Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer [NOOK Book]

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Overview

Magpie Windwitch is not like other faeries, most of whom live in tranquil seclusion. When she learns that escaped devils are creeping back into the world, she travels all over with her faithful clan of crows, hunting them down. The hunt will take her to the great forest of Dreamdark, where she must unravel the mystery of the worst enemy her folk have ever known. Can one small, determined faerie defeat the forces that threaten to unmake the world?
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More About This Book

Overview

Magpie Windwitch is not like other faeries, most of whom live in tranquil seclusion. When she learns that escaped devils are creeping back into the world, she travels all over with her faithful clan of crows, hunting them down. The hunt will take her to the great forest of Dreamdark, where she must unravel the mystery of the worst enemy her folk have ever known. Can one small, determined faerie defeat the forces that threaten to unmake the world?

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

In Taylor's debut fantasy, humans are unknowingly releasing demons into the world-demons trapped in bottles 25,000 years ago by armies of faeries. Young faerie Magpie Windwitch, whose grandfather is the West Wind and whose role in the emerging conflict seems ominously important, works to put those demons back into the bottles that held them for so long. It's a tough job, especially since the seven Djinn that created the world and all of its creatures (except, of course, humans) went into hiding 4,000 years ago. A particularly nasty demon, the Blackbringer, seems determined to attack Dreamdark, the place the world was created; Magpie and her faithful band of crows head there to warn the sleeping Djinn, Magruwen, that one of his fellow immortals has already been killed by the Blackbringer. But Magruwen has grown weary of the world; in a perfectly rendered scene, Magpie has to reason with an idle god and convince him that the world is worth saving. "Sure the past can't be undone, but it can be forgiven.... How much finer will it be to build a new age on forgiveness than on anguish?" There's a hint of darkness to Taylor's setting, which belies its origin (she originally conceived her creatures for a line of faerie-themed greeting cards and ornaments). It's a fresh take on a well-worn milieu, and the author's knack for faerie dialogue, replete with its own interjections, clichés and turns of phrase, makes for engaging escapism. Ages 10-up. (June)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
KLIATT
Ever since one incredibly clever devil granted three wishes to the humans who freed him from his fairy prison, Magpie Windwitch's work has grown exponentially. No fairy would be foolish enough to uncork the spelled silver bottles found floating in the ocean, but now that humans have begun to do so en masse, it has become apparent that no fairy, save Magpie, is brave enough to leave Dreamdark forest in order to track down and recapture the devils once they have been let loose. Magpie's already difficult mission is complicated considerably when she finds an uncorked bottle bearing the seal of the Magruwen, the king of the seven powerful Djinn who dreamed the entire world into existence before mysteriously disappearing several hundred years ago. In its wake, the newly freed devil leaves only traces of darkness, a memory of hunger, and—unthinkably—a dead Djinn called the Vritra. The tapestry of the world begins to unravel with Vritra's death, and it is up to Magpie to save not only the Magruwen, but also the very existence of her race. Taylor's book is one of those remarkable works of storytelling in which the sheer merit of the plot and characters will draw in readers of any age or skill level, despite the fact that it is not as challenging as typical adult fiction. Magpie herself is incredibly intelligent, slightly uncouth, and utterly charming; being approximately 100 years old, she also is not limited in her appeal to any specific age group. The story itself is strikingly similar to Fern Gully (1992, animated), with a dark force trying to destroy fairy woods and a magical matronly figure intervening, but Taylor improves on the story so substantially that even jadedfantasy readers will find this to be a satisfying breath of fresh air.
More Reviews (3) Fewer Reviews
VOYA
At the time that the Djinn created all things, seven champions captured all the devils in bottles and cast them to sea. The bottles were secured by spells that nothing then alive could undo. One millennium later, humans appeared. No faerie knew how or why, but "mannies" began undoing what the champions had fought to contain, and now devils are on the loose again. Magpie Windwitch is an elemental faerie. She is the granddaughter of the West Wind and the only devil-hunting faerie in Dreamdark. She and her band of crows are hunting the worst devil of all, Black Bringer, whose hunger knows no limit and whose goal is to suffocate the world created by the Djinn. Taylor creates a familiar world using magical creatures with which readers will identify: faeries, imps, dragons, and magical animals. Like many unsuspecting heroes, Magpie uncovers truths about her past, secrets about her world, and steps into a leadership role that she never meant to hold. She becomes a savior for her world simply by being sincere, industrious, and morally driven. Taylor drives the story forward by slowly teasing the reader with twists and turns in the plot. What seems to be a story about a devil-hunting faerie turns gradually into more, and never does the narrative feel contrived to reach the end. Magpie's heroic accomplishment is not achieved alone, nor is it accomplished without mistakes along the way. Teen readers will identify with this faerie's humanness.
Children's Literature
An engaging book from a new author, this good vs. evil story will be welcomed by fantasy lovers. The main character, Magpie Windwitch, is a courageous and resilient heroine who takes on the daunting task of defeating the devil, Blackbringer, and saving the known world. Blackbringer is an especially potent devil that was imprisoned in a bottle many years ago before there were any humans. Now, humans keep opening any old bottles they find in the sea, and each time a devil is released. This keeps the entire faery population busy, but Blackbringer is a particularly vile devil with the power to unmake the world. Magpie, granddaughter of the West Wind, enlists the help of Magruwen, most powerful of all the elementals to defeat and recapture Blackbringer. An underlying theme of the book also has to do with the importance of keeping the old stories alive. It is the forgetting of these stories that leads to the forgetting of the deep truths. The book is long (437 pages), has many characters, a complex plot, and many subtle themes making it a book for proficient readers, but for the fantasy-loving child who likes a challenge, this book will be a fine read. Reviewer: Sheryl O'Sullivan
Kirkus Reviews
Featuring both an uncommonly well-conceived setting and buckets of high-energy action, Taylor's debut tale of a thumb-sized devil hunter who comes this close to meeting her match belongs at the top of everyone's fantasy must-read list. Having discovered that ignorant humans are actually releasing brutish devils from the enchanted bottles into which they had been forced 25,000 years ago, young Magpie Windwitch has set herself to flitting about the planet with a bevy of ageless crows to recapture them. But devil number 24 turns out to be a different sort of proposition altogether-a shapeless mass of darkness and hatred that "uncreates" its victims and is out to unweave the warp and weft of the world itself. By the time devil and hunter have squared off in Dreamdark, a bespelled wood that hides the last great Faerie settlement, 'Pie has discovered that she has more abilities, and a role to play in larger events, than she had ever dreamed. Taylor carries her Faerie world well beyond its recognizably Victorian base, and crafts a memorably clever, intrepid insect-winged heroine to save it. (Fantasy. 11-13)

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781101099513
  • Publisher: Penguin Group US
  • Publication date: 6/21/2007
  • Sold by: Penguin Group
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 368
  • Sales rank: 272,343
  • Series: Faeries of Dreamdark Ser.
  • File size: 873 KB

Meet the Author

Laini Taylor
Laini Taylor
Laini Taylor has a successful line of faerie ornaments and greeting cards through her creation, Laini's Ladies. Blackbringer is her first novel. She lives with her husband, the artist Jim Di Bartolo, in Portland, Oregon.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 14 )

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Sort by: Showing all of 14 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 28, 2011

    I really loved this book of all the books l've read its one of the best!

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  • Posted May 18, 2011

    Loved it!

    Simply put, I loved this book! Please write more then the two in the series!!!

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  • Posted April 13, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

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    Tough Cookies

    This book was amazing! Not only did the characters interact beautifully and naturally, they were all well developed. The story was also very well developed, with no gaps and intriguing details. The fairies aren't all the fluffy, flowery fairies we've known, nor are they the evil tricksters of the older tails. It's the in between the two, more of a spicy, sweet fairy. I can't wait to see where this series goes!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 2, 2009

    I Also Recommend:

    9781410411280 9780385733571

    Would read again!

    I loved this story! I couldn't put it down. I will definitely check out other books by this author.

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  • Posted October 28, 2008

    more from this reviewer

    Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com

    I have read many books about fairies this year but this was the best of the lot. Okay, while I was reading the others I thought the same thing, but this book was a stand out!

    Magpie is a fairy who is a devil catcher. Humans have been letting them out to plague the world. She is the only one who has the ability to make the glyphs to rid the world of these foul beings. She finds that a new devil, one who is different and scarier than the rest, has been let out, as well.

    She tracks him down in Dreamdark, the home of the fairies. His name is Blackbringer. He is going to destroy the whole world by unraveling the tapestry and swallowing the world into darkness and shadow. Through many adventures, Mags and her crows and a few other fairies wake up a Djinn, fight many frightful devils, and find out the true history of Dreamdark and the birth of Magpie.

    I was fascinated with the mythology that has been invented for this book. The world was dreamed by the powerful Djinns and there used to be many creatures in this world that have been hunted out of existence by humans. BLACKBRINGER was a delightful read full of roller-coaster adventures and surprises. I sure hope Laini Taylor writes more about Magpie, the crows, Poppy, Talon, and the Magruwen.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 11, 2008

    This is one of the best books I have read in forever!

    I love all fantasy books though this is one of my favorites ever!!!! It has phrophecy and action and friendships that you would follow to the ends of the earth (and in this case to infinity) which are all my favorite elements of fantasy adventure (mythical creatures too, especially faeries and dragons!! Anyone who picks this book up won't be able to set it down!!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 2, 2007

    A reviewer

    Oh boy,she better write a sequel.This book is now one of my favorites.(just finished it 3 minutes ago) unlike a lot of stories with strong tiny little faeries saving the world,this book was unique!i found that the ideas were completely original,and thats saying something because i have read at least a quarter of all good fantasy books.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 15, 2007

    Great Fantasy

    I really loved `Blackbringer¿. The characters are wonderful and the fantasy world beautiful. There is a great balance of both light and dark in the story, enough to give it some real substance. It says ages 9-12 but I think that anyone who enjoys fantasy will love this book. There is a hint of romance but since it is geared towards a younger audience there is nothing more than a few looks and light flirtation. There is also a relatively dark scene with a devil that kind of creeped me out. But for the most part things are kept light and geared towards adventure. This is a great fantasy no matter what age you are.

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    Posted May 5, 2010

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    Posted August 25, 2009

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    Posted April 9, 2011

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