August 3, 2015
Blending a faux-historical recounting with avant garde sensibilities in the form of rapid shifts in tense and perspective, this coming-of-age fantasy is set against the backdrop of a war-torn city where little hope remains. Amid a war fought between gnomes and fairies, Beckan, Scraps, Cricket, and Josha are the only four fairies left in the city of Ferrum. The self-styled pack ekes out a living thanks to prostitution, secure in the knowledge that the war won't touch them more than it already hasâuntil Cricket is killed, eaten by gnomes. They are joined in the search for the remaining pieces of Cricket's body by Rig and Tier, both gnomes, and Piccolo, a "tightroper" who fights for the fairies. Despite the horrors of the adult war being fought around them, they attempt to forge a new pack and try to make sense of the massive changes. The abrupt changes in tense and point of view lend the narrative the chaotic feeling of a fever dream, while the edgier elements of this survival story (prostitution, cannibalism, etc.) feel glossed over. Ages 14âup. Agent: John Cusick, Greenhouse Literary Agency.
June 1, 2015
When war broke out a year ago in the fairy city of Ferrum, its inhabitants, except for four young rebellious fairies, fled in search of a safer home. Now, a cease-fire has been declared, but tensions still run high among the combatants: the fairies; the gnomes, who work for the fairies in exchange for edible fairy body parts; and the invading tightropers, a species that swings about the city via ropes they spin in their mouths. In order to maintain peace in Ferrum, teen fairy Beckan Moloy and her remaining fairy friends form an unlikely alliance with gnomes and a tightroper. With Ferrum, Moskowitz has built a vividly gritty fairy realm and populated it with a richly diverse cast of characters, but the narrative can be confusing. Third-person past-tense narration alternates with third-person present, and it is peppered with remarks from an intrusive narrator. Only about two-thirds of the way into the novel do readers find out that the story is one fairy's chronicle of the war through Beckan's eyes, interspersed with asides. Though initially disconcerting, these trenchant asides are often quite endearing: "Shit, what the fuck am I even doing? What kind of history book doesn't have a map?" the narrator laments early on. In spite of its narrative unevenness, this novel of friendship, love, and fighting for one's beliefs should find a place among fans of the modern fairy story. (Fantasy. 15-18)
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August 1, 2015
Gr 10 Up-Beckan Moloy, 16, is a fairy who lives with three boys in Ferrum, an old fairy city. At one point, the fairies and gnomes live together harmoniously (even though the gnomes often snack on fairies) until war erupts, destroying the city. To survive, Beckan and her friend Scrap resort to prostitution-they have sex with the same gnomes who might eat them. After the fairies are liberated by the tightropers, a strange group of people who live in spun webs above the city buildings, Beckan imagines life will go back to normal. Then she meets Piccolo, a tightroper who has his own ideas about liberation and political power. Peace may not come as easily to Ferrum as Beckan hopes. There are no magical, ethereal, or sinister fairy qualities that readers might expect in this kingdom. Moskowitz employs an unusual storytelling format, where an unseen narrator is writing the first draft of Beckan's story. Unfortunately, this makes for a disjointed narrative and teens will struggle to make sense of the time line. In addition, characters are introduced without backstory, making context and rereads necessary. Still, the author's talent is evident as she ambitiously tackles complex themes of violence, sexual awakening, politics, and even infertility, although her message might be lost on some readers. VERDICT Add this to your collection for teens who are looking for a unique, albeit untidy, reading experience about the fae.-Kimberly Garnick Giarratano, Rockaway Township Public Library, NJ
Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 1, 2015
Grades 10-1 Beckan, Scrap, and Josha are the only fairies left in Ferrum. All the others have been eaten or blown up in the war between the tightropers and the gnomes. To make ends meet, Beckan and Scrap regularly turn tricks in the mines with the gnomes, and in the process, they befriend Tier, the son of the late gnome king, who ate Josha's boyfriend. The plot, however, matters less than the chaotic narrative style, made up of Scrap's obsessive, floundering attempts to capture an accurate, purely objective history of the war. His frustrated interjections and false starts and Tier's scribbly illustrations unsettle the story and, almost ironically, imbue the account with intense feeling. He soon finds that he is lousy at documentary, and eventually the line between fact and fiction muddies. Moskowitz's thick, sultry, lyrical language builds a strong sense of atmosphere and, in stark contrast to the fantasy setting, delivers clear, viciously realistic examinations of the aftermath of war. While some readers will likely be baffled, others will deeply appreciate this rich, off-kilter snarl of a story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2016
The arrival of creatures called tightropers in ancient fairy city Ferrum escalates tension between fairies and gnomes into out-and-out war. Beckan, a fairy girl, strikes uneasy alliances with gnome prince Tier, his fiancie Rig, and tightroper boy Piccolo. Reminiscent of Holly Black and Laini Taylor, this gritty fantasy/war story is also an exploration of love in many forms and creating a family of choice.
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)