Synopsis from Amazon:
The faeries are preparing for a war throughout worlds. But before the fighting comes the talking.
May is approaching, but there's no way Megan O'Reilly can focus on plans for graduation and beyond when the ancient monsters called the Fomoire are about to break out of their frozen lake. As the ice melts in the Spring air, a conference of magical beings from around the world is being called. Apparently there are a lot of risks involved in properly equipping this kind of party. There are so many places--Earth, different mystic realms, the collective unconscious, an outright netherworld--to go, people to see, and things to be done.
Megan is going to help. No matter how dangerous it gets.
May is approaching, but there's no way Megan O'Reilly can focus on plans for graduation and beyond when the ancient monsters called the Fomoire are about to break out of their frozen lake. As the ice melts in the Spring air, a conference of magical beings from around the world is being called. Apparently there are a lot of risks involved in properly equipping this kind of party. There are so many places--Earth, different mystic realms, the collective unconscious, an outright netherworld--to go, people to see, and things to be done.
Megan is going to help. No matter how dangerous it gets.
>>>>>>>
My Review:
Every time I open a Jeffrey Cook novel, I am blown away by the
magnitude of the fantasy—and characters so impossibly real that it
HURTS.
I knew I was going to love this series
from the first book. One of my favorite things about Cook's writing is
that his continuity is spectacularly on-point. Characters go through
intense circumstances and they respond and react in ways that change
them and mature them so that the person on the other side is distinct
from the one who started out.
I love how, in all of this
fantasy and spending incredible lengths of time in a dimension other
than the real world, Cook does not neglect Megan's relationship with her
parents. It becomes a bigger deal in this installment than in the
previous two, and as a character, she handles it beautifully. It is very
clear that she loves them both, even so far as they don't actually know
each other, and the attention she gets (or doesn't) get from both of
them also plays an important part in the development of the plot.
Speaking
of "developing relationships" one cannot ignore the marvelous "ship"
between Justin and Megan. Their interactions are so adorable they will
melt your heart—and yet the respect they both maintain is wonderful—I
love that Cook ensures that the reader falls in love with him first, so
that Megan doesn't have to waste precious plot time pining after his
scent or doubting his love for her, and nonsense like that. He's pledged
to her, but they don't make it awkward or uncomfortable. He's adjusting
to modern life every bit as much as Megan is adjusting to life in the
Fair realm.
Oh, also: the Kahales feature even
more in this book. Mr. Kahale has been "absent" from the real world for
so long—but the Menehunes are an important part of this war, so as The
Kahuna, naturally, he is in for a more prominent role.
The
stakes in this plot are higher than ever, as the "villain" this time
isn't any one nefarious enemy or despicable entity—it's every evil thing
and every monster in every culture, all together. The description of the Fomoire
straight-up CREEPS. ME. OUT. If this series ever becomes a movie or a TV
series, that will I think be the part where I cringe and look away,
because even the descriptions in the book sent chills down my spine!
The ending, though... (*distant sobbing*)
That
clinched it. I know it's not the end of the series, but darned if I
almost don't want to read the last book—not because it was horrible, but
because it was SO GOOD I don't want it to end! The last scenes of the
book are glorious and breathtaking—and the last big event broke my
heart. I couldn't believe such a wonderfully compelling author to be
capable of it, but he did. It happened, and there's no going back. There
is only marching forward with the inevitability of Time.
Of
course I do not hesitate to give FAIR FIGHT an unreserved *****5
STAR***** rating, and add an Upstream Writer Certified COMPLETELY
RECOMMENDED endorsement. I cheered, I giggled, I gasped, I reveled—if
you're looking for good, solid fantasy with plenty of fairies and magic
and brownies (the Fae, not the dessert... Though I don't doubt Kerr
could make some AMAZING desserts!) and Celtic mythology in spades, along
with excellent moral characters who win you over from the start, and a
perilous challenge that calls everyone to band together to defend the
good and the right—look no further than the FAIR FOLK CHRONICLES!
Further Reading: (YA/Urban Fantasy/Myths and Legends)
The Therian Way--Kimberly Rogers
-Leopard's Heart
-Wolf's Path
Spirit Knights--Lee French
-Girls Can't Be Knights
Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser
-Escape From Neverland
-Dance Into The Wyrd
-Leopard's Heart
-Wolf's Path
Spirit Knights--Lee French
-Girls Can't Be Knights
Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser
-Escape From Neverland
-Dance Into The Wyrd
Talented Series: Dream Stalker --Amy Hopkins
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