Fairy Keeper by Amy Bearce Review

Fairy Keeper by Amy Bearce

Read: EPUB Courtesy of NetGalley
Publishing: Curiosity Quills Press on March 5, 2014

     Forget cute fairies in pretty dresses. In the world of Aluvia, most fairies are more like irritable, moody insects. Almost everyone in the world of Aluvia views the fairy keeper mark as a gift, but not fourteen-year-old Sierra. She hates being a fairy keeper, but the birthmark is right there on the back of her neck. It shows everyone she was born with the natural ability to communicate, attract, and even control the tiny fairies whose nectar is amazingly powerful. Fairy nectar can heal people, but it is also a key ingredient in synthesizing Flight, an illegal elixir that produces dreaminess, apathy and hallucinations. She’s forced to care for a whole hive of the bee-like beasties by her Flight-dealing, dark alchemist father.
     Then one day, Sierra discovers the fairies of her hatch are mysteriously dead. The fairy queen is missing. Her father’s Flight operation is halted, and he plans to make up for the lost income by trading her little sister to be an elixir runner for another dark alchemist, a dangerous thug. Desperate to protect her sister, Sierra convinces her father she can retrieve the lost queen and get his operation up and running.
     The problem? Sierra’s queen wasn't the only queen to disappear. They’re all gone, every single one, and getting them back will be deadly dangerous.
     Sierra journeys with her best friend and her worst enemy -- assigned by her father to dog her every step -- to find the missing queens. Along the way, they learn that more than just her sister’s life is at stake if they fail. There are secrets in the Skyclad Mountains where the last wild fairies were seen. The magic Sierra finds there has the power to transform their world, but only if she can first embrace her calling as a fairy keeper.

          When I began this book, I realized it was about fairies. Seriously, after reading the first page?!?! I know, I'm clueless... I really don't like reading books about fairies/the fae because these creatures are always portrayed as a beautiful, majestic magical beings. Their mischievous and I find them really pesky. The way they're always portrayed gets really old and I don't find them interesting.
          The first part of this books was really boring. It's about a girl, who is SUPER possessive protective of her younger sister. She complains about many things from her job to her abusive, terrible, evil father.
          After the death of fairies, her father's illegal drug business is halted. He doesn't have any choice, but to trade his younger daughter to a fellow man in his business as a Dark Alchemist.
          Being the protective sibling Sierra [protagonist] is, she bargains with her father. She promises to go on a journey to find another/her fairy queen.
          She goes on a journey with her best guy friend [Corbin] and a girl [Nell], that works with her father. The girls don't get along. They fight/have feelings for Corbin.

          They continue their journey and Sierra meets Mr. Tumnus.

          After "Mister Tumnus" Micah appears, that's when the story becomes interesting. Whiny characters are gone, everyone has a partner...yay...

          Sierra is a bitchy character. But, she goes through a transformation and becomes very likable. Thanks Tumnus! Speaking of Tumnus, I found him really creepy. There was slight insta-love in his relationship with Sierra. He reminded me of an overgrown, hot, buff, faun-baby-man. It scares me that I pictured him a book boyfriend material.... There isn't much to say about Corbin, other than he's quite feminine at times. This is a good thing, surprisingly, because his relationship will be balanced. There was some sort of a "role reversal" in his relationship. It was different, but not super enjoyable to read.

          Even though the beginning was very slow and boring, the writing is beautiful/great. The world building is great. The writing is very descriptive and it flowed well. The ending is quite muddled in my head because I sped through it yesterday. But, this book was pretty good.