Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Alastar Connors’ studies of the changelings who live in the forest beyond the Great Iron Wall have been greatly aided by his friendship with the mischievous Gadhar. As a faerie creature, Gadhar’s soul takes a frightening shape, but he’s always behaved as an eager-to-please puppy around Alastar. When an intimate moment leads to an unexpected revelation, Alastar fears he may have jumped to some ill-informed conclusions about his friend. Desperate to fix the misunderstanding, Alastar stumbles into the kind of trouble that even a quick-witted changeling might not be able to get him out of.

 

 

First edition published by Dreamspinner Press, June 2016.

 

Book Review

‘Faerie Riddles’ is set firmly in a fantasyland with a medieval feel. With faeries as a rather scary group out to kidnap humans, tricking them whenever possible, somehow making them into changelings, and being a nuisance, this novella is definitely “on the wild side” of things. With Alastar one of the few humans allowed outside the Great Iron Wall - built to protect humans from the faeries and other creatures who live in the Blighted Forest - I was able to learn more about what was going on right alongside him. This story is full of fascinating creatures, confusing situations, and a hilarious twist at the end.

Alastar lives for his research. He is meticulously organized, takes notes whenever he can, and has an insatiable curiosity about anyone and anything living in the Blighted Forest. He is the perfect example of an absent-minded professor and adorably naïve. His friendship with Gadhar has served him well in learning about the changelings – former humans who discover the animal side of their soul. Gadhar’s other shape is that of a huge black dog, but he behaves like a puppy around Alastar – with all the mischievous consequences you can imagine.

This story is a journey of discovery – and not just of some of the changelings and unusual plants that live in the forest. Alastar and Gadhar’s relationship evolved right before my eyes, but not without obstacles. Mainly it is Alastar who is a little slow on the uptake, but there are other issues as well. It ends up to be quite the adventure before Alastar understands what has really been going on.

If you like your fantasy to be on “the wild side” and somewhat unusual, if you think a scatterbrained professor still deserves to have a life, and if you’re looking for a read that is as entertaining as it is funny, then you might like this novella.

 

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 83 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	07-January-2020
Price	$2.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Faerie-Riddles-Cassia-Rose-ebook/dp/B083M9261K