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Wynter has been in isolation for a year and a day, hoping the faerie lands will cure her heartache over the emotional betrayal of her husband, Aidan. He had wanted to be a hero but instead caused much harm to their village and lied to her. After ending her solitude, Wynter heads out and learns that a threatening derecho is headed her way, and she needs to find shelter. Luckily for Wynter, a shapeshifting hare has sensed her danger and offers her a place in a magical burrow. Meanwhile, Old Mother Troll has been finding ways to hide her features and pass as a human to sell her wares and increase her treasure trove of gold coins. Also, Willow, a faerie, and the canine hero, Sir Gyzmo, must find a remedy for Willow’s sick mother soon, but the derecho has blown away all the healing herbs necessary for a cure.
Franks successfully transports the reader into a faerie world full of myths and folklore. This work is divided into several short, interlocking narratives that culminate with bringing all the main characters together. There are clear influences from numerous fairy tales, and Frank accompanies her stories with bright, adorable illustrations to captivate readers. Her sentences are quick-paced and easy to read, and this whole work can be enjoyably consumed in a single sitting. There are some inconsistencies between the winsome nature of the telling and the more mature themes. This book will likely have the broadest appeal to middle-grade readers who are spellbound with the world of faeries and myths and look to find books to give them an adventurous escape from the ordinary.