Orfeia

Remember Inception with all of its layers of dreams? Well, this is fairy-ception with layered worlds and dreams too. Fay, the main character, travels through different versions of London on a quest to retrieve her lost daughter in the Land of Death. Starting in our world's London, Fay ends up in a strange jungle-like overgrown place called London Beyond where she meets strange fairy folk who start calling her Queen Orfeia. From there, she moves to London Beneath, to King Alberon's castle for a night of revels, and then finally to Nethermost London where the lands of Dream and Death collide, to meet the Hallowe'en King (Death himself). During her journey, Fay struggles to remember her life in London as the more that she dives deep into Dream, the more she sacrifices her memories. In the end, the only thing that remains is the memory of her daughter, Daisy, and a wavering shadow on the ground. This novella was jam-packed with beautiful writing and poetics, and the careful descriptions of the different world brought vivid images of what fairyland might look like. For anyone who is familiar with the folklore, the characters and world will be familiar/expected, such as the fairy king being Oberon, or the land called Elfhame, but there were fresh elements to the story that added a bit of mystery and wonder. To me, this story is reminiscent of what happens to the fairy queen Titania in Shakespeare's [b:A Midsummer Night's Dream 1622 A Midsummer Night's Dream William Shakespeare https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327874534l/1622.SY75.jpg 894834]. I loved reading about Fay's progression through the worlds, and her dealings with the trickster fairies. Overall, the world was beautifully crafted and the narrative itself was very dream-like and magical.Now I have to read more from this author!

This is my second book by this author and I'm adding to my auto-buy list. What an absolutely breathtaking, haunting and beautiful read. I love fairy tale type reads. I love darker and eerie ones as well. This has both, with gorgeous illustrations scattered throughout.

There is something to be said for a mother's love. It's strong, full of protection and selflessness. Orfeia is a story of that love and what lengths a mother will go through to save her daughter. This will be an all-time favorite.