The Falconer (The Falconer #1)by Elizabeth MayReview Copy: ARC
Length: 148 pages
Published: April 12th 2016 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: ★★★★
Synopsis: One girl's nightmare is this girl's faery tale
She's a stunner.Edinburgh, 1844. Eighteen-year-old Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, has everything a girl could dream of: brains, charm, wealth, a title—and drop-dead beauty.
She's a liar.But Aileana only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. she's leading a double life: She has a rare ability to sense the sìthíchean—the faery race obsessed with slaughtering humans—and, with the aid of a mysterious mentor, has spent the year since her mother died learning how to kill them.
She's a murderer.Now Aileana is dedicated to slaying the fae before they take innocent lives. With her knack for inventing ingenious tools and weapons—from flying machines to detonators to lightning pistols—ruthless Aileana has one goal: Destroy the faery who destroyed her mother.
She's a Falconer.The last in a line of female warriors born with a gift for hunting and killing the fae, Aileana is the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity. Suddenly, her quest is a lot more complicated. She still longs to avenge her mother's murder—but she'll have to save the world first.
The first volume of a trilogy from an exciting new voice in young adult fantasy, this electrifying thriller combines romance and action, steampunk technology and Scottish lore in a deliciously addictive read.

REVIEW

Are you a Sarah J. Maas fan jonesing for your next fix of stunning, kick-ass killing machine? Well, do I have a treat for you!

I picked up this book for a couple of reasons: one, the beautiful cover (the original one, the new one is pretty too); and two, the premise sounded a bit like a historical fantasy version of the Fever series by Karen Moning - a big favourite of mine. I'm probably not the first person to instantly get Fever vibes when I saw that the main character has the rare ability to sense Fae, but once I started reading, the Fever comparisons stopped and I found enough original material to concentrate solely on what I was reading.

The Falconer introduces us to our fantastic heroine, Aileana, who's seeking vengeance for the death of her mother at the hands of the Fae. She's ruthless in the extreme (which is where my recommendation for Maas fans comes in!) and will stop at nothing, killing every Fae she comes across. The story was fast-paced and engaging, and introduced several other characters that I fell instantly in love with.

The highlight for me was the developing relationship between Aileana and another pivotal character, a mentor of sorts. It was incredibly enticing and I only want more from that direction. I also loved the setting of historical Scotland and the steampunk elements sprinkled on top only brought more ingenuity to the already stimulating plot.

I do recommend having the next book, The Vanishing Throne, handy and to just read them back-to-back as the ending of this first book leaves a lot up in the air.