The Secret of the Dread Forest by Gillian Summers

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Urban Fantasy; Fairy, The Faire Fold Trilogy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: Now that she has (sort of) defeated a diabolical elf, Keelie Heartwood reluctantly joins her father in the Dread Forest. Her “real” friends are gone, her dad I preoccupied with his responsibilities as Lord of the Forest, and now it seems that her budding romance with Sean is dashed. Except for her impossible guardian cat Knot, and Alora, a demanding and bratty little princess tree, Keelie has no one to hang with – unless you count that nasty elf-girl Elia, who suddenly wants to be Keelie’s friend. Meanwhile, an age-old rift in Keelie’s family and among the elves reaches a dangerous climax as humans and dark magical forces alike encroach on the elves’ enchanted realm. The fate of the Dread Forest – and all who dwell within it – lies in Keelie’s hands.

This story at first had me trying to figure out what was going on, as there where so many different things happening at the same time. I felt bad for Keelie as she struggled with being alone and some changes to her powers. Her finding that she is also part faire was very cool. This forest is darker then the others but it was good that she got to meet Jake. He tries to save her from going to the dark side. And I love the jokes about that thrown in like the shirt that said, “Come to the Darkside we have cookies.” The imagery in this puts you there right alongside the characters. Which just makes it that much better of a story. I loved Gillian Summers’ writing and find that I couldn’t seem to get enough of this trilogy. I look forward to seeing where she is going to take Keelie in the next part of this saga in Shadows of the Redwood from the  Scions of Shadow Trilogy.

Publisher: Flux

ISBN: 0738714119

Pages: 288

Series: The Faire Folk

Volume: 3

Into the Wildwood by Gillian Summers

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Urban Fantasy; Fairy, The Faire Fold Trilogy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: After squelching an evil plot by a rotten fair, Keelie Heartwood is ready for fun at the upcoming Wildwood renaissance Faire. Getting to know her elf dad has been great, but camping out in his homemade RV while acting out the 16th century isn’t so fab. Keelie prefers hot showers and wearing a watch, thankyouverymuch. And a cool new cell phone would be nice, too. But with fairies turning up in the oddest places, an unfortunate misunderstanding about a credit card bill, and that nasty, stuck-up elf-girl, Elia, Keelie’s plans to have a good time are all but ruined. So far, life as an elf isn’t all that enchanting…And then the unicorn shows up.

With this second story we get to see a lot more magic. Keelie’s friend from California comes to stay with them for a while. But things aren’t going very well for Keelie. Sean is in Florida and hasn’t contacted Keelie once. Then her dad gets sick from what is happening to the trees. The way the story is written just pulls you in. You get wrapped up in who is after the unicorn, which is everyone. The friendships that Keelie has get tested but also strengthened. I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Secret of the Dread Forest.

Publisher: Flux

ISBN: 0738713325

Pages: 312

Series: The Faire Folk

Volume: 2

The Tree Shepherd’s Daughter by Gillian Summers

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Urban Fantasy; Fairy, The Faire Fold Trilogy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: Keelie Heartwood was a typical California girl. Unless you count: An “allergy “ to wood, Her freaky boot-wearing cat, Conversations with trees, Attacking fairies, one strangely pointed ear. When her mother dies, fifteen-year-old Keelie Heartwood is forced to leave her beloved California to live with her nomadic father at a renaissance festival in Colorado. Playacting the Dark Ages is an L.A. girl’s worst nightmare. Keelie has a plans to ditch this medieval geekland ASAP, but while she plots, strange things begin to happen – eerie, yet familiar. Some of the festival dwellers have ears just like her, including the hottest guy on a horse, Sean o’ the Wood. When Keelie starts seeing fairies and communicating with trees, she knows her dad has some explaining to do.

Keelie starts off hating everything about going to Colorado, and having to deal with a father she believes ditched her. As the story goes on she discovers just how wrong she is about a lot of aspects of her life. I love this story as I have been a part of the whole Renaissance festival both as a participant and as someone who just enjoys them. And as I spent my summers growing up in Colorado, I have been to their festival there. So I found it quite fun remembering all the places that are talked about in this book. I love Sean and Keelie’s interaction, and how they are so uncertain of one another. This book is brilliantly written. I loves how Keelie is learning not only about this new world around her but also herself and what she is capable of. Looking forward to see where this series goes in the next book, Into the Wildewood.

Publisher: Flux

ISBN: 0738710814

Pages: 336

Series: The Faire Folk

Volume: 1