I feel like the author missed something between this book and the previous one; the door to Faerie seems to be open now, with the Queen making a sudden appearance. Her goal is to destroy the human race and to take over their world as a replacement for the destroyed world of Faerie. Even though Simner explains how the war between huamsn and faerie began the motivations of the Queen seem to be a bit arbitrary and predictable. Her world was apparently destroyed, but she has such great power that it seems inconceivable tat she couldn't recall her world to its former glory - to to find a fey with this power. ( )

More sadness and brutality to twist your heart!

Faerie Winter exceeded my expectations for a sequel! I felt about it the same way I did Bones of Faerie. That it was a great story and by the end I would have been satisfied if I learned there wasn't going to be another book. Lucky for me its a trilogy but even better that each book thus far in this trilogy has done such a stellar job of standing on it's own legs.

There WAS NOT a ton of rehashing at the beginning going back over absolutely everything that happened in the prior book. There was a bit but thankfully it was minimal and found it was more spread throughout the entirety of Faerie Winter rather than a blunt force trauma to the head smash of it like I've seen in so many other series books. ​

​Life picks up where things left off in Bones of Faerie and I'm happy to see its realistic. There is tension between Liza and her mother, just as their should be. Problems in a relationship don't just miraculously go away just because you've past a life threatening situation. The focus that was put on their relationship and how Liza still harbors a lot of resentment and anger towards her mother for all of the things she has hidden from her, and continues not to tell her really helps build on Liza's character development and the choices that she makes. If she can't trust someone who is supposed to be so close to her it would of course effect many of the things she does. I can't even describe how well I thought this relationship was done.

And Matthew, Oh my wolfy boy Matthew! How I love this guy! He didn't get a lot of screen time in Faerie Winter and for that I was seriously sad. I know that was important to the storyline but I missed him and this was a bit of a debbie downer for me. I fully anticipate though that he will be back in full force in the final book Faerie After which I am about to start today! I do have to say what little time he was there, sure had a lot of zing!

​We meet a few new characters of course, key of which are Kyle and Johnny, they are a few other kids in Liza's town. Kyle is a little boy I think maybe age 5, and his brother Johnny is around Liza's age. Kyle can be a bit annoying at moments but what 5 year old isn't? I find it refreshing how all of the children born after the War feel a bond to each other, and like the nickname they gave themselves, "Afters." They've feared their whole lives that their magic would be found out and that they would be put to death for it. You still get that sense of fear from them but they are definitely starting to come out of their shells.

"Afters have to stick together."

The level violence in the Faerie trilogy so far is something to keep in mind. Its not crazy graphic but there is a brutal nature to these books that I know not everyone would enjoy. I find it refreshing and realistic because fairy tales originally did have a much darker side - and quite frankly this is post apocalyptic, people die, people get hurt. That's reality, whether its reality or fiction.

The Cons - only one thing really
The other thing was the constant "Go Away, Go Away," that Liza would say when using her power. It just got really repetitive and I hate repetitive - it has a tendency to irk me and make me want to slap a 'STFU' sticker over someone's mouth.

Favorite quote is actually the oath that Karin wants the children to take once they come into their magic:

Blessed are the powers that grant me magic.
I promise to use their gift well.
To help mend my world.
To help mend all worlds.
And should I forget to mend,
Should I refuse to mend,
Still I will remember
To do no harm.

( )

Larger review to come, but a very good sequel to a book in incredibly enjoyed. ( )

I have been DYING to read this. Bones of Faerie is one of my all time faves. It combines both Faerie AND a dystopian world. Gah! It's wonderful. Well, actually it's very depressing and dangerous, but you get what I mean. It's sequel, Faerie Winter lives up to my expectations beautifully.

It wasn't enough though. I wished it could go on and on. 300-ish pages just didn't satisfy me, I felt like there could have been more. Wishful thinking I know, but the ending felt a little rushed. I was three-quarters of the way through the story before I realized that we were almost done, and I had barely gotten my fill. It's a good thing, I guess since, I just didn't want it to end.

Right from the get go we have doom and destruction. A stranger and dead children, and no idea how that came to be. Matthew, our shape-shifting hero, runs off to save the day again, only to be captured by those who would do him harm.

I don't want to give spoilers, so we'll just say that Liza and Matthew are once again in charge of saving the world. And it's in a totally believable set up. (For the world that they're living in, that is.) There are old friends and new enemies and a kind of helplessness I hope we never have to truly know.

I only gave it 4 stars and not 5 because I really felt that it could have been drug out a little longer. I was satisfied with the ending, but sad to see it so soon. If you are a fan of the Fae AND dystopian, than what are you waiting for? Faerie Winter and its predecessor, Bones of Faerie are like nothing you've ever read before. I loved them both, and hope you get the opportunity to enjoy them as well.

4/5 Stars ( )