2023
WISE Score
Amazon
A 'cozy' academic fantasy that proves fairies are actually terrifying, told through the journals of a grumpy professor who's better with books than people.
4.3
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If your kid is tired of the 'chosen one' trope and wants a protagonist who solves problems with footnotes and a healthy dose of sarcasm, this is it.
It’s a 'cozy' read with teeth. It’s perfect for the reader who thinks Tinker Bell is too basic and wants something with actual danger and intellectual depth. Just be ready for the faeries to be actual monsters, not garden ornaments. It’s one of those rare books that makes academic research feel like a survival skill.
Best for 13 and up. It’s marketed as adult fantasy, but that’s because the vocabulary is elevated and the tone is mature, not because it’s full of graphic content. Sophisticated middle schoolers will handle it fine.
It's a smart, academic-feeling adventure. While the faeries are more 'Grimm' than 'Disney,' the core of the story is about curiosity, discovery, and a slow-burn respect between colleagues.
The 'encyclopedia' framing and the meticulous world-building of different fae species are top-tier. It captures that feeling of discovering a hidden, dangerous world right next to our own.
It's mostly clean regarding language and sex, but the fae are genuinely threatening. There are unsettling scenes involving changelings and child abduction that could be heavy for younger kids.
The prose is sophisticated and the protagonist is a professional scholar. It rewards readers who enjoy logic, research, and intellectual rigor over simple 'chosen one' tropes.
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