Early Review – The Feral Child by Che Golden (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 256 pages
Publisher: Quercus
Release Date: June 3, 2014
ISBN: 978-1623651206
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in The Feral Child Trilogy
Source: eGalley from NetGalley.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

I got this book through NetGalley for review. It is the first book in a planned trilogy. It was a simple and quick read about a young girl who gets involved with the Fae. I really enjoyed it, it was engaging and I enjoyed the subject matter.

Maddy is an orphan who is living with her grandparents in Ireland. She hates the Irish town she lives in and runs away to an old castle at night, a castle she has been warned to never set foot in. There she meets an evil fae. When the fae comes to steal her young neighbor Stephen, Maddy and her cousins end up on a deadly quest to save Stephen from the evil Winter Queen.

Maddy is a preteen with a serious chip on her shoulder. You can tell she is still hurting from the death of her parents. She deals with this by being vicious, mean and confrontational with everyone. Even her grandparents, who obviously love her, are stuck dealing with her disobedience and sharp tongue. Part of the reason the fae boy she meets in the castle singles her out is because of the darkness and pain he sees inside of her.

The fae are portrayed as absolutely vicious, which I enjoyed…really it is more true to the fae from classic literature and mythology. Golden does not shy away from fae who harm, torture, and manipulate in the most cruel of ways. It never gets too gory or disturbing though so I think it should be fine for the middle grade age group.

The plot is fairly simple and straight-forward. It was a fast-paced and engaging read. The story wraps up at a good spot and the book is very readable and well written.

Overall I really enjoyed the book. This is a quick read, with a simple plot, but I enjoyed it all the same. It’s fast paced and I love reading books about the fae as based in mythology. The characters are engaging and there is a lot of room for Maddy to grow from a lonely and mean girl to something more. Recommended to those who like to read about fae (and I am not talking about the glittery and fluffy type of fae either).

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Ebook Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge