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Fantasy. Young Adult Fiction. LGBTQIA+ (Fiction.) HTML:A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens 2021 To save a fae kingdom, a trans witch must face his traumatic past and the royal fiancé he left behind. In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft...don't. Wyatt's betrothal to fae prince Emyr North was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world. Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt's newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr again, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide what's more importantâ??his people or his freedom. Don't miss the next book in H.E. Edgmon's highly anticipated duology, THE FAE KEEPER, AVAILABLE MAY 31, 2022… (more)
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That said, Edgmon is a fantastic writer, and when I could get lost in this world, I truly got lost--the magic, the description, and the characters themselves sucked me into the world and kept me there each time I picked the book up. I especially loved how there was a meshing of the everyday with the fantastical, and lived for the moments when the characters would run up against magic and/or otherworldly elements.
So, in terms of the story itself, I think it's fantastic, and the characters themselves are fascinating. The issue (for me) is that so much focus gets placed on identity and on one-to-one understanding of each other's identities in the book, whether in regard to use of correct pronouns or prejudice or identity struggles/transformation, those conversations often take over the story and begin to feel somewhat heavy-handed as a result. There is also some issue with the characters remaining who they are and only who they are. It is, on one hand, great to see a bunch of diverse characters who are accepting of each other and themselves for who they are. On the other hand... there wasn't a lot of character development here--it was more about particular characters seeing that they actually were accepted. On some level, I suppose that can be called growth, but with characters being prioritized over plot in this book (at least to my way of seeing it, since the story felt far simpler than the size of the book would suggest one might expect), I'd expect more. And when I think about what I loved about this book, the truth is that those things I loved didn't take up as much space as I wish they had because there was so much focus on identity politics/positioning.
So, on the whole, how do I feel about the book? I'm not sure. I respect what Edgmon was trying to do here, and there's nothing about the story, characters, or positioning that put me off. For me, it just kept coming back to the fact that the balance felt off--as if there was too much Contemporary focus inside what was meant to be a fantasy that could, at least to some extent, help me escape the real world. The magic and fantasy got a lot less attention than personal identity, and while I respect that choice/balance, it definitely brought the reading experience down for me, to the point that I'm really not sure if I care to pick up the second book.
If you're looking for YA Fantasy that celebrates diversity and LGBTQ+ identity in a positive, impactful way, then this book is a fantastic choice. Even better if you also like Contemporary YA.