"The author's talent is evident as she ambitiously tackles complex themes of violence, sexual awakening, politics, and even infertility. A unique. reading experience."—School Library Journal
"Thick, sultry, lyrical language builds a strong sense of atmosphere. [in] this rich, off-kilter snarl of a story."—Booklist
"Thick, sultry, lyrical language builds a strong sense of atmosphere. [in] this rich, off-kilter snarl of a story."—Booklist
"Gritty, intense, sensational, and moving."—Fresh Fiction
"Gritty, intense, sensational, and moving."—Fresh Fiction
"Thick, sultry, lyrical language builds a strong sense of atmosphere. [in] this rich, off-kilter snarl of a story."—Booklist
"Gritty, intense, sensational, and moving."—Fresh Fiction
"This novel of friendship, love, and fighting for one's beliefs should find a place among fans of the modern fairy story."—Kirkus Reviews
"This novel of friendship, love, and fighting for one's beliefs should find a place among fans of the modern fairy story."—Kirkus Reviews
"A strange and satisfying mixture of Holly Black and Francesca Lia Block with its own version of a happy ending."-Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
"A strange and satisfying mixture of Holly Black and Francesca Lia Block with its own version of a happy ending."-Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
"This novel of friendship, love, and fighting for one's beliefs should find a place among fans of the modern fairy story."—Kirkus Reviews
"A strange and satisfying mixture of Holly Black and Francesca Lia Block with its own version of a happy ending."-Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
"One of the bravest, most well-crafted voices that I've read in a long, long time."—Bookshelves of Doom, a Kirkus Reviews Blog
"One of the bravest, most well-crafted voices that I've read in a long, long time."—Bookshelves of Doom, a Kirkus Reviews Blog
"A very clever and inventive bit of storytelling. I've never seen such an extraordinary depiction of racism."-Clare Doornbos, bookseller, DIESEL, a bookstore
"A very clever and inventive bit of storytelling. I've never seen such an extraordinary depiction of racism."-Clare Doornbos, bookseller, DIESEL, a bookstore
"One of the bravest, most well-crafted voices that I've read in a long, long time."—Bookshelves of Doom, a Kirkus Reviews Blog
"A very clever and inventive bit of storytelling. I've never seen such an extraordinary depiction of racism."-Clare Doornbos, bookseller, DIESEL, a bookstore
"Reminiscent of Holly Black and Laini Taylor, this gritty fantasy/war story is also an exploration of love in many forms . and creating a family of choice."-The Horn Book Magazine
"Reminiscent of Holly Black and Laini Taylor, this gritty fantasy/war story is also an exploration of love in many forms . and creating a family of choice."-The Horn Book Magazine
"The author's talent is evident as she ambitiously tackles complex themes of violence, sexual awakening, politics, and even infertility. A unique. reading experience."—School Library Journal
"The author's talent is evident as she ambitiously tackles complex themes of violence, sexual awakening, politics, and even infertility. A unique. reading experience."—School Library Journal
"Reminiscent of Holly Black and Laini Taylor, this gritty fantasy/war story is also an exploration of love in many forms . and creating a family of choice."-The Horn Book Magazine
2015-05-06
When war broke out a year ago in the fairy city of Ferrum, its inhabitants, except for four young rebellious fairies, fled in search of a safer home. Now, a cease-fire has been declared, but tensions still run high among the combatants: the fairies; the gnomes, who work for the fairies in exchange for edible fairy body parts; and the invading tightropers, a species that swings about the city via ropes they spin in their mouths. In order to maintain peace in Ferrum, teen fairy Beckan Moloy and her remaining fairy friends form an unlikely alliance with gnomes and a tightroper. With Ferrum, Moskowitz has built a vividly gritty fairy realm and populated it with a richly diverse cast of characters, but the narrative can be confusing. Third-person past-tense narration alternates with third-person present, and it is peppered with remarks from an intrusive narrator. Only about two-thirds of the way into the novel do readers find out that the story is one fairy's chronicle of the war through Beckan's eyes, interspersed with asides. Though initially disconcerting, these trenchant asides are often quite endearing: "Shit, what the fuck am I even doing? What kind of history book doesn't have a map?" the narrator laments early on. In spite of its narrative unevenness, this novel of friendship, love, and fighting for one's beliefs should find a place among fans of the modern fairy story. (Fantasy. 15-18)
