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blog tour stop!
Violet Fairdale is in big trouble. Her home is gone, her beloved forest lies in ruins, the guy she gave her heart to has deserted her—and she doesn’t remember any of it. The powerful Lord Draven is taking over, brainwashing guardians into fighting for him. No one is safe from the evil spreading throughout the fae world. As alliances are forged between the remaining free fae, Vi struggles to reclaim her identity and figure out where she belongs in this new world. When someone from her past shows up, life gets even more complicated. He brings with him a long-forgotten weapon and an ancient prophecy that places Vi at the center of the fight against Draven. With the future of the fae world at stake, can Vi carry out the prophecy’s instructions before it’s too late?
***Being as this is the final book in a trilogy, this review may contain spoilers for the two previous books.***
“With great cliffhangers come great responsibility.”
Ok. So, I may have borrowed and modified that quote just a teensy bit, but the tenet still stands: You bring me to the brink of emotional despair over a fictional character and their relationships, then by golly-gee-oh-my, you better deliver a fantastic resolution (that hopefully mends my oh-so-fragile heart in the process, if only a tiny bit). And in this particular instance, Rachel Morgan delivers.
Oh the sweet, sweet angst. I love the world and I like the story, but for me, the main reason I love Creepy Hollow is because of Violet and Ryn (sitting in a tree. Or on a magic carpet. Or hiding in a… well, nevermind all that). Vi & Ryn, both together and apart, drive my love affair with this series. Theirs is a relationship deeply colored by their pasts and by their mistakes. The push and pull between them — the chemistry — the tempestuousness that morphs into something more… well. You can discover that for yourself. The banter… oh, the banter. And the fact that they constantly challenge each other to individual growth and realizations, all of these things combined, makes them such unputdownable characters. They’ve come some far and fought so much to get to where they were in The Faerie Prince — from grief and hurt and blame to healing and forgiveness and love. And in one brief moment of overwhelming despair, Violet makes a series of choices (re: cliffhanger *throws self about in fangirlish anguish*) that threatens it all. And Ryn’s responses to and handling of this choice in The Faerie War, and Vi’s responses and subsequent choices too… *so many feels* are the most compelling part of this novel. I love them both to Kaleidos and back again.
While the romance is absolutely superb, and the story exciting — also proving “unputdownable,” which to my amazement and utter happiness is indeed a real word — I will say that I wish that this book had been broken into two. There was just so much trying to fit into The Faerie War — new characters, quests, politics, relationships, action, a WAR — with the result that some of these things felt too glossed over. I would’ve like few more face-to-face run-ins with Draven, a broader view of what was happening across the Faerie world, a little more politicking and intrigue, a chance to get to know all the new characters a little better, a bit more relationship development with secondary characters, a bit more of a lengthy descent into “Oh crap, oh crap, we’re all gonna die.” territory before the resolution. But even so, The Faerie War is still wonderfully exciting and action-packed, full of dragons, adventure, daring escapes, magical weapons, enigmatic prophecies, floating islands and flying carpets and much, much more as the Faerie world works to defeat Draven and reclaim their home and loved ones.
And can I just say, goodbyes suck? Well, they do. The world of Creepy Hollow with its whimsy, mystery, magic and danger is one I’m a bit loathe to leave. Saying goodbye to great characters that feel like dear, familiar friends, harder still. But I guess, in the end, that’s the hallmark of great storytelling, eh?
Yes, indeed it is.
Overall, a wonderful and satisfying ( and inevitably bittersweet) ending to an amazing trilogy.
Title: The Faerie War
Series: Creepy Hollow (Book #3)
Published: Oct. 21, 2013
Format: Ebook; Paperback
Website: www.creepyhollowbooks.com
Source: review copy via author
My rating: 
Rachel Morgan was born in South Africa and spent a large portion of her childhood living in a fantasy land of her own making. After completing a degree in genetics, she decided science wasn’t for her—after all, they didn’t approve of made-up facts. These days she spends much of her time immersed in fantasy land once more, writing fiction for young adults.
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Thanks so much for hosting me on the blog tour today! I really appreciate this blog having been along for the ride the whole way through this series
Great review, Dani! I was curious what you’d think–I’ve read both the first two books, and your reviews of them, so I knew I’d need to look out for your final review
I can’t believe what Vi did at the end of Book 2, you know? So I’ve been wondering about Book 3, and where it will go, and if it can really deliver after all that. Now I know I need to go get it. 