Series: The Falconer
Release Date: May 6th, 2014
Edinburgh, Scotland, 1844
Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, was destined for a life carefully planned around Edinburgh’s social events – right up until a faery killed her mother.
Now it’s the 1844 winter season and Aileana slaughters faeries in secret, in between the endless round of parties, tea and balls. Armed with modified percussion pistols and explosives, she sheds her aristocratic facade every night to go hunting. She’s determined to track down the faery who murdered her mother, and to destroy any who prey on humans in the city’s many dark alleyways.
But the balance between high society and her pirate war is a delicate one, and as the fae infiltrate the ballroom, and Aileana’s father returns home, she has decisions to make. How much is she willing to lose – and just how far will Aileana go for revenge?
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
• PTSD
• Violence
• Allusions to sex
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 4/5 stars
The Falconer is the definition of action-packed and a kick-ass heroine to go with it. I loved how seriously awesome this book was–in the sense that it was foremost about the heroine getting her revenge and learning about her birthright. The romance took a back seat, and the ending–it’s the definition of a cliffhanger!
While the writing was sometimes bland at points, and the narrative rolled on. I seriously loved how authentic the book was towards the heroine. The Falconer was always about Aileana finding the faery who murdered her mother, which lead to a whole series of remarkable events.
Also, the supporting characters in The Falconer are true to themselves, and are also hilarious! Aileana’s brownie faery is so funny and would be a pretty cool sidekick to have. And her human best friend, who also has a handsome older brother, who’s also a friend of hers? Awesome.
The only character that I really found annoying is Kiaran, but since he’s a few centuries old (and has been romantically involved with one of your ancestors), he’s bound to be moody and cold. My chief complaint is that although Aileana and Kiaran had an excellent love-hate relationship going on, I didn’t really feel their romantic chemistry until the book was almost done. I felt that although the sexual tension was there… it was too rushed for how the plot panned out. And there’s also the thing that I really like her best friend’s, older brother, Gavin. He’s hot, and although he obviously doesn’t have the balls of a century-plus old faery (besides faeries don’t fear death), he’s still impressive with his seer abilities.
Both the pace and the plot are tied together. The action builds dramatically so I was gripping the book until Aileana comes out battered and bruised but still luckily alive at the end. Also, all the “war” scenes are so cool. They’re super realistic and not rushed. Elizabeth May obviously felt comfortable writing many epic battle scenes.
I’m waiting patiently for the next book in The Falconer series to come out, with an expected release sometime next year. A warning that this book ends with a major cliffhanger. But to be honest, I think that just made it all the better.
A truly excellent read, wholly deserving of its four stars.
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