Review: Fae Bloodlines Duology

Fae Away and Fae Fractured make up the first Fae Bloodlines duology by Rose Garcia. The title of the first book may sound like some sort of weird supernatural insect repellent, but the story is much better than its namesake. I was drawn to this series by the description of a fae princess who falls in love with a boy from the human world. It sounded like a fairy version of  "The Little Mermaid." While it does read a little like that, Fae Away is very much its own story with lots of worldbuilding and character development. The book is told from the perspective of both lovers, so it provides lots of insight into the human and fae worlds. I wasn't able to get quite as into the sequel, Fae Fractured. Like most epic fantasy conclusions, it focused more on war and death than further developing the protagonists' love story, but it does provide a satisfying conclusion to the two-book series.

Princess Celyse grew up feeling like she never fit in among the fae court, but she couldn't understand why. Celyse carried an odd affinity toward the human world, and her mother favored her twin sister, Malena. One day, Celyse discovers a shimmer--a portal to the human world--that leads to the bedroom of a young man named Julio. She communicates with him in secret for many months but never dares to cross all the way through the portal for she understands her responsibilities as princess of Strong Haven and knows the dangers of crossing into the human world. However, when she learns of a threat to both her family and the human realm, she has no choice but to trust in her beloved secret companion for help to save both worlds. Despite her desire to be with Julio, she must to keep her distance. Like most fairy tale princesses, Celyse is trapped by the obligation of a marriage alliance to support her kingdom and is also bound by the fae race, which is rumored to have a deadly kiss.

Julio is not just a generic protagonist for the readers to latch onto like many of the human counterparts in other paranormal romance stories. He has struggled with supernatural experiences of his own, most notably, the ability to see ghosts. His psychic mother is aware of his abilities and willing to train him as soon as he is ready. Julio's mother is one of the best characters in this series. She is loving, supportive, and understanding, but never pushes Julio to use or not to use his powers. Unfortunately, Julio, like a normal teenage boy, is unwilling to confide in his mother for the majority of Fae Away. I felt sorry for her throughout most of the book since she always sensed when something bad was happening to him, but he would never tell her what it was. This changes in Fae Fractured when he finally tells his mother the truth, and her strength of character shines through at last.

My favorite thing about this story is the romance. After visiting each other in secret for so long and teaching each other everything about their worlds, I wanted nothing more than for Julio and Celyse to be together. The evil forces pulling them apart wae more than enough motivation to read the second book and complete the series. To make matters worse, Julio's best friend, Manny, gets caught up in the war between the fae, despite being an ordinary teenage boy who has no idea what's going on. Though I don't regret reading Fae Fractured, I felt like it was dragged out by lengthy descriptions of war and battles and had less time to focus on the romance between Celyse and Julio, which serves as the heart of the series.

I highly recommend the Fae Bloodlines books to anyone who loves fairy tales and paranormal romance. Though the story is far from original, it has enough unique elements to make it enjoyable to people who have read many other books with this plot. I like that it takes place in modern times because that allows it to highlight the contrast between the modern world and the fae world and provides opportunities for some hilarious dialogue when characters from both worlds come together. My favorite thing about the books is the love story between Celyse and Julio, which beautifully highlights how two different people can learn to love each other and respect their differences.