Sabrina Parry lives in a small Victorian mining village in Wales. When her older sister vanishes into the forest behind their home, Sabrina must venture into the woods to find her. But the stories and legends that she has grown up with have taught her to tread carefully because this woodland is home to the fairies, beautiful tricksters, and most people who enter the trees never return…
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! Fantasy is all the rage at the moment but this story takes a truly unique approach to the genre, rooting it firmly in Welsh myths and culture. Each chapter heading is in Welsh and the language permeates through the novel, which is fascinating for someone like me who is not familiar with it. Fiteni is clearly very interested in the history of Wales and its relationship with England, and how mining in particular impacted Welsh society and the environment.
Fiteni’s writing is very lyrical and she conjures up wonderful fantasy landscapes and creatures. The plot is centred on a quest that must be fulfilled and feels very reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz. Sabrina is a really enjoyable young adult heroine. She has a strong character and attitude and doesn’t always do the right thing, which makes her feel realistic and rounded.
This is a brilliant fantasy read for young adults and one of my favourite books so far this year. A must-read for fans of Sarah J Maas and Leigh Bardugo.
PWT rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire by Anna Fiteni is published by Electric Monkey, The Young Adult imprint of Farshore Books, HarperCollins and is available from bookshops and Amazon.
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Elaine Hewlett is a secondary school librarian.
