Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com

Tania thought all of the threats to her beloved Faerie disappeared with the Sorcerer King of Lyonesse's death in battle; she was wrong.

Life is sweet for the Faerie princess and her family at the beginning of THE IMMORTAL REALM with the enchanted wedding of daughter Cordelia to Bryn Lightfoot, but tragedy strikes when a Faerie infant quickly succumbs to a mysterious illness. Since disease and death are unheard of in this realm of immortality, suspicion immediately falls upon Tania's mortal father for attending the wedding while sick.

As members of the royal family fall ill, those stricken flee to the Summer Palace of Verglad to prevent further spread of the disease. A new threat looms with arrival of Lord Aldrich of Weir, one of The Great Lords of Faerie and father to Tania's (banished) former fiancé, Gabriel Drake.

He insists that Faerie's current strife lies in Tania's half-mortal taint and demands either her banishment behind an unbreakable enchantment, or the removal of her ability to shift between worlds. This, coupled with sister Cordelia falling victim to the mysterious illness, spurs Tania into desperate action, putting not only herself and her family in danger, but an innocent human as well.

I have to say that THE IMMORTAL REALM is the best and my favorite of THE FAERIE PATH series so far, mostly because Tania finally breaks free of (what I've always felt is) the unrealistic "eternal" attachment to Edric, and starts discovering what she's capable of as an independent young woman. The addition of a human friend from Tania's past helps ground her in the reality that she has very little "life experience," while the separation from Edric and time spent with sister Rathina contributes to her overall growth.

I only wish there had been more of a resolution instead of a "to be continued," which lent to my final grade of four stars, rather than five. ( )

Innuendo: Just a few kisses. Nothing problematic at all

Violence: Nothing

Swearing: Nope

Drinking, Drugs, or Smoking: Again, No

Age Appropriate: 12 and up

Similar/Better books: Ella Enchanted, The Two Princesses of Bamarre, ( )

As the festivities of Princess Cordelia and Bryn’s marriage ceremony continued, few took notice of the sick child. Being in the Realm of the Faeries, no one had been sick or died of natural causes in a thousand years, and for it to start so soon after the final victory over the Sorcerer King made the death of the first child even more pronounced. All were stunned to find out that this was only the first to fall ill. Some fingers pointed to the half-Faerie, half-Mortal Princess Tania and her mortal parents, leaving King Oberon little choice but to banish Mr. and Mrs. Palmer back to London with the hopes that the infection they supposedly brought to the Realm would quickly subside with them gone. There could always be another reason for the illness, but not knowing where to look for answers Princess Tania, along with her sister Princess Rathina takes the ‘side step’ between worlds looking for help from a mortal doctor, who could make things better or worse in the end.

Book 4 ….. Think, figure and try to determine the best coarse of action - that is what Tania had to do in this book. Being guided by a dream, relying on faith, making and breaking promises to her Faerie father (King Oberon). A very clear plan of action, but nothing ever goes as it was planned. The emotional tug of war with Edric in this one is another story all it’s own, sometimes I felt his pain more than I felt anything for Tania, but other times her confusion over how to fix or deal with the situation over rode all other story lines. This is such a complex series, just as you think it is about to be over, they have already walked right into another adventure (now you have to wait to read it). The way Frewin Jones can leave you (or at least me) screaming for more is a credit to him in the creation of these simple yet intriguing characters. I anxiously await the release of Book 5 - The Enchanted Quest (which is not suppose to be released till Jan 26, 2010) *sigh* - and the wait begins. ( )