Fairy Keeper (World of Aluvia #1) by Amy Bearce

Fairy Keeper by Amy Bearce is a YA Fantasy of dark fairies and a missing queen!

“Forget cute fairies in pretty dresses. In the world of Aluvia, most fairies are more like irritable, moody insects. Almost everyone in the world of Aluvia views the fairy keeper mark as a gift, but not fourteen-year-old Sierra. She hates being a fairy keeper, but the birthmark is right there on the back of her neck. It shows everyone she was born with the natural ability to communicate, attract, and even control the tiny fairies whose nectar is amazingly powerful. Fairy nectar can heal people, but it is also a key ingredient in synthesizing Flight, an illegal elixir that produces dreaminess, apathy and hallucinations. She’s forced to care for a whole hive of the bee-like beasties by her Flight-dealing, dark alchemist father.

Then one day, Sierra discovers the fairies of her hatch are mysteriously dead. The fairy queen is missing. Her father’s Flight operation is halted, and he plans to make up for the lost income by trading her little sister to be an elixir runner for another dark alchemist, a dangerous thug. Desperate to protect her sister, Sierra convinces her father she can retrieve the lost queen and get his operation up and running.

The problem? Sierra’s queen wasn’t the only queen to disappear. They’re all gone, every single one, and getting them back will be deadly dangerous.

Sierra journeys with her best friend and her worst enemy — assigned by her father to dog her every step — to find the missing queens. Along the way, they learn that more than just her sister’s life is at stake if they fail. There are secrets in the Skyclad Mountains where the last wild fairies were seen. The magic Sierra finds there has the power to transform their world, but only if she can first embrace her calling as a fairy keeper.“

I loved this story! Not only is it unique in the sense of the magical system, but the world behind it is captivating.

My favorite part of the story was the magical equivalent of a drug problem in their society, and the effects it is resulting on their earth. The main character, Sierra, is struggling with being the daughter of a notorious father who has forced her to help him in creating toxifying poisons and drugs. She then later puts 2 and 2 together to figure out that the drugs aren’t the only real issue with their business: the fairies. Not even she wants to admit her connection with him as she strictly calls her father by his given name, Jack. It’s the only defiant thing that she feels she can be in control over.

And then the dreadful news of the fairies are discovered, and a quest to save her sister is epically underway. This book encompasses everything about the love of sisters and just how much a person will fight for their loved ones. The value of friendship is a major development for the beginning to end, and leaves a softer spot in this otherwise harsher book.

And the ending has some major plot twists that I couldn’t have seen coming!

Other than one or two slower scenes in the middle of this plot, the book itself was fairly fast-paced and full of all my favorite magical creatures, but I won’t tell you which ones; you’ll just have to read it for yourself.

There is also romance that develops between some of the characters, and it’s also unique because it’s not the typical viewpoint you normally read about in YA.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. The characters have incredible development throughout the story, the magic system leaves you wanting more, and the harshness of the drug-trade brings that harsher, drug cartel-like business into the mix.

I highly recommend this book if you like reading adventures with mythical creatures and the quest to save her family!

Published: 5 March 2015

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy / Paranormal

Pages: 238

How I Read It: eBook

*Disclaimer: I requested a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All of my reviews contain my honest opinions only and are not influenced in any way.*

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