Arrow
Arrow (Faery Rebels, #3)R.J. Anderson
Rhosmari trembled as the Empress walked over to her. 'Oh, do not struggle. There is nowhere for you to escape,' the Empress said, her voice silken and sweet. Then she unsheathed a small dagger from her waist. 'This will only hurt a little...' Rhosmari has lived her whole life on a sheltered chain of faery islands. But with the Empress's power growing, and her desire to enslave the entire faery race becoming a reality, Rhosmari knows she must fight back... (goodreads.com)
I am always extra proud when I adore a book and I know that the author is Canadian. I am especially proud when said author's books are doing well internationally and many people love them. This Faery Rebels series is exactly that - popular, excellent and written by a woman who lives in Canada. (Sadly, not close enough to me that I can properly stalk, so I am left with staking via the internet instead.)Want to know what I love the most about this series? (I'm telling you either way.) I love that each book is completely different in feel. Each book has a completely different main character and though the story arc is the same, each book reads like a brand new story set in a world you've grown to know and love. Each character, Knife, Linden and now Rhosmari is completely different in personality and beliefs and feel.There are recurring characters in each of the two novels after Knife but other than that, the main faerie stands out and shines in her own story. I honestly feel this is what makes the series so much more exciting to me than any other.In Rebel I really did not like the character Timothy and even though he did change towards the end of the story, I still thought of him as bratty and unlikeable. I remember having a conversation with the author about this on Twitter. Good news for you, R.J. Anderson - I loved Timothy in Arrow! Sure, the main focus was not on him, but he does have a rather big role in this story and feel like there was a huge change in his, er, aura (for lack of a better word) and I could see why he did what he did and how his personality had changed from the previous book.You know who I didn't like? Martin. From start to finish and I am happy that my suspicions about him were spot on. Bratty Martin.I am on the fence with Rhosmari. She did not click with me as strongly as Knife or Linden did. However I know why I had problems with her, it was because her beliefs were so strong in what she thought was right and wrong that I was growing frustrated by her decisions and the way she went about her own way. On one hand I am very impressed that this character was able to hold so true to her way of life and that she did not cave into changing her beliefs no matter what. At the same time I thought she was being a fool at times and just needed to suck it up. ;) She was one of those people I know I wouldn't mesh well with in real life.There is one line in the book that I adored completely. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, so I will write it in white font (with this current blog design I have should appear invisible, so highlight below to read it) (which also means I can't blockquote it because of the font colour, so I'll just put it in quotations... sorry if this is incorrect!):"Timothy's face lit up as he caught her meaning. 'So maybe, even if you can't shoot the arrow that stops Jasmine, you can be the arrow. Not the kind that kills, but the kind that points the way.'"I love how this ties the title and story together. I know it might sound cheesy but, by golly, did that quote get me. Bravo, Ms. Anderson! You sort of took my breath away a little there.And on that note, I was very pleased to see on the back flap of the book that there will be yet another installment in the Faery Rebels series! Swift will hopefully be out sometime in 2012 (Get thee writing, author lady!) though I have been told not in time for my birthday in January like the others have been. Sigh. Authors never think of me. AND AND AND! R.J. Anderson confirmed for me on twitter today (Sunday) that Swift will not be the final novel in the series. Yay! More Faery Rebels and I hope more Brian Froud covers, because these are just breath taking. (I love me some Froud art!)Meanwhile, I shall tide myself over with new R.J. Anderson writing when Ultraviolet comes out later this year. It looks to be a very interesting and different sort of tale. Can't wait for that one!Faery Rebels series
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