The Immortal Realm (Faerie Path Series #4) by Frewin Jones

From the Publisher

In an instant, a time of joy and celebration turns to one of heartbreak and fear.

Tania has finally found a way to bring her two worlds together, and while enjoying a long-awaited meeting of her Mortal and Faerie families, with her beloved Edric by her side, all seems right for the princess.

But when a Faerie baby suddenly falls ill, followed by more and more Faeries—including her own sister Cordelia—Tania knows that something is terribly wrong.

With no time to lose, Tania joins forces with her sisters to find a cure before this dark plague kills everyone she loves. Yet as the illness spirals out of control, Tania realizes that what they really need is help from the Mortal World. But will bringing another stranger to Faerie only make things worse? With countless lives hanging in the balance and a fast-growing Faerie suspicion of all things Mortal—including Tania herself—Tania makes a desperate move that will either save the land and people she has come to hold dear . . . or destroy their only chance for survival.

Children's Literature

Since discovering she is a faerie princess whose soul has been lost in the Mortal Realm for 500 years—not just a 16-year-old from London—Tania's life has been a whirlwind. Her royal blood allows her to step between Faerie and England at will, which makes her the only choice to battle an evil sorcerer king, but which also makes for some seriously awkward explanations to her mortal parents. Now that everything is out in the open and both sets of parents have joined her in Faerie for her sister's royal wedding, Tania cannot imagine how life could be more perfect. Or how quickly it could all fall apart. A mysterious illness sweeps through the guests, causing the first non-war death in Faerie's remembered history. Half-mortal Tania—and her mortal parents—are immediately identified as scapegoats. Now, she must once more draw on her powers to fight an evil reigning in Faerie, only this time she must go against her royal parents, the ruling council, and even the accepted history of Faerie itself. This fourth book in the "Faerie Path" series is compelling, yet it cannot quite decide whether faeries are Disney-esque bundles of light or the inhuman, merciless beings of Celtic lore. The wedding that begins the novel may turn off older readers with its lace, ribbons, animal parades, etc., but the same group likely will delight in the underground cities and underwater graveyards that later reveal Faerie's true history. Between these shifting tones, however, is a gripping study as to how any race reacts to an outside threat—one that undoubtedly will broaden the young minds who encounter it. Reviewer: Cara Chancellor

VOYA

Book four of the Faerie Path series continues in the darker vein of the third installment, The Sorcerer King (HarperTeen, 208/VOYA June 2008). Tania's parents are visiting from the Mortal World for Cordelia's wedding. The festivities are cut short when a baby in the nursery falls sick and dies. Sickness is unknown in Faerie—after all, it is the Immortal Realm—but suddenly it is struck by the plague. Tania's parents are blamed, and they are banished back to the Mortal World and the passageway is closed forever. Tania and her sisters are immediately in a race to find a cure. Unfortunately until ancient secrets of Faerie's past are revealed in the cliffhanger ending, the book is rather ineffective. Both the language of Faerie and Tania's contrasting modern-day speech sound forced, the plot feels contrived, and Tania's charming romance with Edric is on hold for most of the book. Young female readers who are the target audience for the series will still enjoy the colorful locations and the quick pace, and the ending promises an interesting direction for book five. This entry does not stand alone; new readers will want to start the series from the beginning. Reviewer: Angela Carstensen

School Library Journal

Gr 6–8—As this book begins, all seems right with the world: The Sorcerer King has been defeated, Tania has returned to Faerie with her human parents in tow, and Cordelia's wedding is underway. But a child falls ill and dies—a seeming impossibility in the immortal land of Faerie. Soon, as others become sick, it is evident that this is not just an isolated incident. Oberon puts the plague victims in an enchanted sleep that can only last as long as he has the strength to keep awake. It is assumed that Tania's parents carried the disease with them into the kingdom, and they are banished, and once again Tania must choose between Faerie and the Mortal World. Meanwhile she must seek the cause and cure of this illness if her kingdom is to survive. Readers with an idealistic notion of fantasy and faeries will be pleased with Jones's romantic depiction of this magical world, and those who have enjoyed the series up to this point will not be disappointed with this latest volume. However, the dialogue is self-conscious and reads like someone's idea of how fantasy should sound. Also, there are some places in which internal logic is abandoned. Ultimately this is a fun story with very little substance.—Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO

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