Book Review: Faire Eve by Catherine Stovall

This novel blends fairy folklore with the modern world as a girl named Eve learns she is the blood descendant of otherworldly royalty, and she is the only one who can save the fae. I most enjoyed this novel’s blending of folklore and mythology into the storyline. I love faries and the idea that there is a hidden world behind everything we do and see. I was particularly enthralled with the idea expressed in the book that anyone with knowledge of the fairy folk actually goes insane because people simply can’t handle the idea. There’s also a romantic interest that begins through dreams and thoughts between Eve and one of the fae. Finally, I love the idea that fairies have wings that “retract” into the body to heal. When I was younger, I perpetually checked the mirror each morning because I was convinced that wings were going to spring from my back! Yes, the strength of the book is the imaginative tale.

What I found least effective was the point of view. The book followed a largely omniscient point of view, so just when I was starting to ‘get into’ a character, I was shown someone else. The omniscient perspective lent itself more to telling than showing, which isn’t what I prefer.

All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone with a love of fairy culture or fanciful mythology, especially a young adult reader.