Book Review: Faery Sight by Patricia Bossano

It isn't easy being a teenager, especially when you're a human princess living in the faery realm. Celeste yearns to truly belong there, and is ready to relinquish her human identity, but startling revelations from her dying mother expose shocking truths and impede her plans.

Struggling to come to terms with her birthright, Celeste must find her place between worlds while exacting revenge against the evil sorceress who wronged her parents.

Faery Sight is the unforgettable story of navigating the challenges of growing up, embracing your individuality and choosing your own path, even if that means facing a daunting enemy.

GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy Romance

PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Although born in California, Patricia grew up in Ecuador, South America, where her parents are from. She returned to the United States in the mid 1980’s and until the time came for her to follow her heart and write full time, she developed a corporate career in International Sales Operations.

Due to her young family commandeering her time in the 90's, her professional pursuits shifted toward the flexibility of freelance translating, interpreting and teaching (English and Spanish) before a re-entry into the corporate world for one last ten-year stint.

At present, she is a full-time artisanal wordsmith and the managing editor of WaterBearer Press, where they approach publishing one dream at a time.

The Faerie Legacy Series (Faery Sight, Cradle Gift, and Nahia) is a gift to the girls and women in her family. It was through their support and encouragement that her dreams of publication became a reality. She credits them with shaping her life, and their influence, beauty, experiences and personalities are solidly behind the magical realism of, not just, Faery Sight but of all her philosophical fictions.

Review

Faery Sight might be a classic fairytale, but it was told in a way I didn't quite expect. First there was a lot of focus on the faery realm, which I thought was delightful. Not just the setting, but also their culture and traditions. And even if this was technically a fantasy romance, complete with the alternating POV and HEA, a great deal of emphasis was put on the protagonist's relationships with the other characters, most especially her mother and her best friend. I liked that!

I liked most of the characters, too. Celeste and Nahia might come off as annoying and immature for a good chunk of the time, but aside from this being a YA book, I thought Celeste's upbringing had a lot to do with that. (Plus, we're only in the first book of the series.) It was also refreshing for me that she wasn't just another "strong independent woman who was angry with everybody and didn't need anybody." I like that in some books, but I think I've just read way too much of those already.

I loved Etienne. But I might be biased toward cinnamon roll heroes (a friend and I were just talking about that!) and, like the strong independent FMC, just a little tired of the dark-haired morally gray love interest trend. I also liked how Arantxa was evil and not a villain who had to be redeemed in the end, though I wish we had more of her in action and not her deed just simply being narrated by the other characters.

This was an easy read, but, as I mentioned above, there were times when I felt there was too much telling. I understand that we were limited by being in the POVs of Celeste and Etienne when the story began well before their time, but I guess I would've preferred another way than the other characters just recounting the events (with surprising accuracy, too). Celeste's mother telling her the past as bedtime stories was nice. Though to be fair, I can't think of a way for the others either, past giving the adult characters POVs of their own (which then defeats the point of this being a fantasy romance).

Still, this is a delightful read, and works especially well for pre-teens who just might need some inspiration for their own coming of age.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️