Tori's Review: Spell Hunter by RJ Anderson

Forget everything you think you know about faeries. . . .

Creatures full of magic and whimsy?

Not in the Oakenwyld. Not anymore.

Deep inside the great Oak lies a dying faery realm, bursting with secrets instead of magic. Long ago the faeries mysteriously lost their magic. Robbed of their powers, they have become selfish and dull-witted. Now their numbers are dwindling and their very survival is at stake.

Only one young faery—Knife—is determined to find out where her people's magic has gone and try to get it back. Unlike her sisters, Knife is fierce and independent. She's not afraid of anything—not the vicious crows, the strict Faery Queen, or the fascinating humans living nearby. But when Knife disobeys the Faery Queen and befriends a human named Paul, her quest becomes more dangerous than she realizes. Can Knife trust Paul to help, or has she brought the faeries even closer to the brink of destruction?

Obtained: ARC Tours

Genre: YA
Series: Faery Rebels
1. Spell Hunter
2. Wayfarer 
My Rating:

My Opinion:
You know, when I received this book in the mail yesterday (yesterday being 8/5/10), my heart sank a little bit.  My TBR pile at the moment has multiplied, much like rabbits have a tendency to do... except, the pile's grown so large, I barely have any space in my bedroom to, you know... live in it.

Anyway, my brain--which has been growing increasingly wary of YAs as of late--had a little mini hissy fit when I went to sit down and start this book.  In fact, it pretty much told me that if I read one more YA, and if I ignored all the PNRs and UFs calling my name, it would simply cease functioning properly (ok, so maybe I'm exaggerating, but I did have a killer headache today!).  The problem was, I had signed up for the tour, and it would be best if I simply plowed through the tale ASAP instead of prolonging my misery.

Lo and behold, the second I cracked the hardcover open, I was engrossed within this world of faeries.  No, that doesn't even give it justice.  I read this book in one sitting with a headache threatening to split my skull in half.  If that's not a good book, then I don't know what is.

Unlike most faerie books that have been plaguing the YA universe, SPELL HUNTER does not focus on a "human" girl coming of age.  I cannot tell you how tired I am of reading about a sixteenth birthday and how crappy said birthday is because the heroine is a reject.  This does not apply to faerie books only; it applies to all YAs out there.  But I digress.

SPELL HUNTER focuses on an actual faery who knows shes a faery.  Readers witness this enchanting character, also known as Knife, transform from a bratty little child to a compelling young woman... er, faery.  We also witness love blossom betwixt Knife and a young man, who happens to be a human.  But not only that, we also learn why these teensy little faeries (they're like, what, two inches tall?) are stuck in their giant Oak tree, why their population is dying, and why most of the faeries are forbidden from leaving the Oak.  Combine all that together, and you end up with one engaging read.

So what else is there to say?  I really had no complaints about this book, except that Knife's name was a bit... goofy, and her brash decisions did have a tendency to frustrate me.  But aside from that?  I loved it, and cannot wait to start reading WAYFARER tomorrow! 

If you're looking for a refreshingly new take on faeries--or even just YAs in general--then look no further, SPELL HUNTER is the book for you!

---

• Hardcover - 336 pages
• Price: $13.99
• ISBN 10: 006155474X
• ISBN 13: 978-0061857942
• Released: April 28, 2009
• RJ's Website
• Buy it via the Publisher
• Buy it via Amazon