Kirsten Reviews: Trailer Park Fae by Lilith Saintcrow
Trailer Park Fae by Lilith Saintcrow
Gallow and Ragged #1
New York Times bestselling author Lilith Saintcrow returns to dark fantasy with a new series where the fairy world inhabits diners, dive bars and trailer parks.
Jeremy Gallow is just another construction worker, and that's the way he likes it. He's left his past behind, but some things cannot be erased. Like the tattoos on his arms that transform into a weapon, or that he was once closer to the Queen of Summer than any half-human should be. Now the half-sidhe all in Summer once feared is dragged back into the world of enchantment, danger, and fickle fae—by a woman who looks uncannily like his dead wife. Her name is Robin, and her secrets are more than enough to get them both killed. A plague has come, the fullborn-fae are dying, and the dark answer to Summer's Court is breaking loose.
Be afraid, for Unwinter is riding...
The titular characters, Robin Ragged, and Jeremiah Gallow are clearly on trajectory toward one another from the first page. Gallow, a half fae, who was once very close to the Queen of Summer, is working as a construction worker, mourning his dead wife, and pretending that he is human, largely through depressed inertia. Meanwhile, Robin Ragged is an unwilling servant of that same queen, and is doing all that she can simply not to be killed by her mistress on one of the fae’s cruel whims. Meanwhile, she is being sent on errands by the queen as there is a sickness creeping through the courts of the fae, and the purebloods are being stricken down without mercy.
One of the most recognizable characters, Puck, is acting in his own interests, moving between the two courts, and may very well be an ally to Robin or Gallow, but more than likely, he has several dozen plans of his own.
Beyond the wishes of her queen, Robin is occupied with keeping herself out of the hands of Unseelie, as Unwinter would like to use her talents to further their own agenda. She is not one to trust any man easily, particularly Gallow, who believes she looks like the wife he is mourning.
The book features a great deal of the language used by the fae, their tools, and traditions, and the fact that they only reluctantly pass over the barrier into the world of mortals. To them, humans are nothing more than tools, to be drained of all usefulness and eventually life. Some of this may put readers off, but for anyone interested in fae in any sort of urban fantasy, this book’s spin on the Courts, their magic, politics, and those caught up in them will enjoy this new series.
There are plenty of pretty words, interesting creatures, and jeopardy, both mortal and otherwise to keep pages turning, and there is a great deal of intriguing story to explore in the sequel.(Received a copy from the publisher)
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