A few weeks ago, I was
staring at a stack of books that didn't interest me and thought, "Why oh
why can't I just find a great book about a forest girl discovering
magic and going on adventures?" So I did a search at the library and
found the Faire Folk Trilogy by Gillian Summers.
This series has it all: renaissance fairs, elves, trees, enchanted
caravan RVs, cats, unicorns, acorns, fashion, and fairies! What more
could a forest fairytale reader ask for in a book?
Book
One: The Tree Shepherd's Daughter opens up with a typical California
girl, Keelie Heartwood who has just been sent to live with her nomadic
father at a Renassaince festival in the forest after the death of heer
mother. At first, she resists this new life because of an "allergy"
to wood and a longing for the modern comforts of an LA life. That is
until she meets a cute elf boy, Sean and some supernatural friends.
Strange things start happening in the forest, and with Keelie. All of a
sudden she can talk to trees and harness their power!
Book
Two: Into the Wildewood follows Keelie's adventures now that she has
finally accepted life in the woods as an elf. The faire packs up and she
heads off in a Swiss Miss chalet to the Wildewood Renaissance Faire.
But strange things are afoot, a mean elf girl named Elia won't stop
torturing her and the trees keep attacking with acorns. At the same
time, Keelie is pining for the elven jouster she left behind in Colorado
and resisting the lure of a unicorn into the deep parts of a dying
forest. Life as an elf is turning out to be dreadfully disenchanted...
When I discovered
these tales, my library only had books two & three so I started with
Into the Wildewood and bought myself the first book for a few dollars
online. I definitely want to get all three for my personal library! I
loved the little details in these volumes: the descriptions of fashions
and decor, Keelie's longing for a Blackberry cell phone, the Hawk named
Ariel, and so much more!
What
I didn't love was the disdain Keelie initially has towards the forest.
She's living the fairytale life in an RV, with cats, friends, amazing
costumes and real magic! The pages of these books were a portal to my
dream world, I would have been ecstatic to live in such a world!
However, this attitude grows and changed with her character and it is
interesting to see the forest form a different point of view.
Book
Three: The Secret of the Dread Forest is a thrilling conclusion to this
treasure of a trilogy. Keelie and her dad return to Dread Forest,
Oregon with Keelie's grandmother and the elf tribe. Things are looking
grim- humans are wandering further into the forest, a strange new boy in
on the run in the woods, and the elves don't trust Keelie because of
her half-human heritage. Her only consolation prize is a little tree
who demands jewelry. To find out what happens next, you'll just have to
read the book yourself...
What do you think of the Faire Folk Trilogy, my friends of the forest? If you wish to read more, check out the new Scions of Shadow Trilogy, where Keelie's adventures take her to the California Redwoods for a Shakespearean festival...
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