With fate conspire - Marie Brennan

Marie Brennan returns to the Onyx Court, a fairy city hidden below Queen Victoria's London. Now the Onyx Court faces its greatest challenge.

Seven years ago, Eliza's childhood sweetheart vanished from the streets of Whitechapel. No one believed her when she told them that he was stolen away by the faeries.

But she hasn't given up the search. It will lead her across London and into the hidden palace that gives refuge to faeries in the mortal world. That refuge is now crumbling, broken by the iron of the underground railway, and the resulting chaos spills over to the streets above.

Three centuries of the Onyx Court are about to come to an end. Without the palace's protection, the fae have little choice but to flee. Those who stay have one goal: to find safety in a city that does not welcome them. But what price will the mortals of London pay for that safety?

My thoughts:

This was a sad one, ok now you think omg am I gonna cry? Haha, no, I do not mean SAD, just you know melancholic. But never sad! The Fae have lived and loved London, but the iron has poisoned Father Thames. The railway is destroying more and more. The Onyx court is dying, iron is everywhere. And I do like the Fae, even if they have their share of rotten eggs too. And the Court is desperately trying to find a way to survive.... It's just sad to see them struggling.

But this book is not about the court for once. It is about Eliza, who is looking for her love that was taken by fairies. Also, she is in trouble with the law cos of the Fenians. I liked her story, her struggles, and how she never gave up. She really wanted to find Owen again.

The second big POV was Dead Rick, a fae, and honestly, eh, I did not care. He was not doing a lot, he was not doing the nicest things. And I just liked Eliza much more.

I guess this was the end then. A good conclusion to the series, and honestly, they do work as standalones cos there are new characters and the last one took place 150 years before.

Conclusion:
A nice end to this series. Intrigues and a dying land. 

Paperback, 632 pages
Published January 10th 2017 by Titan Books (first published August 30th 2011)
The Onyx Court #4
Historical fantasy
for review

A star shall fall - Marie Brennan

The Royal Society of London plays home to the greatest minds of England. It has revolutionized philosophy and scientific knowledge. Its fellows map out the laws of the natural world, disproving ancient superstition and ushering in an age of enlightenment.

To the fae of the Onyx Court, living in a secret city below London, these scientific developments are less than welcome. Magic is losing its place in the world—and science threatens to expose the court to hostile eyes.

In 1666, a Great Fire burned four-fifths of London to the ground. The calamity was caused by a great Dragon—an elemental beast of flame. Incapable of destroying something so powerful, the fae of London banished it to a comet moments before the comet’s light disappeared from the sky. Now the calculations of Sir Edmond Halley have predicted its return in 1759.

So begins their race against time. Soon the Dragon’s gaze will fall upon London and it will return to the city it ravaged once before. The fae will have to answer the question that defeated them a century before: How can they kill a being more powerful than all their magic combined? It will take both magic and science to save London—but reconciling the two carries its own danger… 

My thoughts:

I read book 1, but I did not read book 2. But for me it worked excellent like this anyway. Book 1 took place 200 years before this one and book 2 100 years before this one. And the main character was not born back then. Though there is this other big POV that they do mention was around in book 2, but I really can't say how much. I got to know her here and that was fine.

Haley's comet is approaching and with it a dragon that wants to destroy London. This London is the normal London and fairy London. The queen of the Onyx court I got to know in book 1 as she got her throne, but here she is only in the background. This book is Lord Galen's, the human consort of the queen. The one who stands in both worlds (though nothing romantic about it, they are not lovers. It is just a title.) Galen was young, he wanted to save the world, and he was totally in love with his queen. Poor thing.

The book is also about a sprite, Lady Irrith that comes back to the Onyx court. She gets involved in court intrigues, meets Galen and is the one that shows more of the fae world.

The next book jumps ahead again so this is it for this crew.

Conclusion:

It's an interesting series, but I do fear for the Onyx court. Iron and all that you know. The world is changing.

Cover

meh

• Paperback, 595 pages
• Published September 2016 by Titan (first published January 1st 2010)
• The Onyx Court #3
• Historical fiction
• For review