by R.J. Anderson
publisher’s synopsis
Cast into exile, she must return to free her people.
Banished from her underground home by Betony, the queen of the Cornish piskeys, young Ivy sets out to forge a new life for herself in the world above. But a deadly threat lingers in the mine, and Ivy cannot bear to see her people suffer while Betony refuses to believe. Somehow she must convince the queen to let them go.
Her mission only becomes more complicated when Ivy starts to dream of the ancient battles between her ancestors and the spriggan folk. Who is the strange boy in her visions? Could her glimpses of his past help Ivy find a new home for her fellow piskeys?
To find the answers, Ivy must outfly vicious predators, outwit cunning enemies, and overcome her own greatest fears. And when evil threatens the people Ivy loves best, it will take all her courage, faith, and determination to save them.
I’m sorry if this review ends up being a scattered, rambling of thoughts. I’ve found that when I really love a book, I actually have a hard time writing a review for it. But here we go.
The characters, as always, were fantastic. I love Ivy and Martin. And the side characters were well developed, with layers to their characters. Marigold maybe could have had some more development, but I think that part of the reason that we don’t get to know her super well is because of the dynamics of Ivy’s relationship with her mother.
Because the main plot in Swift wrapped itself up in that book, we get a new main plot in Nomad, one that does continue on into Torch. But Swift and Nomad don’t feel disconnected. Aside from having the same characters, of course, R.J. ties the events of Swift into the new main plot and has them affect it. Ivy’s inner struggles and arc were also well written and relatable. There are also some fun plot twists, of course. But I’m not spoiling anything. =)
The ending was well done. While R.J. doesn’t end it on an awful cliffhanger, it does leave wanting to dive right into Torch and see what happens next in Ivy and Martin’s story.
Like in Swift, the worldbuilding was great. I also loved getting to learn more about the spriggans. None of the facts are quite what they seem…
While reading through Nomad, I felt the need to go reread the No Ordinary Faery Tale series and refresh myself on Martin’s past and the exact details of the other faeries who pop up in Nomad. But if you haven’t read the No Ordinary Faery Tale series, don’t worry. You don’t have to read it to enjoy The Flight and Flame Trilogy. But you probably will enjoy them more if you do, and some other things will probably make more sense. =)
Cautions: light romance; one kiss; brief, semi-graphic description of injuries; moderate violence
Hailey Huntington 