Posted by Carrie S

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/the-wicked-lies-of-habren-faire-by-anna-fiteni/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=reviews&p=152215

Would that I, like this book’s heroine, were newly turned sixteen again, for if I were I would have absolutely swooned over The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire. I cannot overstress how madly I would have loved this story. Now I’m old and cranky so I viewed it with a more demanding eye, but anyone interested in Welsh folklore and grumpy heroines will enjoy this road trip through the land of the Tylwyth Teg (fae).

Once upon a time (specifically, in 1842) there were two sisters, the daughters of a Welsh miner. One was beautiful and good. One was cranky, plain, and impulsive, not above taking a swing at someone or telling a lie. When the pretty sister, Ceridwen, vanishes, it’s up to the cranky one, newly sixteen-year-old Sabrina, to find her by venturing deep into the woods and into the lands of the Tylwyth Teg.

There’s more to this set up, including a stolen ring, an exiled father, an exhausted grandmother, and a desperate struggle against poverty. However, the basic plot set up is fairy tale simple: one sister vanishes into the woods and the other goes looking for her and faces many challenges along the way.

I loved this journey through Welsh folklore, and I enjoyed taking the journey with Sabrina. I liked that the same traits that caused her problems in the human world served her well on her search for her sister. I liked that Ceridwen is a very different person than the reader first assumes her to be, and that it takes time for Sabrina to understand her motivations. The writing is beautiful and the characters interesting.

Sabrina finds herself attracted to Neirin, a fae prince. Here, my friends, is where my newly sixteen-year-old self would like to give this book an A++++. He’s mysterious! He’s hot! He wears a shirt that he keeps forgetting to lace up! He teaches her to sword fight and invites her to a ball at his castle! He thinks she’s great! He’s super hot in a way that sixteen-year-old-self adores:

His brown eyes widen, lashes casting spider-leg shadows over his glass-smooth milk-white skin. They’re near human, nearly welcoming, but the perfection of their distribution is unsettling. His wavy hair is black, streaked with a gray that shines as if someone dipped a paintbrush in molten silver and ran it through his locks.

I MEAN. It’s giving Tom Hiddleston in Thor! It’s giving Jareth in Labyrinth!  It’s giving Jack in Titanic and Jack in Legend! Heady stuff for my sixteen-year-old self.

However, my grumpy-old-ass self immediately thought Neirin was untrustworthy and that Sabrina and Neirin seem to develop a romance without knowing each other at all. Sabrina proceeds to be increasingly attracted to Neirin, and he seems to have developed real feelings for her. Again, my sixteen-year-old self thought this was swoony. Grumpy-old-ass self thought this was sloppy. They didn’t seem to be falling in love organically. It felt rushed and more about plot than character growth and evolution.

At one point a twist occurs that seems to address this, and it was awesome, but it didn’t carry through in a way that satisfied me:

The actual plot of this book is pretty simple and didn’t always hold my interest, and the romance is messy as hell. However I really loved how the story is rooted not only in Welsh mythology but also in Welsh history, particularly the history of its mines and miners. The way the book deals with intergenerational grief and trauma, as well as the sacrifices family members make for each other, is powerful.

This is the first book by Anna Fiteni and it ends on an open-ended note – not quite a cliffhanger, but with abundant room for a sequel. I’ll be interested to see what comes next.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/the-wicked-lies-of-habren-faire-by-anna-fiteni/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=reviews&p=152215