After reading American author India Drummond’s Ordinary Angels, we at For Books’ Sake were very excited to get our paws on her next offering. And I’m pleased to announce that Blood Faerie, the first of the Caledonia Fae Trilogy, does not disappoint.

Set in Drummond’s adopted hometown of Perth, Blood Faerie opens with a bang – a gruesome murder, leaving its victim without a heart, takes place outside an abandoned church.

This murder is witnessed by Eilidh, an outcast faerie (that’s fairy to you and me) living in the church and sets in motion a series of events that will change a number of lives – both human and fae.

Most importantly, it brings together Eilidh and PC Quinton Munro, a local police officer with a rather unfortunate habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time when it comes to stumbling across murder victims, much like Miss Marple. Eilidh, having recognised the murder as having been carried out by one of her own, enlists Quinton’s help to bring the blood faerie, Cridhe, to justice.

Echoes of a supernatural take on Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy abound throughout. Eilidh is a long term outcast – rejected from her fae home because she is different to other faeries – and bears more than a passing resemblance to Lisbeth Salander.

At the tender age of 125 (a mere teenager in fae terms), she isn’t big on interacting with people but is thrust into the human world at a frightening pace because of the maniacal actions of one of her fellow mythical being. Her twenty-odd years in exile have given her a hardcore outer shell, leaving her less Tinkerbell and more Tank Girl (with added supernatural powers and curly ears).

Munro, for his part, is as unwilling a participant as Larsson’s Mikael Blomkvist yet finds himself drawn to this strange creature who doesn’t share his world. As the pair race to stop Cridhe from killing again, they learn more about themselves and develop a connection that is deeper than simply a shared cause of stopping a killer (and slightly unhinged) faerie.

This novel has a lot going for it. There is tension and evident culture clashes with a splash of romance thrown in for good measure. Drummond brings her characters to life in an easily accessible manner and shows an effortless creativity in weaving the fae and human worlds together.

Along the way, Drummond takes the time to explain fae culture and druidic rituals in a subtle non-patronising manner that makes it all the more entertaining to read. In short, Blood Faerie is a good, easy-to-read romp with a solid story line that will appeal to a large proportion of fantasy lovers.

Blood Faerie is out now and you can get your e-copy on Amazon for £2.12.

Rating: 4/5

Recommended for: Fantasy fans looking for a new series to get their teeth into.

Other recommended reading: For outcast heroines and reluctant heroes, try Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

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