The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There

Author: Catherynne M. Valente, Ana Juan (Illustrator)
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Todd

Summary: September has longed to return to Fairyland after her first adventure there. And when she finally does, she learns that its inhabitants have been losing their shadows—and their magic—to the world of Fairyland Below. This underworld has a new ruler: Halloween, the Hollow Queen, who is September’s shadow. And Halloween does not want to give Fairyland’s shadows back…

Review: A wonderful read and a delightful sequel with as much appeal and sparkle as a jeweled star under an earthen ceiling sky. Our omniscient narrator is still as engaging and playful as she leads us through September’s long journey; and wishes she could spare September the pain her story and new vulnerable heart will bring her. And September’s story will have pain, for she will have to travel into the wild and untamed shadow of Fairyland. The subtle joy of this story is that for a young reader it can be an introduction to the archetype of what a Shadow is; the wild and dreaming side of you. That while at the core your shadow is still you, it is the part that would be buried away and thus is their antithesis. September learns that lesson well as she encounters the shadows of her dearest friends and a cruel foe, but it is only with all her knowledge painfully won that she can find the answer to save everyone. I must implore that this book be read and suggested to anyone with even the barest bud of a love for fantasy.