Sunday, November 19, 2023

Book Review: The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill

The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill 
by Rowenna Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


”I thought if I just kept on, I’d eventually get somewhere. But if you choose the wrong path, you’re not going to end up where you wanted to go by charging ahead, are you? You have to stop and turn around sometimes, even if it’s not easy.”

The women in The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill are tough and not easily put down. Thank goodness for that as they live in a time of extreme patriarchy and have to fight for every single small gain they get. The characters and premise that Rowena Miller gives us is brilliant.

Miller has a way with words that always captivated me early on. Sadly it didn’t hold throughout the novel. There is a lull about halfway through, about 75 pages, that felt too repetitive and boring. There didn’t seem to be a large need to show every single bargain made at that point. Thus, sadly when we got to the real fairy interactions portion of the novel it had lost its hold on me. I still enjoyed the last portion and the intricate bargaining with the fairies; but not near as much as I felt I should have.

Miller has not written a plethora of books. This is really only her second world (as her debut was a fantasy trilogy) so perhaps the refinement I desire will come in future stories. I would certainly read another novel by Miller, as I do think she has a true talent in writing. It just may be that a more stringent editor is needed to slice out those repetitive sections that do not serve to move the plot forward.

View all my reviews

1 comment:

Leonore Winterer said...

Interesteing premise, this might be something to pick up if I see it on sale and add to my every-so-slowly (haha) growing collection!