Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  His Fairy Share

SERIES:  Starfig Investigations Book 3

AUTHOR:  Meghan Maslow

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  376 pages

RELEASE DATE:  May 1, 2020

BLURB:

“Why does this always happen to us?” –Quinn Broomsparkle, wizard extraordinaire

Six months have passed since wizard Quinn Broomsparkle left behind his indentured servant shackles. He’s in love with his half-dragon/half-fairy familiar, Twig Starfig. He’s got a home. Friends. A job. And a father-in-law he could do without. A pretty close to perfect life. But as Quinn has learned the hard way, things rarely stay peaceful for long. Especially when a Starfig’s involved.

Summoned to his home realm and a past he’d thought left behind, Quinn and Twig find themselves in the middle of evil machinations . . . with no clear enemy. When Quinn’s younger brother, Zak, goes missing, it’s Starfig Investigations on the case.

Being the first wizard in a thousand years isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. On top of a missing brother, a broken-hearted red fury, an archivist with a secret, and a ghost pirate-parrot who’s determined to return to his captain, Quinn and Twig’s relationship is sorely tested when questions—and unhappy answers—about their mating dilemma are pushed to the fore.

All Quinn wants is his fairy share of happiness. Is that so much to ask?

REVIEW:

Let me preface this review with the following:  Starfig Investigations is a true series with a continuing storyline. I do not recommend reading His Fairy Share without having read the earlier series books.  Inevitable spoilers will be revealed and the plot will be too convoluted to follow unless you’ve been on the crazy ride with this eclectic found family from book one, page one.

Having said that, I assume if you are still reading, you’ve read By Fairy Means or Foul and Be Fairy Game, Books One and Two in Meghan Maslow’s addictive Starfig Investigations series.  As such, you will immediately recognize that His Fairy Share is quite different from those two books.  It contains a significant shift in the tone and direction of this series thus far.  Unlike the first two books, His Fairy Share is told entirely from Quinn’s point of view.  Additionally, it focuses predominantly on Quinn, his magical powers, and his past, not Twig, his background, and family.  We also travel to a different realm, Quinn’s homeland, the Hominus Realm, where Quinn reluctantly returns in response to summonses for his appearance before the ruling Council of Divine Magic.  He also hopes to gain closure concerning his family, who sold him off to slavery when he failed to pass the wizarding exams.

While His Fairy Share starts with the slower pacing that we’ve found in the previous books, it picks up steam more quickly.  Then, about a third of the way in, we hit a pivot point in the plot, and the action takes off like a runaway train.  The action and events that transpire after that are mesmerizing, fascinating, and His Fairy Share becomes utterly unputdownable.  

I want to keep the specifics of the plot under wraps because a significant component of the experience of this book is the constant surprise from the twisty-turny plot.  The blurb and your knowledge from the first two books are plenty. 😉  This story has a “Pirates of the Caribbean” feel – oh, I forgot to mention: Here, there be pirates – and it’s mixed with plenty of magic and paranormal adventure.  Twig and Quinn’s relationship is tested.  Family bonds are strained, and others are formed.  The plot is full to bursting with emotions, including devastation, angst, fear, revenge, loyalty, and love.   There are betrayals, new alliances, new characters, and less reliance on the Elder Realm and Twig’s father Auric as a plot driver (although also less Bill 😢👿).  Ms. Maslow expands her gorgeous, intricate worldbuilding and builds out the diverse, misfit, found family that makes up the Starfig clan.

Ms. Maslow’s writing is consistently on-point, crisp and descriptive with witty dialogue within complex, engaging storylines.  Her creativity is off-the-charts, yet no matter how out there it is, it’s completely plausible within the context of her textured, enthralling stories. 

His Fairy Share is the best of the series so far. I give it, and the Starfig Investigations series as a whole, my highest recommendation.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon