Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A most original fairytale, 18 Jun 2009
FAERIE HEART is not at all what I expected from the rather sweet cover design - the storyline takes many stunning and sometimes unsettling twists and turns. Keri lives in a village of small roundhouses, struggling to survive along with her family, despite raiders, starvation, disease and the threat of the unknown and unpredictable faerie world that lies just beyond them in the forest. Fearful and guilty that she's reponsible for her young brother being close to death, Keri runs away into the enchanted forest. What happens next sets off a chain of strange events that are at times quite shocking The nature of the storytelling changes as the story progresses from vivid and human descriptions of everyday life, through fantastic imaginery realms, to thought provoking magical poetry, with mystical, dreamlike sequences - and back again. Despite sophisticated ideas and imaginative imagery, FAERIE HEART is fairly short and the language is easy - an excellent story that can be read on many levels and suitable for ages 9/10 to 100!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A faerie's tale, 21 Aug 2009
In a Dark Age village lives Keri, a girl who wants nothing more than to leave behind the chores and `girl stuff' that fills her life and run away to the forest in search of fairies. At every opportunity she leaves the village in search of the magic the fill the tales that are told by the fireside. As a result of one of these escapades, her little brother is dying and in desperation she calls on Mabb, Queen of the Faeries, to take Keri and spare her little brother's life.
Mabb grants Keri's wish and Keri quickly learns to be careful what you wish for. Mabb is beautiful but cruel and manipulative. When Keri tries to escape she finds that time has passed differently with in the faerie realm, and though once more in the human world it is not the world she knew. She must go back to Mabb and her magical world and fight to get back to her family.
This book seems to separate into two sections although it is actually written in three. The first section sees Keri fighting against the restrictions she feels are placed upon her life. She does not at all enjoy the gender stereotype that she is being encouraged to conform to, particularly disliking the `girl chores' she must do. Instead she longs to discover a new path for her life to take, which we feel will resonate with many children. The book then seems to swing quite quickly to a different Keri, who has been forced to assess her life. This is the section of the book that we most enjoyed as the characters are portrayed very well and the emotions expressed are quite unusual in a children's book. There is of course heartache and longing for her family, remorse over her previous behaviour but there is also some discussion of mortality and the feeling of being other. Having said that, all the ideas are written in a way that is definitely accessible to children and are wrapped in a very enjoyable story.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For an extra scare factor, read on a dark, stormy night when you're alone, 7 Jun 2009
I sat down with this booking, hoping for a nice, quiet evening with a 'happy' book. Little did I know that halfway through I'd want to scream...
Story telling has been going on for centuries. In Fairie Heart, Keri hears tales about fairies in the small community she lives with. Little does she realise she's about to become one of those stories herself. When her baby brother gets sick, she can't accept it and runs off from home. She bumps into Queen Mabb, who literally takes away Keri's life.
I enjoyed how the fairie stories were told, with Keri wishing to see Mabb. That wish changed when life didn't go according to plan. As with most first person point of view stories, I believed I was Keri. I could see the cuteness of her baby brother, could feel the true to life feelings of frustration when she had to help with the chores.
I literally nearly screamed when I learnt what Mabb had done. I hadn't seen it coming, and only sleep stopped me from devouring the rest of the book. The only reference I've heard about Mabb before was in Romeo and Juliet (I think...) yes, even her chariot is mentioned here.
I happily report this book went beyond my expectations. Even in a re-read I think my spine will still shiver in fear, such is the power of the words.
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by Anthony Horowitz and Antony Johnston
by Jacqueline Wilson
by Julia Golding
by Michael Grant
by Sophie McKenzie
