The Falconer (Falconer Series #1)

by Elizabeth May

Overview

"A riveting world, a fierce heroine, and electrifying action—I burned through this sparkling debut!" —Sarah J. Maas, New York Times bestselling author

Edinburgh, 1844. Beautiful Aileana Kameron only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. In fact, she's spent the year since her mother died developing her ability to sense the presence of sìthichean, a faery race bent on slaughtering humans. She has a secret mission: to destroy the faery who murdered her mother. But when she learns she's a Falconer, the last in a line of female warriors and the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity, her quest for revenge gets a whole lot more complicated. Now in paperback, this electrifying thriller—the first volume of a trilogy from an exciting new voice in young adult fantasy—blends romance and action with steampunk technology and Scottish lore in a deliciously addictive read.

Dying for more? Don't worry, you don't have to wait to continue reading! Book two in The Falconer Trilogy, The Vanishing Throne is available now. Book three, The Fallen Kingdom is available for preorder.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452128771
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	12/15/2015
Series:	Elizabeth May's Falconer Series , #1
Pages:	392
Sales rank:	56,226
Product dimensions:	5.75(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.75(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Elizabeth May hails from California and is currently a PhD student in social anthropology at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. An accomplished commercial photographer, who counts many book publishers among her clients, she has also spent time in front of the camera as a model for book jackets, including those for young adults. The Falconer is her first novel.

Editorial Reviews

03/17/2014
In this debut novel, first in a trilogy, May brings to life a steampunk version of Victorian Scotland beset by vicious faeries. Young aristocratic Aileana Kameron has been training to hunt and kill these faeries for the past year, each one—she hopes—bringing her closer to the baobhan sìth that eviscerated her mother. She soon discovers that her bloodlust is no accident: she’s a Falconer, last in a legendary line of faerie hunters. With the most powerful faeries about to break loose from their prison, Aileana has only six days to learn to control her powers. There’s palpable sexual tension between Aileana and her faerie mentor, Kiaran; unfortunately he falls prey to many familiar tropes (he’s a semi-reformed killer who refuses to discuss his past, especially the loss of a past love very much like Aileana). Even so, fans of Gail Carriger’s work in particular should enjoy the combination of steampunk tech and supernatural danger with a multitalented heroine who can hold her against murderous faeries and romantic foils alike. Ages 14–up. Agent: Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Simply put, my favorite YA paranormal this year. A must read!"—New York Times Bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout

"Forget Bella, banish Katniss and Expelliarmus Hermione-there is a new breed of ass-kicker intown. . . . Elizabeth May's debut is a wicked cocktailof Jane Austen and the Grimms' fairy tales."—Claire Nicholls, SciFiNow

"A character and a world that breathes life into fantasy."—Library Media Connection

"Aileana is an amazing, brave hero... the writing crackles with wit."—Booklist

"Ball gowns, blood, and an evil fairy determined to bring about the end of the world-this comedy of manners has it all."—School Library Journal Curriculum Connections

"This book was AWESOME. It's full of well-worn tropes and clichés.but somehow transcends them all to become some new animal that is the best of all its borrowed parts." — Billie Bloebaum, Powell's

"I couldn't get enough of this steampunk world and all it's awesome gadgets."—Owl Always Be Reading

"A combination of steampunk tech and supernatural danger with a multitalented heroine who can hold her own against murderous faeries and romantic foils alike."—Publishers Weekly

"[A] fascinating, unique world. May's writing is exquisite and demands a close reading to take everything in. readers will be anxious for the next installment."-School Library Journal

"It's very rare to find a YA fantasy that blends the otherworldly with a very real and raw heroine. I ate up this story and mourned when it was over. The Falconer is a standout read."—Read. Breathe. Relax.

"Witty dialogue, nonstop action, and campy humor. More, please."-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A riveting world, a fierce heroine, and electrifying action—I burned through this sparkling debut!" —Sarah J. Maas, New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series

From the Publisher

05/01/2014
Gr 8 Up—In this debut novel set in an alternate 19th-century Scotland, Aileana, daughter of the Marques, has a secret: she is a faerie hunter. Aileana's world changed when she witnessed her mother violently killed by an evil faerie. Since then, the teen has been secretly training with the extremely powerful, mysterious, and good-looking Kiaran, a Daoine Sith who has given up his violent, human-killing past. Aristocratic life means nothing to Aileana anymore—all that matters is avenging her mother's death. Her killing routine gets more complicated when the fae realize that she is a Falconer, a sacred fae-killing assassin. War is coming, and Aileana is humanity's only hope, aided by Kiaran; Gavin, a Seer and future love triangle interest; and Derrick, her hysterical pixie companion. The Falconer mixes the ever-popular female assassin archetype with steampunk and Scottish faerie lore, creating a fascinating, unique world. Unfortunately, the steampunk-inspired technology does not play a large role in the story, and neither does the Scottish setting. Despite this shortcoming, May's writing is exquisite and demands a close reading to take everything in. Aileana's motives are pretty two-dimensional, but May does a good job showing the protagonist's conflicted feelings about being a killer. Aileana's Beastiary, which catalogs the fae at the end of the novel, is a nice touch. The story ends on a cliff-hanger and readers will be anxious for the next installment in this planned trilogy.—Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ

School Library Journal

2014-02-12
Steampunk fantasy based on Scots folklore. Aileana Kameron is haunted by the murder of her mother at the hands of the baobhan sìth, the last of her kind. Few in this version of 1844 Edinburgh know that the fae of folklore are real and about to launch an assault on humankind. But Aileana is a Falconer, a fae-killer, though she doesn't know that until more than 100 pages in. She is being trained by the darkly beautiful fae Kiaran, who defends humans against his own kind, and she is protected by lesser fae Derrick. The tale unwinds in the first person, so readers learn much by Aileana's talking about it. She invents and crafts her steampunk weaponry, including an ornithopter with bat's wings in which she has mounted a swiveling crossbow. She fights off various orders of fae with or without Kiaran's help, with or without the Seer Gavin, to whom she is semireluctantly affianced. Aileana repeatedly describes the horror of her mother's death and the visceral satisfaction of slaughtering the fae but never allows readers to feel those things. Repetitive phrases about her boots sinking into wet grass and her not being able to breathe become distracting, as does her constant refrain about lying to everyone she knows. It ends in the middle of a battle, at a key moment. Readers may not be anxious for the next overwrought volume. (fae taxonomy) (Steampunk. 13-17)

Kirkus Reviews

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