Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Fairy and Impartial
SERIES: Starfig Investigations Book 4
AUTHOR: Meghan Maslow
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 384 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 30, 2021
BLURB:
All Twig Starfig wants is to settle into mated life with his wizard and be a good leader to his clan. No drama. No heartache. A happily-ever-after fit for a dragon. Or half-dragon, at any rate.
Instead, Twig and Quinn get roped into a new case involving missing orc stones. Yes, those really are a thing. Twig’s dad is on the PR warpath . . . again. Quinn’s little brother can’t seem to stop pining over their housemate. Someone—or something—seems to be following them. And getting quality time alone with his wizard is more difficult than keeping one’s virginity at an incubus party.
To make matters worse, Twig’s old enemies start dropping like fairyflies, and they find themselves smack in the middle of an inconvenient murder investigation with a certain red fury as the main suspect. With everyone in Lighthelm convinced of Bill’s guilt—and by association Twig’s—Starfig Investigations is on the case.
Is there no one in the Elder Realm who’s fairy and impartial?
REVIEW:
Meghan Maslow delivers another highly entertaining story in her Starfig Investigations series with Fairy and Impartial. This is the fourth book in the series – you do need to read the previous three books first – and the storyline of half-dragon/half-fairy Twig Starfig and his human wizard mate, Quinn Broomsparkle, continues and expands.
Book Three, His Fairy Share, took us into the mind of Quinn for the first time, as we got to experience the events in that book from his viewpoint. We also got to see Quinn’s home and learn more about his backstory as we spent most of that book in the Hominus Realm. But now we have returned to the Elder Realm and Twig’s point of view in Fairy and Impartial, and the book takes up a very similar tone and trajectory as the first two books.
That’s not a bad thing because the Starfig Investigations series overarchingly fascinates and enthralls the reader. Book three is a standout because it breaks with the mold of the rest. But here, we get to see increasingly implausible, crazy things happen, and yet they are entirely believable in the context of Twig and Quinn. These two are veritable magnets for trouble coupled with a complete inability to keep their nose out of other people’s business, particularly if it affects someone they care about. Like Bill, their resident, domesticated red fury demon and BFF. Or Zak, Quinn’s younger brother. Or Dandy the Tworc (yes, apparently there is such a thing as a twinky orc). Or even Auric, Twig’s nosy, manipulative father.
The best part of Fairy and Impartial is the continued expansion of the Twig found family to include more “unique” creatures. For example, a character from My Fairy Share makes a reappearance in this book because “She’s come to apply to be part of the clan.”
Twig is the Pied Piper of supernatural creatures. They can’t help but be attracted to his charisma, kindness, and fierce loyalty. Every member of clan Starfig is someone or something which is considered different from the norm and treated negatively because of it. The Twig clan not only offers respite from that, it offers the love an acceptance of a family:
“In our own way, we were all misfits looking for our fit. And we found it. Together.”
Twig and Quinn even charm Leo, the EBI elf agent who is called upon time and again to investigate the Starfig Investigations team when they get embroiled in magic, mayhem, and murder. Which, I might add, happens all. the. time. We get to see more of Leo here, mainly because Twig and Quinn keep finding dead bodies, body parts, and other magical things and people.
As we’ve come to expect in this series, Ms. Maslow delivers a convoluted plot that is easily navigable. Her stellar worldbuilding is on full display, and we enjoy more of her well-crafted, highly endearing characters. Her writing is crisp and witty, even laugh-out-loud funny at times. It provides a nice and needed counterpoint to the violence in these stories.
Total props to Ms. Maslow for her continued creativity. It’s a joy to be transported into such a colorful, exciting, utterly wacky world with supernatural creatures and plenty of magic.
Starfig Investigations is a series I highly recommend. It has everything: love and steam, action and drama, mild angst, suspense, humor, heartwarming relationships, and endearing, unforgettable characters. Fairy and Impartial is another exciting, enjoyable entry in the series that you’ll be eager to read and sad to finish. Join me in eagerly awaiting more.
RATING: 
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