The Falconer

Debutante, heiress, murderer… Aileana Kameron has not been quite the same lady she was the night her mother died. Whilst she must keep up the act during society gatherings and due her duty by her father, she is also battle the fae and hunt down the creature who murdered her mother.

I was looking forward to The Falconer; it has evil fae, high society and a kick ass cover but it didn’t quite meet the mark for me. Kam doesn’t put up much of a fight against the rules of society she hates so much. She runs round killing fae but she is still so, so concerned about her reputation. She has a good moan about it but I can’t recall a single thing she did to try and rectify it. I wanted her story to have some bearing on the way women had zero choices but it was much more about the action. Which is great if you like action fuelled books. Me, not so much. Not when there’s all this potential.

Set in Edinburgh in 1844, I wanted an atmospheric backdrop. Unfortunately, May relies too much on describing places by their street names, names that are still in use today. They were too familiar for me not to imagine the modern city and there wasn’t enough Victorian description to help offset that in my head. The only real period detail was the harsh rules for women.

I liked Catherine, Kam’s lifelong friend, who in her small part had more spine against her peers than Kam. I also liked Derrick, the mischievous pixie who lives in her closet and likes to get drunk on honey. The supporting male characters were a little bit clichéd and I felt the lady did protest too much. Too much denial can definitely make a plotline seem obvious.

The end was both sudden and confusing. I’m not entirely sure what happened and it was the kind of abruptness that leaves you checking for missing chapters. But, it was enjoyable enough to reach the end.

If The Falconer sounds more like your thing, it’s published by Gollancz and is available now in hardback and ebook editions. Thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

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Also reviewed @ Wondrous Reads | Winged Reviews

Shelve next to: Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman and Soulless by Gail Carriger

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free of charge for review purposes only. Receipt of a book does not guarantee a review or endorsement. My reviews are my honest opinion and are not biased for the purpose of personal gain.