Uptown Oracle Reads… Fae Child

Fae Child Jane Holly-Meissner

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When eight-year-old Abbie Brown discovers a quiet pool of water while wandering through the woods behind her Oregon home, she wades out into it and discovers she’s not alone. A wild-haired boy in green stares at her from the other side of the water. Mesmerized, Abbie reaches down to him and is yanked underwater.

She emerges on the other side as an unwelcome visitor to the Otherworld, the land of the Fae, with only the boy Foster to guide her. Back in Oregon, a changeling lookalike has taken her place, bonding with her mother while her father, hiding a secret of his own, views the “girl” with suspicion.

In the courts of the Fae a truce has long been in place between Winter and Summer. What havoc might a human child wreak in the careful machinations of beings older than time? And to what lengths will Abbie’s father go to get her back?

Fae Child is a charming faerie-tale into the Otherworld through our main character Abbie who accidentally gets called through a pond. Luckily she meets Foster, a young fae boy, who plans to help her find her way back to the human world. On top of this journey, we have POV chapters from Dan, Abbie’s father, and we slowly start to uncover his secrets as he realises Abbie has been replaced by a changeling and he needs to get her back. 

I loved Abbie as a character but she is a very young child, this means she can be naive and trusting. But I found that her view as we go into the Otherworld made it feel all that more magical. She was always looking around and wondering, and we learned about it from her point of view too. Dan’s chapters are pivotal to find out more of the darker aspects of the fae as Abbie is shielded by the people she’s with, but definitely lack that magical aspect. 

On top of Foster, we also meet other side characters like Gwynn, Charles and Nadiene who try to help Abbie in the Otherworld. Back in the human world we meet Abbie’s changeling, The Cat and other members of the disbanded Wild Hunt. I loved that we saw both good and bad fae, and whilst they’re mostly portrayed as the tricksters like in other media – they can help out when they say they will. I also liked how this book didn’t stick to the two kids trying to find a way out of their problem. 

Fae Child reminds me of many of the fae books I’ve read, it doesn’t add too many unique elements. However the nostalgia made it a quick read and I love the childlike gaze of wandering into a new world that is dangerous but still wonderful. It’s more of a middle-grade or children’s book and is a short and fast read at only 220 pages. Not too much violence or anything so good for kids and it explores themes of finding friendship, discovering magic and family.

As with any fae book I loved the mystery behind the fae courts, and who was working with who. Throughout the book I kept questioning which of Abbie’s acquaintances were actually wanting to help her or if there were ulterior motives and it was written really well to keep you guessing. However with it being a kids book, it doesn’t have a huge sense of urgency or threat for the characters which may turn some readers off. 

Overall I found Fae Child to be an enjoyable read but the writing sometimes felt like it was missing something. Due to the young protagonist as well it does read as a much younger book than marketed, but if you’re a fan of younger books then you’ll enjoy it.

Positives of Fae Child

• Good collection of characters (inc. adult characters to help the kids!)
• Interesting backstory and mystery of the Fae world

Negatives of Fae Child

• One POV was much stronger than the other

I received Fae Child by Jane-Holly Meissner from the publisher. This is an unbiased and honest review

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