I got this from ebooksforreview.com. I have read a few books from the same author and I have enjoyed her stories. So, when I saw this up for review, I signed up.
This story reminds me of superstitious stories here in my country about people being taken by supernatural creatures. Once that person eats the food served by these creatures, s/he will never be able to go back to the human world. In this story, personal effects or belongings of that said person brought to the world of the fairies will grant her the privilege of staying with them forever. No more pains and aches of this human world.
This story is about a fourteen-year old girl named Livy who had to grew up being responsible for her mother. Her mother is a drug addict which resulted to her father leaving them, taking along with him Livy's brother. Livy grew up having two fairies for best friends. Livy was more comfortable fighting imaginary monsters and going off into fantastic adventures with her two best friends. Until, Child Protective Services took her and decided that she live with her father.
This story tackles the borders between reality and the imagined. It mixes psychology and fantasy thereby blurring the lines separating the two. Like the two characters in this story--Livy and Kaito. These two teenagers seemed to be suffering from mental illness but to them there exist another reality. A world where Kaito is a prince and Livy is a princess, in a land where the human problems and worries do not exist. A place where these two could just be themselves. No one calls them weird or crazy.
What I really liked about the story is the emphasis on family and love. Whatever mental illness or psychological issue anyone is going through, love and care from the family helps a lot in making that person overcome it. In this story, Livy came to realize that the person she hated the most was actually the one who was fighting so hard for her--her stepmother. Realizing she is getting all the concern, care, and love from that one person she thought who never even cared because they were not related. With that knowledge, Livy found the strength to fight the monsters that exist in her head and decided she wants to live in the real world instead of the imagined one. Life in the real world is not easy but as long as she got her dad, her brother and her step-mother, she will be alright.
I think we all can relate to Livy and Kaito. At one point, especially when were younger, we have imaginary friends and a magical place we transport ourselves to when life confuses us and is not making any sense for our young minds. But escapism is like applying a band aid to a pestering wound. It never heals it. Unless we find the courage to face our problems and tackle them head on, that is the only time we can truly get rid of them.
I give the book 3.5/5 fairies. The story relates how it's so easy and comfortable to get lost into a fairy world just so we can escape from our problems. Like the Livy and Kaito, being in fairy land is much better because in the real world, they feel like outcasts and their problems were weighing them down with nobody to support them. Nobody cares about them. No one will miss them. And just like everything that ails in the world, friends and family make our burdens easier to bear. Just like the saying-- "a problem shared becomes lighter". When we share our worries, they do not really get solved but it makes us feel better knowing someone is there to hear us out. Sometimes, all we need is just a listening ear to boost our spirits. And like all psychological problems, unwavering support and love from the family helps a lot in giving someone suffering from these issues the motivation, strength and courage to face their demons.
Love so unconditional, it had never seemed real.
I feared the real world, because all this time it was the only thing that ever mattered to me. The only thing I wanted. Whatever my shard was, it couldn't be confined to one person or object, even symbolically. I wanted all of it.
- Jacque Stevens, Fairy Ring: Shards of Janderelle -
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