by Emily Hayse
publisher’s synopsis
“The folk of Faerie are not all kind….”
In the days of yore, it is said, Faerie-beasts walked in the world of men, waiting to carry away the innocent and unprotected. And no one is more innocent than Ella Whittington, sixteen years old and suddenly possessed of a dazzling fortune.
Ella’s dizzying rise to fame is watched by the skeptical Miss Constance Hanover, who soon suspects that society’s darling is in danger. What she doesn’t suspect is that her efforts to uncover the truth will drag her into a world of spies, magicians, and secrets more astonishing than she ever dreamed possible.
Yours, Constance is a little different from Emily’s other stories. It has less adventure. Our narrator, Constance, isn’t at the heart of the action. But it’s a lovely story. I read it in a single afternoon.
As always, Emily’s writing is beautiful to read. Her author voice has a wonderful classic feel to it, which always fits so nicely with her stories.
The characters were great. While Constance is cynical, there’s a frankness about her that you can’t help but like. She’s also the perfect narrator for the novel, giving us a glimpse into what happened that one summer. Ella Whittington is pure sunshine. Leone… he kept me on my toes until the very end.
I love how Emily led the reader to understand what was going on–even if Constance didn’t–with the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. It was great. And while I was able to guess a plot twist off of those quotes, there was a twist at the ending that caught me totally off guard. It also made me want to reread the book and see everything in a new light.
The book felt a touch short, but I’m not sure if it could have been longer without weakening the story.
Also, the cover is absolutely stunning and fits the story so well.
Cautions: brief mentions of smoking and drinking
Hailey Huntington 