different they are from each other but eventually, they connect and bond over common interests like their fascination with art. I highly recommend Knife to fans of faery stories and MG/YA fantasy readers. Like I said, I'm looking forward to reading Rebel and I have a feeling I'll be purchasing Arrow soon (I've seen it in local bookstores).
Knife by R.J. Anderson was published as Spell Hunter in the US and is the first book in the Faery Rebels series. I got the UK edition because I think it looks much better than the US one and the UK covers for all the books in the series match. The picture below doesn't do the cover justice because it's a lot nicer in person - the blue stands out against the black and the print is shiny. I've heard a lot of good things about this book, especially from Sounisians because I believe R.J. Anderson is a member of that LJ community.
I know there are a lot of YA faery series out there - I've given several a try but I stopped with just the first book in most of them because I feel like they weren't for me. Knife was different because I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I'm glad that I already have a copy of Rebel. Ever since Bryony was a young faery, she's had this longing to go outside the Oak to discover what's out there. In this series, fairies are small creatures so they're scared of crows, foxes and even cats and dogs. Humans are viewed as monstrous creatures intent on harming them. However, Bryony doesn't understand why her people aren't brave enough to fight back. She gets the chance to prove herself when she's apprenticed to the Queen's Hunter - the person responsible for protecting the Gatherers who reluctantly leave the Oak to collect food. The Hunter also provides whatever meat, skins and fur that she can acquire. When Bryony takes over the position of Queen's Hunter, she chooses to change her name to Knife.
I really liked the faery world created by R.J. Anderson and I think it's my favorite so far out of all the faery series that I've read. It was interesting to note the similarities and differences in this world and other faery lore. I can't reveal much without mentioning spoilers but I really liked how the faeries' magic worked. Knife is such a feisty heroine. She's inquisitive even as a child and she questions the rules of the Oak. There's a mystery behind that and why her people lost most of their magic and Knife is determined to find out more about it. She's different from all the other fairies because she's not content with the status quo. She's willing to take risks even if it involves endangering herself. It was fun to see everything through Knife's eyes as she tentatively explores the world beyond the Oak and the humans that live in the House. I really liked how the friendship between Knife and Paul, a human teen, developed - initially, they were just curious about how different they are from each other but eventually, they connect and bond over common interests like their fascination with art. I highly recommend Knife to fans of faery stories and MG/YA fantasy readers. Like I said, I'm looking forward to reading Rebel and I have a feeling I'll be purchasing Arrow soon (I've seen it in local bookstores).
November 11, 2023
I'm not sure there was anything I didn't love about this. I rarely feel a compulsion to keep reading any book -- even one I'm enjoying -- but this one I ate up obsessively. After reading Anderson's FLIGHT AND FLAME trilogy, I was worried I might not enjoy this earlier trilogy as much, but the characters are just as vibrant and the plot might actually be a tad more delicious, intriguing, and twisty. (And while there are similarities in the set up of the two trilogies and I was worried about it being a repeat, KNIFE turned out to be satisfyingly different.) I need to pace myself and not devour the next two books.
October 17, 2017
Aww, this book was like a blast to the past. I used to read fairy stories all the time, so it felt like I was eight years old again. Even though it's not my type of book anymore, it was still a cute and quick read. *happiness*
September 7, 2017
I finally tried this book, and yes, it is a delightful story, one that turns the concept of the fairy story somewhat on its head.
In Knife, the fairies are classic garden fairies -- little female sprites with dragonfly wings who live (this particular colony) inside a large oak tree in the back garden of a prosperous estate. Only these specific fairies are in trouble: a generation or two ago, they lost nearly all their magic and they’ve been declining in prosperity and devolving culturally ever since. They are now hanging on by their fingernails. Since they have lost their cultural memory, most of them also have no idea how much they have lost. Also, they’ve fallen well below replacement level reproductively: On her death, each fairy is supposed to leave behind an egg that hatches into a new fairy child, only some fairies don’t leave an egg, and if this strikes you as a thoroughly unstable situation that cannot maintain the population over the long term, you are so right. Also, the few remaining fairies of this colony are ruled by a tyrannical queen, who possesses the only significant store of remaining magic and who demands, and magically compels, total obedience to her commands.
As you can see, this is truly an awful situation, though one which the protagonist, a young fairy named Bryony, has grown up with and considers normal. Luckily for Bryony, by chance no one knows her true name, not even the queen, giving her more freedom to act than would otherwise be the case. Luckily for everyone, she hatched with more than the ordinary share of curiosity and courage…
What you should know about this story:
The first thing you should know about Knife is that practically nothing is quite what it seems, most especially not the things that seem most obvious. Any adult reader, on first encountering the fairy queen, is going to instantly say, “Wow, how convenient for the queen that she happened to have been absent from the colony when disaster struck and every other fairy lost her magic.” But it turns out that situation is significantly more complicated than that. There is in fact a definite tendency for the backstory to twitch sideways just when the reader thinks she’s figured out what’s going on. The same for the roles of many of the secondary characters – Bryony is surrounded by characters who surprise her, and also surprise the reader.
The second thing you should know about Knife is that the fairies are not human. They’re really not. I so enjoyed figuring out what Bryony’s people are like – and what they should be like – and how they ought to have this complicated relationship with humans, and why Bryony’s colony doesn’t, and how their isolation from humans has affected them. It’s hard even at the end to decide whether the ideal relationship is mutualistic or commensalistic or parasitic; the story definitely left me wanting to know more.
The third thing you should know about Knife is that it handles the issue of physical disability with grace and sympathy, without inserting heavy-handed lessons for the reader, and (possibly even more important) without offering special magic solutions. There is no Poof! Be healed moment. No. For a while I thought that kind of overly simple ending might be coming up, but it didn’t happen. In fact, the actual ending left me thoroughly interested in what might happen next.
The fourth thing you should know about Knife is that the writing is very good, in the “invisibly smooth” category of very good. Anderson’s writing doesn’t draw attention to itself, enabling the reader to fall right into the story. I would imagine that many younger readers would love this book – and it’s one I think older readers can enjoy as well. This was the first of Anderson’s books I’ve read, but it won’t be the last.
In Knife, the fairies are classic garden fairies -- little female sprites with dragonfly wings who live (this particular colony) inside a large oak tree in the back garden of a prosperous estate. Only these specific fairies are in trouble: a generation or two ago, they lost nearly all their magic and they’ve been declining in prosperity and devolving culturally ever since. They are now hanging on by their fingernails. Since they have lost their cultural memory, most of them also have no idea how much they have lost. Also, they’ve fallen well below replacement level reproductively: On her death, each fairy is supposed to leave behind an egg that hatches into a new fairy child, only some fairies don’t leave an egg, and if this strikes you as a thoroughly unstable situation that cannot maintain the population over the long term, you are so right. Also, the few remaining fairies of this colony are ruled by a tyrannical queen, who possesses the only significant store of remaining magic and who demands, and magically compels, total obedience to her commands.
As you can see, this is truly an awful situation, though one which the protagonist, a young fairy named Bryony, has grown up with and considers normal. Luckily for Bryony, by chance no one knows her true name, not even the queen, giving her more freedom to act than would otherwise be the case. Luckily for everyone, she hatched with more than the ordinary share of curiosity and courage…
What you should know about this story:
The first thing you should know about Knife is that practically nothing is quite what it seems, most especially not the things that seem most obvious. Any adult reader, on first encountering the fairy queen, is going to instantly say, “Wow, how convenient for the queen that she happened to have been absent from the colony when disaster struck and every other fairy lost her magic.” But it turns out that situation is significantly more complicated than that. There is in fact a definite tendency for the backstory to twitch sideways just when the reader thinks she’s figured out what’s going on. The same for the roles of many of the secondary characters – Bryony is surrounded by characters who surprise her, and also surprise the reader.
The second thing you should know about Knife is that the fairies are not human. They’re really not. I so enjoyed figuring out what Bryony’s people are like – and what they should be like – and how they ought to have this complicated relationship with humans, and why Bryony’s colony doesn’t, and how their isolation from humans has affected them. It’s hard even at the end to decide whether the ideal relationship is mutualistic or commensalistic or parasitic; the story definitely left me wanting to know more.
The third thing you should know about Knife is that it handles the issue of physical disability with grace and sympathy, without inserting heavy-handed lessons for the reader, and (possibly even more important) without offering special magic solutions. There is no Poof! Be healed moment. No. For a while I thought that kind of overly simple ending might be coming up, but it didn’t happen. In fact, the actual ending left me thoroughly interested in what might happen next.
The fourth thing you should know about Knife is that the writing is very good, in the “invisibly smooth” category of very good. Anderson’s writing doesn’t draw attention to itself, enabling the reader to fall right into the story. I would imagine that many younger readers would love this book – and it’s one I think older readers can enjoy as well. This was the first of Anderson’s books I’ve read, but it won’t be the last.
August 12, 2011
rating clarification 4.5
Be prepared, this book is awesome !!
I've only read three book during this past month and I am ashamed.. but glad I haven't sunken to my routine of not reading ANY books at all!!
Which is why it took so long for me to finish this book.
I am not sure if it was my lack of interest of reading this month has driven me to read this book agonizingly slow or that this book simply had a quite slow development.
But nonetheless, I cannot explain how glad I am to have continued reading this book throughout this painful time.
And ironically, it has pulled me out of my rut completely!!
I cannot stress how much fascinated I was with this book.
The whole "fairytale" didn't really intrigued me at first but like it's said on the back cover of the book, this is no ordinary fairytale.
Author's way of revealing secrets that was out of reach for me to even slightly comprehend was astonishing. Event after another, I couldn't help myself but gasp at what I've learned and feel warmth spread through my heart. Who would have thought that this could be a "love" story? And with the most satisfying ending I've read in months !!!
Knife is courageous, adventurous, self-sacrificing and a loving fairy I have ever read. Her home and people has been drained of magic after a terrible incident and fairies are dying of a desease called "Silent". And Knife, as a Queen's Hunter, is trying figure out how to save her people.
The story of how a fairy develops a relationship with a human and vice versa is very moving and quite understanding. I truly loved reading about them. I cannot wait to read the sequel.
CANNOT WAIT !!!
Be prepared, this book is awesome !!
I've only read three book during this past month and I am ashamed.. but glad I haven't sunken to my routine of not reading ANY books at all!!
Which is why it took so long for me to finish this book.
I am not sure if it was my lack of interest of reading this month has driven me to read this book agonizingly slow or that this book simply had a quite slow development.
But nonetheless, I cannot explain how glad I am to have continued reading this book throughout this painful time.
And ironically, it has pulled me out of my rut completely!!
I cannot stress how much fascinated I was with this book.
The whole "fairytale" didn't really intrigued me at first but like it's said on the back cover of the book, this is no ordinary fairytale.
Author's way of revealing secrets that was out of reach for me to even slightly comprehend was astonishing. Event after another, I couldn't help myself but gasp at what I've learned and feel warmth spread through my heart. Who would have thought that this could be a "love" story? And with the most satisfying ending I've read in months !!!
Knife is courageous, adventurous, self-sacrificing and a loving fairy I have ever read. Her home and people has been drained of magic after a terrible incident and fairies are dying of a desease called "Silent". And Knife, as a Queen's Hunter, is trying figure out how to save her people.
The story of how a fairy develops a relationship with a human and vice versa is very moving and quite understanding. I truly loved reading about them. I cannot wait to read the sequel.
CANNOT WAIT !!!
January 18, 2016
This is a cute faery story and a very quick read. While the characters mentioned the "Great Gardener" sometimes, there isn't too much Christianity or allegory involved. It does deal with a few weightier topics such as suicide. Towards the end of the book, some of the faery's culture was a little weird, but not too weird for me.
Overall, a good book and I'm eager to read the next one.
Overall, a good book and I'm eager to read the next one.
June 19, 2009
I don't generally review many middle grade novels, but I had read several lovely reviews of FAERY REBELS: SPELL HUNTER--a debut middle grade fantasy novel by R.J. Anderson--and then was lucky enough to receive a copy from the lovely Ms. Anderson herself. Interestingly enough, the same book has been published in the UK under the title KNIFE, with dramatically different cover art. The changes in title and artwork make it clear they're marketing it to a slightly older young adult audience over the pond, while the U.S. cover and series-friendly title are distinctly more middle grade. As a result, I wasn't sure what to expect going in--a state I honestly quite like being in when starting a new book by a new author.
Bryony is a faery who has spent her short life longing to leave the Oak tree that forms the boundary of her people's world. The only faeries allowed out in the wild at all are the Gatherers who are sent out to forage for food and the Queen's own hunter--a faery trained to hunt and protect the Oakenfolk and the fragile existence they have carved out for themselves. When she is summoned before the Queen, Bryony is stunned and elated to hear she is to be the new assistant to the Queen's hunter. Proving herself extraordinarly skilled, she changes her name to Knife and determines she will not only protect and provide for her people but discover why they are slowly dying out, unearth their mysterious and forbidden connection with humans, and discover why she is drawn to the stone House on the hill and to the unhappy boy named Paul who lives there.
What makes this story unique is the world R.J. Anderson has created. These faeries are unusual in several ways. They are tiny, much smaller than humans, and are therefore constantly in danger outside of the Oak. They are also surprisingly all female. New faeries are not born in the traditional sense, but hatched from eggs that appear when another faery dies. Lastly, they are, by and large, unemotional creatures focused on their own well-being and supremely uninterested in the welfare of those around them. As a result it is interesting following Knife tread beyond the boundaries of her world, learn how to deal with the emotions of humans, and come face to face with the many ways in which they can mess with and forever change your life. I enjoyed the mystery element to the story as well as the friendship that slowly develops between Knife and Paul through Paul's art. So much so that I wish they'd been able to spend a little more time together so that there would have been room for a little more in-depth exploration of their connection. He is a very unhappy, very sympathetic character and I immediately found myself pulling for him. The ending was very satisfying and even included some rather deft humor that had me grinning. All in all, a perfectly pleasant middle grade/younger YA novel and recommended for those who enjoy solid world building, strong friendships, and the fey. It looks like the sequel is due out May of next year. It follows Linden, a side character we meet in the first book, and will be titled REBEL in the UK and WAYFARER here in the U.S.
Bryony is a faery who has spent her short life longing to leave the Oak tree that forms the boundary of her people's world. The only faeries allowed out in the wild at all are the Gatherers who are sent out to forage for food and the Queen's own hunter--a faery trained to hunt and protect the Oakenfolk and the fragile existence they have carved out for themselves. When she is summoned before the Queen, Bryony is stunned and elated to hear she is to be the new assistant to the Queen's hunter. Proving herself extraordinarly skilled, she changes her name to Knife and determines she will not only protect and provide for her people but discover why they are slowly dying out, unearth their mysterious and forbidden connection with humans, and discover why she is drawn to the stone House on the hill and to the unhappy boy named Paul who lives there.
What makes this story unique is the world R.J. Anderson has created. These faeries are unusual in several ways. They are tiny, much smaller than humans, and are therefore constantly in danger outside of the Oak. They are also surprisingly all female. New faeries are not born in the traditional sense, but hatched from eggs that appear when another faery dies. Lastly, they are, by and large, unemotional creatures focused on their own well-being and supremely uninterested in the welfare of those around them. As a result it is interesting following Knife tread beyond the boundaries of her world, learn how to deal with the emotions of humans, and come face to face with the many ways in which they can mess with and forever change your life. I enjoyed the mystery element to the story as well as the friendship that slowly develops between Knife and Paul through Paul's art. So much so that I wish they'd been able to spend a little more time together so that there would have been room for a little more in-depth exploration of their connection. He is a very unhappy, very sympathetic character and I immediately found myself pulling for him. The ending was very satisfying and even included some rather deft humor that had me grinning. All in all, a perfectly pleasant middle grade/younger YA novel and recommended for those who enjoy solid world building, strong friendships, and the fey. It looks like the sequel is due out May of next year. It follows Linden, a side character we meet in the first book, and will be titled REBEL in the UK and WAYFARER here in the U.S.
January 16, 2010
This book was a charming delight! The Faery culture that Anderson has created was unlike anything that I had encountered and exploring it with Knife as she seeks the truth about the Sundering that stole her people’s magic and the plague that is now slowly but inexorably killing them was just the sort of adventure I wanted.
The Faery society is foreign. The niceties and emotions we take for granted are unknown to them. They lack creativity. They have no understanding of such concepts as love, friendship or even “Thank You.” Everything is a bargain to them – they do nothing out of kindness or altruism. Stagnant and moribund, the Faery people lose more and more of what knowledge and craft that they still retain with every faery that succumbs to the Silence and there are no new lives to replace those lost to the sickness.
But Byrony, a new faery, is filled with curiosity and a desire to understand how her fellow faeries have come to such dire straits, to see if things can be reversed. Bold and a bit reckless, inquisitive and intelligent, Byrony, not without her share of misadventures growing up, is chosen as the next Queen’s Hunter and so becomes Knife. She is the protector of her people and a fierce fighter. It is in this capacity that she meets Paul, a human. The meeting of faery and human, their unlikely connection to each other, and the dramatic and irrevocable changes that it creates in their lives is at the heart of the story.
The mystery surrounding the Faery folk and their history is revealed piece by piece and the reader must wait to learn the facts as Knife does. And we still do not have the full story, but since there are at least three more volumes in the series, that is not surprising. And I very eagerly anticipate reading those stories, with Wayfarer out in May, 2010. In the UK it is already available under the title REBEL.
Also, I had the opportunity to interview Rebecca: http://thebluecastle.wordpress.com/20...
The Faery society is foreign. The niceties and emotions we take for granted are unknown to them. They lack creativity. They have no understanding of such concepts as love, friendship or even “Thank You.” Everything is a bargain to them – they do nothing out of kindness or altruism. Stagnant and moribund, the Faery people lose more and more of what knowledge and craft that they still retain with every faery that succumbs to the Silence and there are no new lives to replace those lost to the sickness.
But Byrony, a new faery, is filled with curiosity and a desire to understand how her fellow faeries have come to such dire straits, to see if things can be reversed. Bold and a bit reckless, inquisitive and intelligent, Byrony, not without her share of misadventures growing up, is chosen as the next Queen’s Hunter and so becomes Knife. She is the protector of her people and a fierce fighter. It is in this capacity that she meets Paul, a human. The meeting of faery and human, their unlikely connection to each other, and the dramatic and irrevocable changes that it creates in their lives is at the heart of the story.
The mystery surrounding the Faery folk and their history is revealed piece by piece and the reader must wait to learn the facts as Knife does. And we still do not have the full story, but since there are at least three more volumes in the series, that is not surprising. And I very eagerly anticipate reading those stories, with Wayfarer out in May, 2010. In the UK it is already available under the title REBEL.
Also, I had the opportunity to interview Rebecca: http://thebluecastle.wordpress.com/20...
March 4, 2009
This was a fun faery story with faeries that are more like what I imagined traditional faeries to be like, but not quite. Yeah, I think the line in the book synopsis says "Forget everything you think you know about faeries" is an apt description.
This book builds from beginning to end. At the start, I thought it was a cute middle-grade story that I'd be interested to share with my girls when they got older. By the end I hooked and wanted to know for myself what was going to happen with Knife and some other characters (I don't want to spoil anything for you). I am really interested in the next book now to see how the "ending" of Book 1 rolls into the next part of the story!
This isn't a "faery" story as much as it is a story about learning to be yourself, learning to care for and about others, and learning to love. FAERY REBELS is a great mix of mystery, adventure, and romance!
This book builds from beginning to end. At the start, I thought it was a cute middle-grade story that I'd be interested to share with my girls when they got older. By the end I hooked and wanted to know for myself what was going to happen with Knife and some other characters (I don't want to spoil anything for you). I am really interested in the next book now to see how the "ending" of Book 1 rolls into the next part of the story!
This isn't a "faery" story as much as it is a story about learning to be yourself, learning to care for and about others, and learning to love. FAERY REBELS is a great mix of mystery, adventure, and romance!
January 8, 2017
(Reread.)
It was better than I remembered! A few random thoughts (because I don't feel like writing a full review):
-Some aspects reminded me of Disney's Pixie Hollow. :)
-The plot felt a tad thin in places, but maybe that's because I subconsciously remembered some things about it from reading it years ago.
-I liked Paul more than I did the first time.
-The book had interesting things to say about art, creativity, and the nature of inspiration and relationships.
-The twist was not exactly what I expected!
-This book was written by a Christian author, but had no overt Christian themes. The only (very minor) content concern would be a character waking up naked but covered in a blanket, in the company of others. (Don't worry, the circumstances were of an innocent, although magical, nature.)
It was better than I remembered! A few random thoughts (because I don't feel like writing a full review):
-Some aspects reminded me of Disney's Pixie Hollow. :)
-The plot felt a tad thin in places, but maybe that's because I subconsciously remembered some things about it from reading it years ago.
-I liked Paul more than I did the first time.
-The book had interesting things to say about art, creativity, and the nature of inspiration and relationships.
-The twist was not exactly what I expected!
-This book was written by a Christian author, but had no overt Christian themes. The only (very minor) content concern would be a character waking up naked but covered in a blanket, in the company of others. (Don't worry, the circumstances were of an innocent, although magical, nature.)
May 29, 2015
Knife is the only child in the Oak. Her people are slowly dying out, with little magic and too few numbers to sustain themselves. But Knife refuses to just survive, like her elders do. First she becomes the Queen's Hunter and then...she strikes up a friendship with a Human.
Paul is giving in to despair after an accident took the use of his legs, but his contact with a tiny fierce fairy gives him new hope and artistic drive.
The beginning and end of this book aren't that impressive or novel, but the middle section, when Knife is flying around stabbing crows and trying to figure out what caused the Sundering and the Silence, more than makes up for it.
Paul is giving in to despair after an accident took the use of his legs, but his contact with a tiny fierce fairy gives him new hope and artistic drive.
The beginning and end of this book aren't that impressive or novel, but the middle section, when Knife is flying around stabbing crows and trying to figure out what caused the Sundering and the Silence, more than makes up for it.
April 28, 2021
This absolutely delightful, pacy old-school young adult story is full of wonderfully complex characters, a twisty mystery, thrilling action, and delightful romantic chemistry. I LOVED IT. Could easily have read it in a single sitting, and will absolutely be reading the rest of the series!
February 2, 2014
R.J. Anderson’s Knife tells the story of a headstrong, wily young faerie named Knife and her adventures as she attempts to unravel why her faery people no longer have any magic.
Knife is a very difficult book to review. I liked some things about it and I disliked other things, and it kind of left me feeling ‘meh’. In fact, I borrowed this from the library to listen to the audiobook (and it had a FANTASTIC British narrator, Emma Parish, whom I loved and want to kidnap and force her to read all my books to me), but I had so little interest in completing the story at various points that I had to actually return and borrow it again just to finish it.
That’s not to say that Knife is bad – on the contrary, it’s quite good. It’s beautifully written, and the character of Knife has the most phenomenal character growth from carefree and adventurous young’un to battle-hardened, experience hunter. She’s a truly amazing character and I loved her whole itty bitty faery culture and all the other characters in the great Oak tree they called home as well.
But there were parts of the book where I was just so utterly bored I would actually prefer to stop listening and just sit there listening to nothing at all. I’m quite lucky in that the type of work I do is quite autonomous and gives me the opportunity to listen to audiobooks, and I often had to remind myself, ‘Hey, you’ve got a book on your phone you could be listening to rather than playing your Disney soundtracks for the hundredth time’ (you think I’m kidding? I’m not even).
I think part of the problem was that the blurb wasn’t very specific, so I never had any idea of what I could be anticipating. I had no idea what I was looking forward to and the plot, being unpredictable to a point, varied wildly and often left me floundering and wondering why I should care about the characters and their situations.
And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get into Knife’s ‘love interest’ Paul. I’m all for non-mainstream love interests but actually having them be a love interest would be nice, as opposed to a platonic friend then all of a sudden one clumsy kiss later they’re bonded by magic, and Knife has to choose whether she’ll risk becoming human forever and lose the magic bond because he might not love her after all, and all I was thinking was ‘Fuck me, I wouldn’t risk that.’ Because there was absolutely no building of romantic interest whatsoever from either of the characters. I would have much preferred if they had stayed friend platonically. And I don’t even mean that they had to be lust-driven and all over each other; but just some kind of a hint would have been nice, rather than placing a magic bond over them after a random makeout session. I was unconvinced by the whole thing. Also, Paul was quite an asshole and I don’t like asshole boys.
Anderson’s got some major storytelling skills, and I think it was a big case of ‘it’s not you, it’s me’. I felt that the pacing and the plot could have been worked on because although I did zone out on occasion (hazards of listening while earning a living) I felt that a majority of the plot was filler until it really hit its stride in the third act and everything started coming together.
I own Anderson’s Ultraviolet, which I’m still quite willing to give a go, because I think it was the nature of the story itself that made it difficult for me to finish, not Anderson’s writing.
Knife is a very difficult book to review. I liked some things about it and I disliked other things, and it kind of left me feeling ‘meh’. In fact, I borrowed this from the library to listen to the audiobook (and it had a FANTASTIC British narrator, Emma Parish, whom I loved and want to kidnap and force her to read all my books to me), but I had so little interest in completing the story at various points that I had to actually return and borrow it again just to finish it.
That’s not to say that Knife is bad – on the contrary, it’s quite good. It’s beautifully written, and the character of Knife has the most phenomenal character growth from carefree and adventurous young’un to battle-hardened, experience hunter. She’s a truly amazing character and I loved her whole itty bitty faery culture and all the other characters in the great Oak tree they called home as well.
But there were parts of the book where I was just so utterly bored I would actually prefer to stop listening and just sit there listening to nothing at all. I’m quite lucky in that the type of work I do is quite autonomous and gives me the opportunity to listen to audiobooks, and I often had to remind myself, ‘Hey, you’ve got a book on your phone you could be listening to rather than playing your Disney soundtracks for the hundredth time’ (you think I’m kidding? I’m not even).
I think part of the problem was that the blurb wasn’t very specific, so I never had any idea of what I could be anticipating. I had no idea what I was looking forward to and the plot, being unpredictable to a point, varied wildly and often left me floundering and wondering why I should care about the characters and their situations.
And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get into Knife’s ‘love interest’ Paul. I’m all for non-mainstream love interests but actually having them be a love interest would be nice, as opposed to a platonic friend then all of a sudden one clumsy kiss later they’re bonded by magic, and Knife has to choose whether she’ll risk becoming human forever and lose the magic bond because he might not love her after all, and all I was thinking was ‘Fuck me, I wouldn’t risk that.’ Because there was absolutely no building of romantic interest whatsoever from either of the characters. I would have much preferred if they had stayed friend platonically. And I don’t even mean that they had to be lust-driven and all over each other; but just some kind of a hint would have been nice, rather than placing a magic bond over them after a random makeout session. I was unconvinced by the whole thing. Also, Paul was quite an asshole and I don’t like asshole boys.
Anderson’s got some major storytelling skills, and I think it was a big case of ‘it’s not you, it’s me’. I felt that the pacing and the plot could have been worked on because although I did zone out on occasion (hazards of listening while earning a living) I felt that a majority of the plot was filler until it really hit its stride in the third act and everything started coming together.
I own Anderson’s Ultraviolet, which I’m still quite willing to give a go, because I think it was the nature of the story itself that made it difficult for me to finish, not Anderson’s writing.
April 23, 2009
I've wanted to write a super-duper review for this book, but I just can't find the words to describe how fabulous it is. I admit I'm biased-- I've known RJA for years, and fell in love with her writing with her fan fiction. I've been privileged to help with the editing process on this novel, but I hadn't read the most recent revision until this was published. And it was amazing. I've always been a fan of fairy tales, and this one is a classic-- and yet, it isn't. It's both familiar and unfamiliar, as RJA takes everything we think we know about fairies and tweaks it. Yes, they're diminuitive. Yes, they have wings. But these fairies are without magic and live in fear of, well, pretty much everything-- especially the humans who live close by. When Bryony forms a friendship with one of them-- a young man who has problems of his own-- she finds the first hope her people have had in years.
The thing I like most about this book is not just the adventure or the love story-- although both are excellent and engaging-- it's that, while telling a corking good story, RJA manages to make important commentaries on what it means to be human. And, of course, what it means to be fairy. She comments on love, compassion, creativity, the value of art-- but without being didactic or trite.
It's simply an excellent read, for all ages. And I can't wait for the sequel.
The thing I like most about this book is not just the adventure or the love story-- although both are excellent and engaging-- it's that, while telling a corking good story, RJA manages to make important commentaries on what it means to be human. And, of course, what it means to be fairy. She comments on love, compassion, creativity, the value of art-- but without being didactic or trite.
It's simply an excellent read, for all ages. And I can't wait for the sequel.
December 24, 2008
I found lots of things in this marvelous book: a compelling adventure, a nuanced world, and engaging mystery, and a sweet and occasionally heart-breaking romance. Most of all I found two characters to love: Bryony (later Knife) the faery, and Paul, the young human who becomes her friend.
I loved seeing the worlds of both faeries and humans through Knife's eyes. I read eagerly as she pieces together the clues to understand the deadly affliction upon her own people, and struggles to understand the role humans play in it. The relationship between Knife and Paul is one of my favorites in recent readings: honest, true, joyful and wrenching by turns.
Although this book was satisfying and does feel like a full and complete story, I still cannot wait for the sequel! I want more Knife and Paul!
I loved seeing the worlds of both faeries and humans through Knife's eyes. I read eagerly as she pieces together the clues to understand the deadly affliction upon her own people, and struggles to understand the role humans play in it. The relationship between Knife and Paul is one of my favorites in recent readings: honest, true, joyful and wrenching by turns.
Although this book was satisfying and does feel like a full and complete story, I still cannot wait for the sequel! I want more Knife and Paul!
January 26, 2009
what an absolutely delightful read. you always know when a book has found its way into your heart when you are filled with regret when the story is over. faery rebels is a middle grade novel--a genre i have not read in some time--but it is a book to be enjoyed by all ages.
knife is a fearless faery intent on finding out the truth of her people's past, when she befriends a human friend, paul.
with evocative prose and wonderful storytelling, anderson slowly unravels the mystery behind the faeries' unhappy circumstance, as knife does all she can to help her kind. knife is the perfect heroine for this fantastic debut. i recommend highly!
knife is a fearless faery intent on finding out the truth of her people's past, when she befriends a human friend, paul.
with evocative prose and wonderful storytelling, anderson slowly unravels the mystery behind the faeries' unhappy circumstance, as knife does all she can to help her kind. knife is the perfect heroine for this fantastic debut. i recommend highly!
October 21, 2019
--- Knife ~ Pemburu Mantra ---
Plot: Ok.
Penokohan: Noice noice noice (´∀`)Kecuali Knife di akhir.
Gaya bercerita: Ok.
Kurasa ini novel pertama Ufuk Publishing yang saya baca （〜^∇^)〜.
Saya sudah sangaaaaat tertarik dengan judul ini saat melihatnya di lapak buku. Keinginan saya untuk membacanya makin melejit setelah membaca review-review indah yang bertebaran di goodreads. Iya, saya tidak akan menyangkal kalau roman subplotnya adalah alasan terbesarku XD //dor!
Buku ini sangat menyenangkan!
Saya tahu tidak baik membandingkan nuansa-nuansa setiap buku, tapi saya tidak bisa berhenti membayangkan The Borrowers (The Borrower Arrietty) yang pernah saya tonton (tentu saja The Borrowers juga punya versi buku, tapi sayangnya saya hanya menonton versi Ghibli).
Hidup sebagai mahluk kecil memang mengeluarkan pandangan hidup yang 11-12 ya! “ψ(｀∇´)ψ *eh.
Mungkin karena perasaan kangen yang membuat saya teringat saat-saat menonton Arrietty, saya jadi sangat menikmati awal-awal Knife. Tuturan penjelasannya jelas dan menyenangkan. Tidak membuat bosan. Bahkan, tokoh-tokohnya juga menarik, terutama Knife yang aktif - badass. Saat-saat dia bertemu Paul, menurut saya sangat manis dan polos. 'Keduanya cocok sekali!'
..............
............................Tapi tidak. Saya sudah salah besar.
Ekspektasi saya mengharapkan hubungan Knife dan Paul terjalin dengan ringan dan pelan. Sambil mereka berfokus pada penyelesaian lebih riil. Tapi, kebelakang, saya mulai merasa pening sendiri karena tindakan tokoh utama dancalon pasangan hidupnya si Paul. Tapi sebagai gantinya, penceritaan tokoh lain makin menarik.
Sebenarnya review ini berisi spoiler, tapi khusus yang akan kubicarakan setelah ini, akan lebih spoiler lagi. Jadi saya akan menyertakan... Jurus SPOILER BOX! XD
Yah; begitulah. Padahal, open ending dengan mengambil dua angin bukanlah hal yang buruk //permisalanapaini XD. Ngomong-ngomong kovernya yang dipilih Ufuk keren sekali ya （★ｏ★）. Saya suka sekali!
[7.7/10]
Plot: Ok.
Penokohan: Noice noice noice (´∀`)
Gaya bercerita: Ok.
Kurasa ini novel pertama Ufuk Publishing yang saya baca （〜^∇^)〜.
Saya sudah sangaaaaat tertarik dengan judul ini saat melihatnya di lapak buku. Keinginan saya untuk membacanya makin melejit setelah membaca review-review indah yang bertebaran di goodreads. Iya, saya tidak akan menyangkal kalau roman subplotnya adalah alasan terbesarku XD //dor!
Buku ini sangat menyenangkan!
Saya tahu tidak baik membandingkan nuansa-nuansa setiap buku, tapi saya tidak bisa berhenti membayangkan The Borrowers (The Borrower Arrietty) yang pernah saya tonton (tentu saja The Borrowers juga punya versi buku, tapi sayangnya saya hanya menonton versi Ghibli).
Hidup sebagai mahluk kecil memang mengeluarkan pandangan hidup yang 11-12 ya! “ψ(｀∇´)ψ *eh.
Mungkin karena perasaan kangen yang membuat saya teringat saat-saat menonton Arrietty, saya jadi sangat menikmati awal-awal Knife. Tuturan penjelasannya jelas dan menyenangkan. Tidak membuat bosan. Bahkan, tokoh-tokohnya juga menarik, terutama Knife yang aktif - badass. Saat-saat dia bertemu Paul, menurut saya sangat manis dan polos. 'Keduanya cocok sekali!'
..............
............................Tapi tidak. Saya sudah salah besar.
Ekspektasi saya mengharapkan hubungan Knife dan Paul terjalin dengan ringan dan pelan. Sambil mereka berfokus pada penyelesaian lebih riil. Tapi, kebelakang, saya mulai merasa pening sendiri karena tindakan tokoh utama dan
Sebenarnya review ini berisi spoiler, tapi khusus yang akan kubicarakan setelah ini, akan lebih spoiler lagi. Jadi saya akan menyertakan... Jurus SPOILER BOX! XD
Yah; begitulah. Padahal, open ending dengan mengambil dua angin bukanlah hal yang buruk //permisalanapaini XD. Ngomong-ngomong kovernya yang dipilih Ufuk keren sekali ya （★ｏ★）. Saya suka sekali!
[7.7/10]
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