An amazingly intriguing read. I immediately was drawn in, so much so that I ended up purchasing the other two books in the trilogy. Great character development and just the right of romance that it did not distract from the story. Would highly recommend to any fans of Casandra Claire, Melissa Meyer, and Sarah J. Maas.

Aileana Kameron saw the thing that killed her mother and she's been able to see the faeries ever since. Their deadly and she makes it her mission to destroy each and every last one of them. But she is restricted by the rules of propriety and society looks down upon every step she takes out of line. And when you're fighting for your life, you can't help but get a bit disheveled. Propriety takes a backseat to necessity though, as Aileana learns she is the only one left--the last Falconer--who can even attempt to destroy the fae before they destroy everyone she's ever known.

Aileana is a badass, don't-back-down kind of girl stuck in corsets and long skirts. She wants nothing more than to avenge her mother but she is stuck in the tedious trials of pretending to be normal among Edinburgh society. Her two main hobbies are inventing weapons and killing faeries with said weaponry. She even has her own pixie that darns her clothes in exchange for sips of honey.

Kieran MacKay is the handsome fae that has been training her as a Falconer for the past year. He flits in and out of her life, usually enticing her into a fight or challenging her. The tension between them is crazy good.

I loved that this book is such a collection of genres. There's fantasy, historical fiction, and romance, with steampunk thrown in to kick it up a notch. There's more action than anything and that's a big plus in my book.

There wasn't a whole lot to the plot in this book but I expect that's because it's a trilogy and there's a bigger picture to be considered. I'm also really peeved about the extremely abrupt ending. It made me feel like I literally didn't get a few pages that were supposed to be there (which is entirely possible since this was an e-arc). I'm definitely looking forward to continuing this series, though.

i did not finish this book, it just wasn't for me.

After I saw Stephanie Garber, author of Caraval, say she loved this book, I need I had to read it. It did not disappoint. I loved the story and the characters so much. Can't wait to read the next one.

I really enjoyed this! Loads of fun, and the hype was right, it is worth reading. I liked all of the characters, the story line is awesome, and the ending left me wanting more!

I read one review before requesting this book that said something like "you won't be able to put it down". I thought, yeah right. I mean how many time is that written about a book? But it's really true in this case! I couldn't put it down. So many things happening and I just had to know what would happen next! Definitely a fun read.

I was really excited when I saw that I was approved to read a copy!
I love all things steampunk - so why should this book be any different?

The main character (Aileana) is awesome and totally kicks butt!
I LOVE that it included some Scottish lore.

I didn't like that the ending left everything so un-closed - you really don't have much of an idea of what is going on. This seems to be a complaint from many other readers as well, however, I am sure that is resolved with the second book - which I have not read so I am not able to say.
The covers on all of the books are so beautiful and consistent!

The cover of this book really drew me in to find out more. Once I did and began reading, I couldn't put it down! I loved the mix of steampunk in this story - as Aileana is an inventor and makes all types of weapons. She also made some kind of flying vehicle which was a bit of a stretch for me to believe. There wasn't much in regards to her Scottish heritage, nor was there much history mentioned. However, that didn't matter to me as much as the story and how it progressed with the plot and the character relationships.

Strangely enough, my favorite character was Aileana's pixie named Derrick. Funny little thing! Aileana and Kiaran are both complex characters with their own imperfections, but we don't get to know too much about Kiaran other than he's a powerful Fae who managed to not get trapped in an underground prison like the rest of the fairies during an ancient war. Also, we learn he used to be pretty evil until he fell in love with a Falconer a long time ago.

My only frustration with this story was the abrupt ending. Although the story itself doesn't end with book 1, finishing with a cliffhanger is disappointing. I would have liked some closure even though there is a second book. I do plan to read book 2 though, so I am really looking forward to that! Recommended for ages 14 and up!

The concept of this book is what really attracted my attention. I know there has been a streak of fantasy books with the fae, but I’ve never read them this is my very first book and well I did like it. Aileana, while a bit too stubborn and hellbent on revenge for her mother, is a very strong female character. Aileana can make her own weapons, dress and act the part of a aristocrat, and knows her vulnerabilities. It’s been a while that I have instantly liked a character in a YA fantasy book. I do wish that the book had started a bit before Aileana’s mothers dead so we can see the character change and what has brought her to this dark place.

The beginning of the book did confuse me a bit, as I though for a quick second that I may have been reading the first book. This was quickly remedied as I got the background of Aileana and why she was a bit of an outcast now. I really liked each side characters. Derrick, Catherine and Gavin were great. The one thing I had a problem with was Kieran. It’s obvious that he is the love interest to Aileana, but I am just tired of brooding, mysterious men or I guess Fae in this book. The action and fight scenes were great though and fast paced but not to the point where I couldn’t follow along.

I may take a while before I read the second book as I felt I read this one somewhat slowly.

*I received a free copy of this ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I waver between 4 stars and 5, so I'm going with 4.5 to account for a couple of complaints I have regarding the love story.

But wow, this book was great! Elizabeth May's writing style was engaging and enjoyable. She provided the right amount of detail, giving me a clear picture of scenes, things, and people without overwhelming me with unimportant minutiae. The characters were well developed.

I really liked Aileana; she was strong but also vulnerable and imperfect. My feelings about Kiaran and Gavin are mixed. As characters, I like them. Kiaran is dangerous and unpredictable but also caring, in a way. Gavin is more outwardly good natured, and he's a good, loyal friend; however, he does not tend toward bravery. Still, I liked him a lot. Initially I had hoped Kiaran and Aileana would develop a relationship. And then Gavin came into the picture, and I really wanted her to be with him instead of Kiaran. It's like I was cheering for Team Jacob in Twilight (but this is NOT Twilight). I kind of went back and forth. And I really enjoyed the scene when Gavin acted as Aileana's eyes and helped her fight the cu sith. But ultimately, there is no love triangle. That does not bother me--I'm no fan of love triangles. I just feel like the love story teased at one and then drew back with a "nope, never mind!"

Note: Some gentlemanly swearing. A girl who kills faeries.

This book was a bumpy start. It did pick up. I don't mind the steampunk, or the fay. However, it did feel so familiar, like haven't I heard, read, seen this somewhere else before? Book Déjà vu without having read it before I suppose. It has lots of action, and evil fairy, and a warrior MC. Where did I get upset? The ending. Why do author's feel the need to throw us away by using cliffhangers? The good news, the other books are already out so you don't have to wait and be dangled endlessly.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

Unbelievably good! You would never know that this is the author's debut novel because the writing is superb and quite a page-turner. This is beautifully set in Scotland with steampunk and paranormal elements that took me by surprise. Aileana is a strong female protagonist who is only eighteen, and boy does she kick butt. Those who love a great YA novel and paranormal will absolutely enjoy this. The ending is awesome and I cannot wait to delve into book two soon.

Great fun fantasy with an interesting main character. Really enjoyed this and hope to use it in my teen book club.

I picked this book purely based on the cover. I love the cover, and was happy that the book lived up to it. There were some really unexpected elements to this story that I ended up really enjoying, the steampunk element being the most surprising.

I usually try to avoid steampunk. I've read a few books with steampunk in them but never really enjoyed it. The ones I read were just too illogical for me to be able to buy into the story, and now I just try to avoid them. This book went pretty light on the steampunk elements, just a few things here and there to let you know it was part of the story, you know, horseless carriages, a personal flying machine, no giant half-machine half-blue whale things flying around bombing the shit out of small towns or anything.

It was light on the romance. This is a big one! The romance didn't really come into it until the end. I mean through out the book it's clear she's trying to deny feelings for Kiaran, there's a couple of points where I was sure they were going to kiss, but of course they didn't. I can see where the author is trying to get the whole 'love triangle' thing going on but I didn't really get that vibe from Gavin. Like I could see him being gay and them being really good friends but not a love interest.

This book was a bit frustrating though. There were parts where I was just like "Tell the fricking truth, the whole truth!!" It would have avoided some frustration for the characters and Aileana does start doing that towards the end.

This book is pretty sterotypical YA fantasy. The main character is beautiful, but she doesn't know it. She's clumsy, except when she's fighting gracefully and effortlessly killing monsters, She's tired of her life being caged in by society, but she's not ready to ditch her comfortable life in order to change it. If you've read a lot of YA you've probably read a lot of books like this one. Fortunately for me, I happen to love books like this and I think this main character manages to set herself apart with her interest in engineering, she builds her own weapons and vehicles, and I love that. Also, the violence! This main character lives for the rush she gets from killing and the way it is written is wonderful, there are more eloquent prose about killing faeries then there are about the romance elements and I love that even more!

The thing I love/hate most about this book? The ending. OMG THE ENDING! I was reading and all the sudden it just stopped in a place where no book should stop. What? What! WHAT?! I was not happy and I loved it at the same time. It is certainly a cliff hanger and I'm so looking forward to the next book!

As for a rating, this book is not perfect, but I loved it anyway. 4 stars out of 5.
Note; I received this book for free, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A steampunk novel where Victorian Scotland is waging an unknown battle against evil fairies? Yes, please!

In the beginning of the book, we find ourselves at a ball where our main heroine, Aileana Kameron - Kam, is the subject of harsh gossip and scrutiny. She was found over the corpse of her murdered mother, the only witness to this unsolved crime. Obviously, scandal follows.

The scandal is the least of her worries though, and if she wasn't busy tracking and killing evil fairies, she could probably overcome it. But, priorities.

Not all fairies are bad though. She has a pixie living with her, Derrick. His character alone makes this an enjoyable read. Who wouldn't love a tiny grumpy fairy living in your closet? Especially one who steals shiny objects, mends your clothes and gets drunk off of honey! He sounds suspiciously like a good friend of mine, come to think of it.

And then there's Kiaran, the Daoine Sith or fairy, who trains her to kill her own kind. More on him later.

Add in a father who barely seems to tolerate her presence, her best friend Catherine who doesn't know the details of Kam's strange behavior but remains loyal regardless, and Catherine's brother Gavin as her newly betrothed, and we have a good story. Kam endures more scandal threatening her ability to function in normal society, at the same time that a seal holding back all of the really bad fairies verges on collapse. Now we have a great one.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was fast paced, had an intriguing mystery that kept me turning the pages, and a mother of all cliff hangers to top it off! You will not be able to help but dive right into the next book.

**SPOILERS - If you have not read the book, please DO NOT PROCEED**

While this was a very fun read, there were some things that bothered me. I'm hoping that some of these things are cleared up in the next novel(s).

The first is the love triangle. Or, what I think was supposed to be a love triangle. Her best friends brother, Gavin is referred to in the beginning. Kam had a serious crush on him, going so far as to admit that before her mothers murder, marrying him was her greatest desire.

Now, I get it. Her mom was killed, she witnessed it, and became a fairy killing machine to try and quench the rage that bloomed. As I said above, priorities. Marriage becomes a bit dull after living that sort of life. Especially when she is struggling to maintain her reputation as a giddy socialite. Being a good wife is probably not in the cards...

But then he comes back, and has the sight, meaning he can see fairies without using a sign-dubh (a magic thistle).

I actually thought we were headed towards a decent love triangle with the introduction of Gavin. Especially when Kam is forced into a battle without the thistle and Gavin becomes her eyes. The scene where he is pressed against her, aiming for her, is probably one of the hottest battle scenes I've ever read. There is already something between Kam and Kiaran, but this had the possibility of more. Especially when scandal forces them to become engaged.

But, for reasons I don't quite understand, Gavin goes from seemingly flirtatious and determined to be by her side, to stiff and awkward.

I understand that Kam has some massive sexual tension towards Kiaran, but even that relationship is weird. Kiaran seems to barely tolerate her. Training her to kill his own kind, probably isn't a picnic for him. Especially when we really don't know his motivations. While he never lets her die, he certainly doesn't mind if she comes close to death while fighting. Fine, he's making her a tough warrior. Preparing her.

But I do get tired of the women characters who tolerate a man's blatant abuse only to have him soften towards the end. It takes imminent death to kiss her? Or show that he cares if she lives? Maybe it's supposed to be tragic. I would have enjoyed it more if Gavin put up more of a fight for her. If her feelings weren't as clear for Kiaran because of his behavior. It would have made for better tension for me. Falling head over heels for Kiaran feels predictable, but I suppose we'll see.

The other thing I wish was more developed was the world building. It's Victorian Scotland, in a steam punk era. Outside of Kam and some description of her being an inventor and tinkerer, the gadgets didn't really seem important or relevant to the era or anyone else. Outside of tea contraptions and stitchers, no one else seemed to rely on these things. Honestly, I kept thinking it was simply the Industrial Revolution on steroids. It didn't feel as fantastical as other steampunk I've read. If it wasn't for Kam inventing or building these machines, for example, would they still exist in this world? I got the sense that they were there, but not a major piece of most households.

This is the first in a trilogy, so there is potential for further development in the next two books. I hope to see more tension with Gavin. Kiaran may be a beautiful fairy, but Gavin shows more heart. Gavin is willing to expose his identity as a seer, even knowing it could cost him his life to help her, to commit to her and stay by her side. It isn't a sense of duty that would compel him, or I hope it isn't just that.

I hope to see more with her father. Is it that she reminds him of her mother, or that he suspects her of killing her, or is he just a really cold dude?

Obviously, the mystery of the failed seal and the fate of humanity lies in the balance. I'm sure more plot twists and character development are on the way. I look forward to the next book.

A Scottish Victorian young lady by day, a faerie-killer by night, all set in an alternative 19th-century Scotland. Unfortunately, the plot, characters, setting, and steam-punk elements all seem somehow rather tacked on. There's just nothing in this that made me want to keep reading. I think there are some really interesting ideas here, but it's trying to do too much at once and ends up doing nothing very well. Characters are 2-dimensional, plot has some serious flaws. However, I expect the action will appeal to YA readers who simply want light and gory entertainment without any sense or substance.

Ever since Aileana witnessed her mother’s brutal death, she has hunted for the killer. Maintaining the balance of her daylight life as a wealthy, prominent young woman in Scottish society becomes increasingly difficult as faeries, the monsters who prey on humans like her mother, begin to find Aileana everywhere. Then Aileana learns more drives her than her thirst for vengeance. She’s the last of an ancient race with the ability to fight even the most powerful faeries. And she’ll need all her sleeping gifting to wake if she has any hope of stopping terrible creatures from forming an army and destroying all of humanity.

At first I had a little trouble reconciling all the various parts of the story. The setting has this sort of Jane Austen feel. The terrifying faeries bring a pretty serious suspense, almost horror element. And the strange mechanical devices Aileana depends on and invents give the story a steampunk flare. Once I acclimated to all these things, though, I felt like they complimented each other pretty well. The story needs all those things in order to complete its plot.

The characters—just, wow. I loved the banter between Aileana and her best friend Catherine and of course Aileana and her mentor Kiaran. Pretty much every character surprised me in some great way through the course of the story. I felt like their emotions were complex and realistic, and the fact that sometimes I spotted things before Aileana did (she was rather determinedly clueless about a couple of things) really added to the story and its believability, if that makes sense. I guess it gave her blind spots and flaws.

I’m crazy eager to get my hands on the second book in this series. I stayed up way too late last night finishing The Falconer and I can tell you I would have jumped straight into the second one if I’d had an ARC on me. I’m hoping there’s still time to get one, but if not, I might have to break down and preorder this one. It’s too good to miss.

I think if you liked the complex story world and banter between characters in Six of Crows, then The Falconer will definitely appeal to you. Fans of Julie Kagawa might find the faery lore similar and enjoy the human versus fae dynamic.

This is a fun fantasy/steampunk /romance story. A young woman finds her mother murdered by a creature. She finds out that the fairies in the fairy tales are real and they are mostly bloody killers. She also finds out that she is a falconer--a fairy killer. She has taken to killing fairies almost everyday. She is not able to be the proper young lady her family wants.

I plan to read the next 2 books in the series.

Faeries are not real. They only exist in the bedtime stories that Scottish parents share with their children. On the contrary, Aileana Kameron knows that faeries are real, and they are monsters. When Aileana was just a child, she was powerless to do anything but watch as her mother was being killed by a baobhan sith, a very powerful faery. From that pivotal moment, her main goal in life has been to seek out vengeance against the being who took her mother’s life. Now at the age of eighteen, she juggles between being the dutiful daughter of a marquess by day and a falconer by night. With the aid of a pixie named Derrick and a daoine sith named Kiaran, Aileana hunts down the faeries whose main intent is to destroy all falconers and seers. Aileana’s world has evolved into an existence of killing or be killed. Under Kiaran’s demanding instruction in combat skills, Aileana secretly trains and bides her time until the day that she confronts her mortal enemy. Fantasy enthusiasts will thoroughly enjoy this action-packed tale, filled with witty dialogue and light romance.