Fairies in My Fireplace

by R.L. Naquin

[celinenyx]

Fairies in My Fireplace is the best book in the Monster Haven series so far. Naquin proves that she has developed from the cute fluff of Monster in My Closet and that she can write a wider emotional range.

Zoey is the last Aegis left, which means that every Hidden comes knocking on her door when they need help. Right now she has her hands full with a harpy on her roof and the goblin children in the living room, but just taking care of them is not enough. Something or someone is hunting the Hidden, and Zoey has to stop it.

Zoey is one of those fun quirky characters that seem to inhabit many chicklit books. She has a weird fashion sense, acts on impulse some times, and is clumsy enough to trip over her own feet. Additionally, she feels obligated to help anyone that comes in her path. Throughout the second book but mainly the third, we're starting to see the downside of Zoey's personality - helping everyone around her means that she stops taking care of herself. In Fairies in My Fireplace she gets exhausted from the increased stream of Hidden coming to her home, and she needs all the help from her friends that she can use.

The shiny, happy world of Monster Haven gained a darker edge in the second book, Pooka in My Pantry. While it didn't completely sit comfortably in that book, the darkness is well-integrated in Fairies in My Fireplace. Some very sad but well-placed things happen in this book. The stakes are raised for the main characters as they find out that they aren't immune to the bad guys.

What's great about these books is that while each book has it's own closed storyline, they all tie in to the greater story arch. In every book we learn more about the world and underlying questions like "what happened to Zoey's mom?" are slowly revealed and answered. I like knowing that by the end of this six-part series, all of these questions will be answered.

Fairies in My Fireplace defies multiple genre conventions for the best - the relationship between Riley and Zoey has very few dramatic hurdles and develops at a realistic pace. Zoey's "non-magical" best friend actually knows about what Zoey does for the Hidden and helps whenever she can. There is rarely any unnecessary drama, which I find incredibly refreshing.

The Monster Haven books keep getting better and better. I have high hopes for the other three books in the series.