Module 8: Bones of Faerie

Module 8 provided an introduction to fantasy and science fiction books for children and young adults.  One of the novels I read for this module was Bones of Faerie, written by Janni Lee Simner.  This book fits firmly in the "fantasy" category, and could also be considered dystopian in nature.

Image credit: http://www.simner.com/bonesoffaerie/

Bones of Faerie is the first in a series of novels about Liza, a girl living in a seemingly post-apocalyptic town somewhere in North America.  Before Liza was born, there was a war between humans and the faeries, and ever since any person with a hint of magic about them has been killed, in order to "save" the rest of the people living there.  Liza ultimately discovers that she has magical abilities and runs away, knowing that her father will have her killed.  When she escapes, she learns that not every town is like her own, which raises a lot of questions for her.  She goes on a journey to find her mother, who ran away from home after Liza's younger sister was killed at birth for appearing magical.

This book was very interesting, and I really liked the tone and writing style employed by Simner.  I think this book would be very popular with young adult readers, since post-apocalyptic, dystopian, and supernatural elements are very hot among teens right now.  I enjoyed the fantasy elements and relationships that were included in the story because they seemed more "realistic" than other books written for this age group in recent years.

Ian Chipman of Booklist wrote the following review of the novel:
"Simner’s first novel for YAs is an attention-catching twist of two piping-hot speculative scenarios—a postapocalyptic-wasteland journey layered upon a faerie-world-intruding-upon-our-own setup... Simner’s world-building leans heavily on atmospherics in lieu of specifics, and the foggy descriptions of magic are even tougher to get a handle on. But the mood is strikingly dark, and questions regarding humankind’s tendency toward suspicion and xenophobia will loom large in readers’ minds. Much information is frustratingly withheld from both Liza and the reader, and many questions are left unanswered, but this will still garner a share of fans for its unusual and unsettling vision of a magically dystopian future.

I feel like this book is best suited for individual reading, but it could also be used in a fantasy book club setting.  I will be discussing this and the first of several other fantasy series in a book talk later this week, so I'm very interested to see what the seventh grade set will think about the story line.

References:
Chipman, I.  (2008).  Bones of Faerie.  Booklist, 105(7), 41.

Simner, J.L.  (2009).  Bones of Faerie.  NY: Random House.