DREAMDARK: BLACKBRINGER

Author: Laini Taylor ISBN: 9780142411681 5/2009 FANTASY/YOUNG ADULT Publisher: FIREBIRDBOOKS

When the ancient evil of the Blackbringer rises to unmake the world, only one determined faerie stands in its way. However, Magpie Windwitch, granddaughter of the West Wind, is not like other faeries. While her kind live in seclusion deep in the forests of Dreamdark, she’s devoted her life to tracking down and recapturing devils escaped from their ancient bottles, just as her hero, the legendary Bellatrix, did 25,000 years ago. With her faithful gang of crows, she travels the world fighting where others would choose to flee. But when a devil escapes from a bottle sealed by the ancient Djinn King himself—the creator of the world—she may be in over her head. How can a single faerie, even with the help of her friends, hope to defeat the impenetrable darkness of the Blackbringer? At a time when fantasy readers have an embarrassment of riches in choosing new worlds to fall in love with, this first novel by a fresh, original voice is sure to stand out.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

DREAMDARK: BLACKBRINGER is unforgettable from beginning to end. Filled with enough faeries, magic, imps, devils and Djinn to satisfy any fantasy lover, and set in a magical world that is so vividly written it comes alive, this first book in what promises to be an incredible series is one for the keeper shelf.

Magpie Windwitch, granddaughter of the West Wind, is destined for greatness at birth, and although she must accept her "calling" (in a thoughtful, sweet way!) it is a given that she will rise to the challenge. She travels the world with a band of crows, dealing with the devils humans have released.

In BLACKBRINGER, Magpie rides Calypso (who seems more human than crow) to an adventure in the Dreamdark forest, where she faces more than one foe and gains the help of Talon, a force whose handicap doesn't slow him down one bit. She learns how the current evil was created, as well as how her own parents met. The fact that the parental love-at-first-sight tale comes to her when she is hurt and vulnerable, makes the moment very poignant. And the way its telling is just pages from the evil makes both ends of the spectrum more forceful.

When it comes right down to it, Magpie is a courageous heroine, despite her tiny stature. She has a band of comical crows by her side, along with an assortment of others who join the battle against an evil that man's ridiculousness has released upon the world. The action is lightning-fast, the dialogue redolent with faerie-isms that seem perfectly acceptable, and setting springs completely to life. This is the timeless battle of good versus evil, with a twist.

What's not to love? When I began reading this, I figured it was aimed at middle to young adult readers, but I've got to tell you it's been a long time since I was in either of those categories and I enjoyed this story immensely. If the sequel, SILKSINGER, is half as good as BLACKBRINGER, it's going to be another great read. Well done!

Kay James