Book Review: Trailer Park Fae

Trailer Park Fae

By:  Lilith Saintcrow

Publish Date:  June 23, 2015

Format:  Print, 309 pgs

Genre:  Urban Fantasy

Series:  1st in Gallow & Ragged series

Impression:  Jeremiah Gallow is finally out from the intricate world of Sidhe. Or his he? Robin Ragged is working to save herself and a young boy while the Sidhe come down with the black plague.

Synopsis:
New York Times bestselling author Lilith Saintcrow returns to dark fantasy with a new series where the fairy world inhabits diners, dive bars and trailer parks.

Jeremiah Gallow is just another construction worker, and that's the way he likes it. He's left his past behind, but some things cannot be erased. Like the tattoos on his arms that transform into a weapon, or that he was once closer to the Queen of Summer than any half-human should be. Now the half-sidhe all in Summer once feared is dragged back into the world of enchantment, danger, and fickle fae—by a woman who looks uncannily like his dead wife. Her name is Robin, and her secrets are more than enough to get them both killed. A plague has come, the fullborn-fae are dying, and the dark answer to Summer's Court is breaking loose.

Be afraid, for Unwinter is riding...

First Sentence:
Summer, soft green hills and shaded dells, lay breathless under a pall of smoky apple-blossom dusk.

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My Thoughts and Summary:
*I requested this book for review from the publisher.

Robin is sent to pick up the cure for the black boil plague, that's making the full-blooded Sidhe sick, from Summer's mortal pet scientist. Robin is scurrying through the gates into the mortal world as those that hunt this season are the Unseelie Hunters, and they have scented her trail. Jeremiah never expected to see his mortal love to walk into the tavern five years after her death. Jeremiah rushes to help her, and draws attention to himself. Now the Sidhe he has hidden from are looking for him to return once again. First Robin must retrieve the cure from another while staying out of the Unseelie Hunters grasps. She's curious of the man who's come to her rescue, unneeded. But she has plans, to make a deal for something she holds dear to her with the Queen with the cure she carries.

Where do I start? I'm taken with this story as a whole. The characters are one with the story. Their actions are based on what's happening around them and what they feel their only choices are. The story helps drives them. The style of the writing fits the setting and creation of the world. The book is a complete package for the fey style!

Has Lilith taken speaking lessons from the Fey? From Shakespeare? We get the full affect of Sidhe and their sideways ways. When she is writing the Sidhe speaking or thinking sections I'm blown away with the magnificent structure of her sentences. The double sided blade of each word is present. You can find the truth somewhere in what they are saying. Her descriptions are complete and told while giving the feel of the characters in the moment. Lilith uses items and ways to describe things that are new and not repeated in books around. I loved this and looked forward to the interaction of characters with each other and their surroundings.

I can, however, can see some struggling with the style of the writing, but I think Lilith has carried the style through with the backward ways of the Sidhe. When I first started I wasn't ready for the Sidhe's ways. I paused, reoriented my thinking, and dove in to follow Gallow and Ragged through their adventures. The writing style is one that demands my full attention to catch the meaning in the words. I'm one who enjoys a book I need to pay attention to.

Lilith has blended current with old in this fascinating tale. She's taken the old fae characters we know and twisted them with the current ways of the world. The story circles around the sidhe growing sick, one by one. The half fae are safe. Each character has their own motives and what they are trying to achieve through the story. These motives and actions draw Jeremiah and Robin together.

Jeremiah Gallow is one of the half fae. Gallow has 'tattoos' on his arms, but they are no tribal sign. I love the tattoos and their purpose. Those 'tattoos' are powerful and a weapon bestowed on him from dwarven ink. He carries his weapons with him at all times. Robin Ragged is another half fae. Her power is in her voice, and Puck needs her. There's a young boy in Summer's grasps that she wishes to save, and Robin will do about anything to do just that.

This is not a romance read. This is straight up fey and urban fantasy. There are fights and running. There are also twists and turns, as there is with Fey, to who is doing what.

I loved reading this book as the actions of the characters fall in line with their needs as they are forced to do what they feel is their only choice under the pressure of the Sidhe. There is action and mayhem. Puck is up to his no good deeds, as always. Summer is as demanding and eye catching as ever. Unwinter is as bold and cold as expected. Robin has learned from the best to play a portion of the game to get what she wants. And Jeremiah is stuck in the middle of them all.

There has to be more to come with Jeremiah Gallow and Robin Ragged. I am looking forward to it!