#BookReview The Fairies of Sadieville by Alex Bledsoe @AlexBledsoe @torbooks @MacmillanUSA @FreshFiction

The Fairies of Sadieville: The Final Tufa Novel by Alex Bledsoe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charming and lyrical, The Fairies of Sadieville continues Alex Bledsoe's widely-praised contemporary fantasy series, about the song-wielding fairy descendants living in modern-day Appalachia.

"This is real." Three small words on a film canister found by graduate students Justin and Veronica, who discover a long-lost silent movie from more than a century ago. The startlingly realistic footage shows a young girl transforming into a winged being. Looking for proof behind this claim, they travel to the rural foothills of Tennessee to find Sadieville, where it had been filmed.

Soon, their journey takes them to Needsville, whose residents are hesitant about their investigation, but Justin and Veronica are helped by Tucker Carding, who seems to have his own ulterior motives. When the two students unearth a secret long hidden, everyone in the Tufa community must answer the most important question of their entire lives -- what would they be willing to sacrifice in order to return to their fabled homeland of Tir na nOg?

"Imagine a book somewhere between American Gods and Faulkner. Absolutely worth your time." - Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author

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Note of warning THE FAIRIES OF SADIEVILLE is the very last novel in the Tufa series, so reading this book without having read the previous five novels will make it a bit hard to really understand since many events and people from the previous books will be addressed. You can read this book as a stand-alone. However, having at least read one or two books before will make this book a bit easier to understand.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

#BookReview Gather Her Round by Alex Bledsoe @AlexBledsoe

Gather Her Round by Alex Bledsoe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Love and tragedy are not strange bedfellows among the Tufa. Young Kera Rogers disappears while hiking in the woods by Needsville. When her half-eaten remains are discovered, the blame falls upon a herd of wild hogs, a serious threat in this rural community. In response, the county’s best trackers, including game warden Jack Cates and ex-military Tufa Bronwyn Chess are assembled to hunt them down.

Kara’s boyfriend Duncan Gowen mourns her death, until he finds evidence she cheated on him with his best friend, Adam Procure. Seeking revenge, Duncan entices Adam to participate in their own boar hunt. Later, Bronwyn and Jack stumble across a devastated Duncan, who claims a giant boar impaled Adam and dragged him off. As this second death rocks the town, people begin to wonder who is really responsible.

Determined hunters pursue the ravenous horde through the Appalachians as other Tufa seek their own answers. Between literal beasts in the woods and figurative wolves in sheep’s clothing, what truths will arise come spring?

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Gather Her Round is the fifth book in the Tufa series, and the last one I had to listen to before I read the final book in the series. The Tufa series is fabulous and I recommend reading the books from the beginning. I especially think so after having finished the last book, but I will get to that one when I review The Fairies of Sadieville.

Gather Her Around has the most gruesome scenes in all the books. Just imagine someone getting attacked and eaten by wild hogs and you get the picture. In this case, is it a young girl named Kara who happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It's up to ex-military Bronwyn Chess (read more about her in the first Tufa book) together with game warden Jack Cates to find and hunt the wild hogs down. However, they are not alone in the hunt. Kara's boyfriend Duncan wants to kill the wild hogs too, and he's also enlisting his best friend Adam Procure in it. Adam who has been seeing Kara behind Duncan back. Which Duncan finds out after Kara's death. Duncan will be the last one to see Adam alive...

This book has the usual Tufa mysteries, which Jack Cates will discover some of when he hits it off with Bliss Overbay, a First Daughter of the Tufa and there are some strange things concerning the wild hogs. As with the previous books is the book absolutely wonderful to listen to with its captivating story and I've come to really love the characters.

#BookReview Chapel of Ease by Alex Bledsoe @AlexBledsoe

Chapel of Ease by Alex Bledsoe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Matt Johansson, a young New York actor, auditions for "Chapel of Ease," an off-Broadway musical, he is instantly charmed by Ray Parrish, the show's writer and composer. They soon become friends; Matt learns that Ray's people call themselves the Tufa and that the musical is based on the history of his isolated home town. But there is one question in the show's script that Ray refuses to answer: what is buried in the ruins of the chapel of ease?

As opening night approaches, strange things begin to happen. A dreadlocked girl follows Ray and spies on him. At the press preview, a strange Tufa woman warns him to stop the show. Then, as the rave reviews arrive, Ray dies in his sleep.

Matt and the cast are distraught, but there's no question of shutting down: the run quickly sells out. They postpone opening night for a week and Matt volunteers to take Ray's ashes back to Needsville. He also hopes, while he's there, to find out more of the real story behind the play and discover the secret that Ray took to his grave.

Matt's journey into the haunting Appalachian mountains of Cloud County sets him on a dangerous path, where some secrets deserve to stay buried.

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Chapel of Ease is book four in the Tufa series and I listened to the audio version of this book as part of my personal challenge to finish all the book before the 6th and last would be published 10 April 2018. I made it by the way.

Chapel of Ease is the one book in the series that felt less like "part" of the series as the story isn't really about the Tufa's future. The previous books have all felt a lot more like each story is bringing the Tufa story to some future conclusion. This one feels like an interlude. A really great interlude of course. But, it is more about the true story the musical is based on as well as Matts experiences in Needsville.

The Tufa legend plays a major part in the story since the musical that Ray Parrish has written and composed is about a story that happened years ago. Ray himself is Tufa and there are those that don't want him to put up a musical. However, Ray dies before revealing what is buried at the Chapel of Ease (the ending of the musical doesn't reveal it) and Matt the lead star of the musical travels down to Needsville with Ray's ashes and also to get the answer to what is buried at the Chapel of Ease.

So what is buried in the ruins of the Chapel of Ease? Well, you have to find out the truth by reading the book. All I can say that the book ended so perfectly that I mentally laughed and thought: "Bravo Alex Bledsoe, I should have seen that ending coming." I love it when an author manages to surprise me (in a good way)!

This is a book that felt like I breezed through quite quickly, it's a great joy finding a book series as good as this one and work through them all as I'm working at the same time!

#BookReview Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe @AlexBledsoe ‏

Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Long Black Curl: a brand-new tale in Alex Bledsoe’s acclaimed urban fantasy series, where magic is hidden in plain sight and age-old rivalries simmer just beneath the surface

In all the time the Tufa have existed, only two have ever been exiled: Bo-Kate Wisby and her lover, Jefferson Powell. They were cast out, stripped of their ability to make music, and cursed to never be able to find their way back to Needsville. Their crime? A love that crossed the boundary of the two Tufa tribes, resulting in the death of several people.

Somehow, Bo-Kate has found her way back. She intends to take over both tribes, which means eliminating both Rockhouse Hicks and Mandalay Harris. Bo-Kate has a secret weapon: Byron Harley, a rockabilly singer known as the “Hillbilly Hercules” for his immense size and strength, and who has passed the last sixty years trapped in a bubble of faery time. He's ready to take revenge on any Tufa he finds.

The only one who can stop Bo-Kate is Jefferson Powell. Released from the curse and summoned back to Cloud County, even he isn't sure what will happen when they finally meet. Will he fall in love with her again? Will he join her in her quest to unite the Tufa under her rule? Or will he have to sacrifice himself to save the people who once banished him?

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I made a vow that I would finish all the books in this series before the latest one would be released on 10 April and I made it. It was not a hard task, to be honest, I went through the audio versions of the books quite quickly. 

Long Black Curl is book three and changes are in store for the two fractions of the Tufas when Bo-Kate Wisby comes back. Years ago she was cast out, and one shouldn't be able to come back, but she has done it and she has found the perfect weapon, Byron Harley, to get what she wants, and what she wants is taking over both tribes of the Tufas. The only one that can stop her is her ex-lover Jefferson Powell, who like Bo-Kate was cast out. However, will he really turn on the woman who was once his true love?

Just as with the previous two books did the story in Long Black Curl engross me. I especially loved the part about Byron Harley, the rockabilly singer that survived a plane crash, but as a result, got trapped in a bubble of feary time for sixty years. As for Bo-Kate and Jefferson, Romeo and Juliet of the Tufa's, well let's say that their love story started off bloody and their return, or rather Bo-Kate's return was just as bloody. If you have read the previous book in the series will a lot of familiar names show up in the story. Of course, you can read the books stand-alone, however, if you want to full story, then I recommend reading from the beginning.

#BookReview Wisp of a Thing by Alex Bledsoe @AlexBledsoe

Wisp of a Thing by Alex Bledsoe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alex Bledsoe’s The Hum and the Shiver was named one of the Best Fiction Books of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews. Now with Wisp of a Thing Bledsoe returns to the isolated ridges and hollows of the Smoky Mountains to spin an equally enchanting tale of music and magic older than the hills….

Touched by a very public tragedy, musician Rob Quillen comes to Cloud County, Tennessee, in search of a song that might ease his aching heart. All he knows of the mysterious and reclusive Tufa is what he has read on the internet: they are an enigmatic clan of swarthy, black-haired mountain people whose historical roots are lost in myth and controversy. Some people say that when the first white settlers came to the Appalachians centuries ago, they found the Tufa already there. Others hint that Tufa blood brings special gifts.

Rob finds both music and mystery in the mountains. Close-lipped locals guard their secrets, even as Rob gets caught up in a subtle power struggle he can’t begin to comprehend. A vacationing wife goes missing, raising suspicions of foul play, and a strange feral girl runs wild in the woods, howling in the night like a lost spirit.

Change is coming to Cloud County, and only the night wind knows what part Rob will play when the last leaf falls from the Widow’s Tree…and a timeless curse must be broken at last.

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I'm currently listening through every book in the Tufa series before I start reading The Fairies of Sadieville, the latest book in the series that will be published in April. I'm right on the fifth book, the one before The Fairies of Sadieville, so I'm sure I will get to The Fairies of Sadieville before the pub.date!

In the first book of the Tufa series, The Hum and the Shiver are we introduced to the strange people that live in the Smoky Mountains. The Tufas is said to have been there before the Native Americans arrived in the United States and this book gives more clues to what they really are...

Musician Rob Quillen comes to Cloud County, Tennessee looking for a special song that will take away his heartache. But, he gets more than he bargains for when he gets caught up in a power struggle between two different groups of Tufas. For the people on the outside of the community is the Tufas one group of similar looking people, but there has been a power between those that follow Rockhouse Hicks and those that follow Mandalay Harris for a long time. And it the woods a wisp of a thing, a feral girl is running screaming, for when the last leaf falls from the Widow's Three, then the curse that has made what she is will finally be the end of her...

We were introduced to Bliss Overbay in the first book that starred Bronwyn Hyatt, the war heroine (a great book as well, read it). In this book, however, is Brownwyn taking a step back and it's Bliss time to be in the center as she tries to figure out how Rob Quillen can see things only a true Tufa can see. I found this book to be an absolute delight to listen to, just like the first book. As a big fan of urban fantasy, do I love the Tufa people that have so many interesting secrets. And, I love how this book gives away some more secrets about them. Also, the storyline about the wisp of a thing is so heartbreaking.

I recommend this series warmly!

#BookReview The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe @AlexBledsoe

The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Named one of the Best Fiction Books of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews, The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe is an enchanting tale of music and magic older than the hills. . . .

No one knows where the Tufa came from, or how they ended up in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Enigmatic and suspicious of outsiders, the Tufa live quiet lives in the hills and valleys of Cloud County. While their origins may be a mystery, there are hints of their true nature buried in the songs they have passed down for generations.

Bronwyn Hyatt, a pure-blood Tufa, has always insisting on doing things her own way, regardless of the consequences. Even though Tufa rarely leave Cloud County, she enlisted in the Army to escape the pressures of Tufa life—her family, her obligations as a First Daughter, and her dangerous ex-boyfriend. But after barely surviving a devastating ambush that killed most of her fellow soldiers, Private Hyatt returns to Cloud County wounded in body and in spirit. But danger lurks in the mountains and hollows of her childhood home. Cryptic omens warn of impending tragedy, and a restless "haint" lurks nearby, waiting to reveal Bronwyn's darkest secrets. Worst of all, Bronwyn has lost touch with the music that was once a vital part of her identity.

Now Bronwyn finds the greatest battle to be right here at home, where her obligations struggle with her need for freedom, and if she makes the wrong choice, the consequences could be deadly for all the Tufa. . . .

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When I got a copy of The Fairies of Sadieville, the latest book in the Tufa series did I not started directly with it as I usually do, despite that I usually have no problem about reading books, not from the beginning. I have wanted to read this series for a while now, and having all the previous available as audiobooks gave me the chance to listen to all the previous books in order before starting to read The Fairies of Sadieville. And, after finishing this book is my advice to do the same. Yes, the books can be read stand-alone. But, you will get a greater appreciation and understanding of the characters reading the books in order. Not to mention that the books are great!

The Hum and the Shiver introduce us to the Tufa that lives in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. No one knows where they came from and it's said that they were there before the white men arrived and even before the native Americans arrived in the country.

Bronwyn Hyatt is a pure-blood Tufa who has arrived home as a hero after surviving an ambush that killed many of her fellow soldiers, and that led her to kill ten men. But, the danger isn't over for her. Omen points to that someone in her family will die and her ex-boyfriend is not over her. And, she's having problems remembering the music that is so important for the Tufa. If there is one genre I love is it urban fantasy and the Tufa series is right up my alley. Well-written, with a story about a mysterious people that live in the Smoky Mountain.

The Hum and the Shiver introduced us to the characters, like Bronwyn Hyatt, Bliss Overbay, Rockhouse Hicks and Mandalay Harris. All important characters in the Tufa community. The Tufa isn't one group of people, there are those that follow Mandalay and those that follow Rockhouse Hicks. It's a fascinating story and I was engrossed in the story. I liked listening to the narrated version, it's the kind of book that made working easier because the book fascinated me so much that I didn't mind working.

#CoverCrush Wisp of a Thing by Alex Bledsoe

For new visitors do I want to explain that Cover Crush is something that my friend Erin over at Flashlight Commentary came up with and I adopted the idea together with some other friends. And, now we try to put up a Cover Crush every week. You can check below my pick of the week for their choices this week!

Alex Bledsoe's The Hum and the Shiver was named one of the Best Fiction Books of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews. Now with Wisp of a ThingBledsoe returns to the isolated ridges and hollows of the Smoky Mountains to spin an equally enchanting tale of music and magic older than the hills….

Touched by a very public tragedy, musician Rob Quillen comes to Cloud County, Tennessee, in search of a song that might ease his aching heart. All he knows of the mysterious and reclusive Tufa is what he has read on the internet: they are an enigmatic clan of swarthy, black-haired mountain people whose historical roots are lost in myth and controversy. Some people say that when the first white settlers came to the Appalachians centuries ago, they found the Tufa already there. Others hint that Tufa blood brings special gifts.

Rob finds both music and mystery in the mountains. Close-lipped locals guard their secrets, even as Rob gets caught up in a subtle power struggle he can't begin to comprehend. A vacationing wife goes missing, raising suspicions of foul play, and a strange feral girl runs wild in the woods, howling in the night like a lost spirit.

Change is coming to Cloud County, and only the night wind knows what part Rob will play when the last leaf falls from the Widow's Tree…and a timeless curse must be broken at last.

Thoughts:

When it was time to pick this week's Cover Crush did I not have to go far. This is the next book I was about to start reading and I've been charmed by its cover since the first time I saw it! The tree and the woman's face. It intrigues me!

Check out what my friends have picked for Cover Crush's this week:

Stephanie @ Layered Pages

Heather @ The Maiden's Court

Holly @ 2 Kids and Tired Books

Colleen @ A Literary Vacation

Meghan @ Of Quills & Vellum

Erin @ Flashlight Commentary