A glorious, moving fantasy tale about a protagonist who isn’t a “chosen one”—but just might save her world with the help of chosen family.
Twelve-year-old Canary “Ary” Mossheart has long lived in the shadow of her Gran, whose heroic deeds have made her a hero among the fairy folk, even as Gran shuns the spotlight. Yet their world is slowly falling prey to a creeping mold that is poisoning the food supply and the fairies. Ary spends her days scraping mold from mushroom stalks and wondering when her wings will unfurl—wings that will then promptly be cut from her back so that they can be ground into the magical dust that offers the only hope against the mold. Ary’s father has already died, and when Ary’s Mama takes ill, Ary, despite not being brave like her Gran, sets off through the Gloom beyond her community to find a reputed cure.
Along the way, she must face the newts, earwigs, and other enemies of the fairies—but she also makes new friends, including an annoying fairy boy, a timid pillbug, and even a curmudgeonly newt. As she picks up clues from friends and enemies alike, Ary comes to realize that what she knows of their world is built on a lie. She and the other fairies actually live in a giant terrarium, one that they were meant to leave long before it reached this stage of decay. (That’s not a spoiler, as it is revealed to readers in the first chapter.) Her Gran’s heroic exploits may not have been so heroic after all. And their entire world will end in only a week.
Ary is queer, too, which we learn from a passing reference to an earlier crush. (I sense a hint of a new crush, too, but it isn’t given emphasis and may await the next volume for further development.) One adult character is also queer, but since her relationship is a bit of a spoiler, I’ll write it in white on white below; click and drag if you want to know:
Ary’s Gran was in a relationship with another fairy woman, and their relationship impacts Gran’s actions in ways that have a major effect on the plot.
Author Rebecca Mix weaves in themes about socioeconomic inequities and the peril of pushing problems to the next generation, but the story is more than an analogy for climate change or a call for social justice. It looks at the damage done by secrets and lies, both personal and communal; at whether one sacrifice for the sake of many is worth it; at the power of found family; and at how being a hero isn’t always about being brave or fulfilling a prophecy, but sometimes about “a few scared people realizing it was time to do the right thing … because no one else would.” Mix goes on to redefine bravery not as a lack of fear, but as “love shouting louder”—a wonderful phrasing. “Love Shouting Louder” is a chapter title, so this isn’t really a spoiler; I’ll let you discover for yourself how Mix beautifully elucidates this idea throughout the tale.
Mix’s worldbuilding is excellent and original and her characters complex and sympathetic. There is plenty of action, but never at the expense of also looking deeply at the characters’ motivations and longings. The book should appeal to readers of fantasy, lovers of fairy stories, and fans of dystopian tales, for it has much of all three, magically bound into a new whole.
This is the first volume of a duology, and I’m excited for the next. In the meantime, shortlist this one for many awards.
