Mini Review--Finding Faeries by Alexandra Rowland

 

Discover where faeries and other mythical creatures are hiding in our modern, urban environment with this beautifully illustrated guide to uncovering magical beings.

From the musty corners of libraries to the darkest depths of urban sewers, faeries, boggarts, redcaps, and other fantastical species can be found all around us—but only if we know where to look. And like every other being in the modern world, these wonderous creatures have been forced to adapt to the climate, industrial, and cultural changes of the modern era. Many formerly common creatures from akeki to cave trolls have been driven out by the urban sprawl, technological advancements, and climate change while others, including ether sprites and brownies, have been able to thrive in abundance, creating homes within electrical hotbeds and massive landfills.

Featuring descriptions of magical creatures from around the globe, this encyclopedic collection details the history and adaptability of more than fifty different species of fae. Describing little-known and fascinating creatures such as the Luck Pigeon of Baltimore, the Ghost Cat of India, and the Brain Sucker of South Africa, this book will expose readers to fantastical species from a variety of cultures and communities.

Combining scholarship with modern lore and environmentalism, and featuring stunning hand-drawn illustrations, Finding Faeries is a captivating look at the fantastical beings that inhabit our world today.

 

Well, since it's the last week of the year, I'm doing what every reader does and finding short-ish reads to help up their Goodreads game! I decided to pick up Alexandra Rowland's Finding Faeries, which was a delightful read on various types of faeries that you might not be familiar with. Some names were familiar to me from my many Urban Fantasy reads, and few episodes of Supernatural as well. In this little book, we see a more modern take on faeries, where you might find certain types and what to do to avoid them or find them, depending on your prerogative.

I liked how this book crossed borders when it came to learning about certain fae types. We touched on certain ones from Asian mythology, European, and even Indigenous lore. It was an interesting read. I particularly liked the library faeries, because you know, books!

I can't remember how I came across this book and what made me pick it up. I've always loved faeries from pretty much the same time I was discovering vampires. I probably read Holly Black in that same year or so as I did my first vampire reads, thus the love of faeries, both Seelie and Unseelie came about!

This book did seem to have some historical accuracy to it as it has certain events mentioned with dates, they weren't ones I was familiar within history, but the dates and names lend to a show of fact checking. I believe Alexandra did some homework here.

I enjoyed the blend of fantasy with modernity in this one. It basically showed how some types of faeries are able to survive in this modern world we live in. Now how seriously you want to take this book is up to you. I enjoy a good step away from true fantasy every now and then and enter that realm of possibility of fantasy within reality. I picked this book up as yet another research tool for my own writing and actually even saw a possible faery type that might make for good storytelling, though I would need to do a bit of work with it! But it's a start for sure! Lol.

Overall Rating 5/5 stars