 |
Tansy is a fairy—a small humanoid girl living in a world of spells, levitating toads, and vanishing powders—who is offered the chance to attend the Faery Academy of QuillSnap. This is the school’s first term at its new location, the previous building having burned down the year before (for reasons left mysterious until late in the book). There, she meets instructors like Twigg SugarFluff, Serena WhisperPetal, and Madame Kittondore, takes classes in spinning, and learns to ride a butterfly. But sinister things are afoot. Three fourth-years went missing last term. Also, the wicked Merkel and her minion Celice, who have been transformed into bugs, seek to recover their true forms in the hopes of seizing control of the academy, overthrowing the Galactic Goddesses, and ruling the seven realms.
Author Brandon Sanderson has noted the appeal of the “wonder story,” a book that captivates the reader by showing them astonishing things. Strange ideas abound in Reining’s book, and new marvels are introduced on seemingly every page. For instance, a stream can transform a person into a mermaid, or possibly a two-headed snake. There is an “Instamagic grain” that becomes a pair of white snails. There are calla lilies that blow fanfares like trumpets. Reining is to be commended for these imaginative flourishes, which lend the story a freshness that pulls the reader through the labyrinthine plot. When a certain character says, “I will see you at wee eats,” referring to a scheduled meal, it rings authentically, as many schools have strange rituals with strange names that no one who attends gives a second thought. This lends credibility to the worldbuilding. In an age of AI-generated novels, it’s an impressive accomplishment for anyone to write a book using their brain, let alone a book of such rare vision.