Fairy wings by E.D. Baker

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Bloomsbury, 2012. ISBN 9781408831946.
This is not a fairy story for the younger brigade! Recommended by the publishers for the 9-11 age group, it certainly is not for sensitive souls as it features goblins and other strange and frightening creatures as well as fairies.
Loosely based on the aftermath of Shakespeare's Midsummer's Night Dream, we meet Tamisin ordinary school student with an extraordinary desire to dance in the moonlight, pointed ears and spreckles (shiny freckles) and the ability to see goblins. When she sprouts fairy wings she finds out she is adopted.
Meanwhile Jak who has just enrolled at school invites her to a Halloween party at his place. Jack unbeknown to Tamisin is a halfling, half human and half cat goblin, and we discover he has been sent to the human world to convince Tamisin to come with him through the Gate to the land of the fey. Jak has had a hard time growing up with his uncle Targin and vicious cousin Nihlo but is prepared to help the family.
Of course things don't go as planned, and attempted murder, kidnapping and a war ensues as Jak and Tamisin try to understand what is happening. Tamisin meets her mother Tatiana, Queen of the Fairies, and discovers her true history, saves Jak and intervenes at last between Tatiana and Targin with the help of her new friend Lou the Lamia a huge and scary snake-like creature.
Romance blossoms between Jak and Tamisin who return to the human world but the story continues as the first chapter of the next book Fairy Lies reveals at the conclusion of the book.
This book is definitely designed to fill the gap between the junior fairy stories and the older vampire stories and requires some concentration as all the characters are brought into play and the various goblins are described.
Sue Keane

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