The Bones of Faerie

By Janni Lee Simner.

Quick summary: When Liza's sister dies and her mother disappears, she sets out on a quest to find her in a world devastated 20 years ago by a war with Faerie.

What I liked: This book has noticeably tight prose. (It might not be a good thing that it stood out so strongly to me, but surely tight prose is good?) The idea is original (at least it's not nuclear winter, again) and the characterization of the main three characters is pretty good.

What I disliked: The world seems very shallow, as though Liza's town and the towns around it are all that's left. Surely at least one metropolis and some infrastructure (power, water, communications) must have survived? Also, the book seems short and really only deals with Liza's problems. Some of the world details aren't very convincing (they feel out of place or inconsistent with the rest of the world, e.g., the episode with the Mississippi) and a couple characters seem to act strangely for the sake of plot. (Their actions may be in line with their characters but I don't feel like I saw enough of their characters to feel that way.)

Overall: Short, enjoyable read, but it could be better.