Set in Victorian-era Scotland and filled to the brim with fae, this is an historical steampunk fantasy adventure that will sweep you away.
Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, was destined for a life carefully planned around Edinburgh's social events - right up until a faery killed her mother.
Now it's the 1844 winter season and Aileana slaughters faeries in secret, in between the endless round of parties, tea and balls. Armed with modified percussion pistols and explosives, she sheds her aristocratic facade every night to go hunting. She's determined to track down the faery who murdered her mother, and to destroy any who prey on humans in the city's many dark alleyways.
But the balance between high society and her private war is a delicate one, and as the fae infiltrate the ballroom and Aileana's father returns home, she has decisions to make. How much is she willing to lose - and just how far will Aileana go for revenge?
Readers love The Falconer:
'I LOVED IT. I swallowed this book. Plain and simple. The quick pace was captivating, the descriptions and landscapes breathtaking and the heroine really badass!!' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'This book is so different in terms of what's out there in the YA market. I loved the historical aspect . . . Besides the bloody awesome fight scenes, if you guys know me, I'm all about the romance and the romance in this book is one of my favourite kinds' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'I found the storyline unique . . . I liked everyone in this book which usually doesn't happen . . . I loved the relationships . . . Overall, this was a great book' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'I was only a few pages into this book when I knew it was going to become a part of me . . . Elizabeth May has such a way with words, and she has woven a gorgeous tale full of adventure, magic, and romance' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Annnnnnnd this book enters my top ten of favourites . . . Read this for the angsty fae goodness' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'THE FALCONER was PHENOMENAL!!! From its Scotland lure, to its vengeance and murder, to its THRILLING, action-packed adventure, and heart-pounding, slow burning romance' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'This book is action-packed with excellent character and relationship development, world-building, and witty repartee' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
The Falconer has been on the periphery of my radar since its release. It has an cool steampunk premise of an alternative version of history set in Edinburgh. Since Aileana's mother's murder it has been difficult for her to care about high society - since, you know, the fae are real and they're killing people left and right.
Aileana is a main character often seen in upper YA fiction: damaged, traumatized, and hell-bent on finding revenge. Although Aileana is not given much depth beyond this, I felt like her focus on violence and revenge was better explained than in other books, giving her a decent background for her violent and self-destructive actions. Additionally, it was nice to have her be an engineer on the side. We need more tech ladies in fiction, and steampunk is an ideal setting for it.
The beginning was not particularly gripping - The Falconer falls into the "cool supernatural dude trains young woman" trope. After just having abandoned Halfway to the Grave which has this exact some narrative device, I was not particularly excited to be reading about yet another young adult falling in lust with a violent male elder. Luckily, The Falconer manages to spice things up by introducting a male friend (without love triangle! *gasp*).
The Falconer features plenty of well-written action and ass-kicking, if you're into that sort of thing. I'm quite fascinated to see where this story goes, as the ending was rather unconventional.
