Except the Queen

My, these two play well together! I'm joking of course, anyone who's ever done any knows that writing is hard work and takes dedication, it's just that these two writers really meld their considerable talents together seamlessly in a way that seems like enchanted play. It hit absolutely all the right buttons for me: the faery lore was authentic, it made great use of herb lore & magic, it wove the far different worlds of Faery and contemporary America together in a way that felt like a balm to me, for our cement and iron cities feel like they could never touch the healing green, and yet maybe, just maybe. Also, as a middle aged woman myself, I couldn't help but relate to Meteora and Serana's plight with their new/old and very different bodies, though at least I've had time to grow into the reality of my own! The sisters adjustments to 21st century life added moments of unexpected humor, as the reader gets treated to just how strange our world looks and sounds, and the details we understand without even thinking of them (like the stamps that must be affixed for a letter to be taken by "Eagle mail" made their understanding and learning all the more real. To me this novel is every bit the equal of the best of Charles deLint, but without any sense of borrowing; their voice and tone in this is very much their own. I think the first thing I ever read by Jane Yolen was a long time ago in a collection of short faery fiction edited by Terri Windling. Yolen's piece was titled _The Thirteenth Fae_ and as I read it, I quickly realized I was in the presence of a master of the genre. She sets a tone with language that makes you swear she must be working with something other than words alone. Such is the case here with _Except the Queen_. The language is fermented in some fae decoction that just took me away. Though I don't know quite how they divided the work, the blending of ideas and tone is flawless. This book is one I will read again, just to perhaps discover how they did it, though I don't think for a minute I will -- it's a faery touched work for sure, and I'll bet I'll only be shown as much as they want me to see. Overall, quite a treasure for lovers of fae or urban fantasy. Dawn Killen-Courtney, author of _The Trollton Chronicles_

Except the Queen is a beautifully written tale with a myriad of viewpoints, a twisted and engaging plot and a satisfying conclusion. I've read several sidhe/Fae tales and I'm pretty familiar with the basics most authors employ when describing the realm(s) of the Fae and the remarkable creatures that inhabit them. Sometimes this familiarity leads to boredom and much rolling of the eyes, but the ink spilled from the agile pens of Ms. Yolen and Ms. Midori managed to keep the lore of the Seelie and the UnSeelie fresh. There are many disparate voices offered in this book and all sorts of POV formatting [switching from 1st person to 3rd person omniscient to straight up 3rd person and so on] so the plot takes a little time to get into... however, it's well worth wait. Initially chapters read like misshapen puzzle pieces but eventually the pieces snap together and a clear picture of all players' intentions and their significance is unveiled. Our heroines are definitely of the "unlikely" variety - a pair of Seelie sisters who are gossipy and concerned only with fun. They are flawed, biased, selfish, frightened and heartwarmingly real. One of my favorite aspects of the novel is how the authors manage to reveal the foundation of unshakeable loyalty and love between the sisters despite all their hardships. Naturally, with "real" heroines, the villains are "real" bast- jerks and made out of the parts of nightmares. And finally, even the character(s) in need of saving aren't always loveable either. IMHO, this just adds another special dimension to the overall tale. I'd call *Except the Queen* an exceptional literary work. If I were a professor [alas, I'm not] and I had a class [of course I don't] - I'd assign this book because there are a lot of intelligent themes and artistic strands to admire and analyze. Guess I could always start a book club... Bottom line... I had a really hard time putting Except the Queen down. The novel is a serious page turner that still managed to leave me feeling completely satisfied [when I read books too quickly I sometimes feel like I've overeaten, you know?]. Even though I'm happy with the ending as everything was neatly wrapped up, I definitely wouldn't mind if the authors collaborate to publish another installment. I'd love an occasion to revisit the Yolen/Midori Fae world once more.

The other reviewers have given you the plot basics so I'd just like to say that this a powerful, and yet very sweet, work. The characters and their relationships to one another sing! I am amazingly happy that these two wonderous authors have collaborated. They make me think of Charles de Lint's urban fantasy but with their own unique voices. A must-have for fairytale lovers.

The two Fae sisters, Serana and Meteora accidentally uncover a secret that at a minimum would ruin the reputation and credibility of the Fairy Queen. Before they can react, the pair loses their magical skills and looks, separated and exiled to Earth. Serana lands in the strangest world she has ever seen, New York City; Meteora likewise feels the same way about Milwaukee. Serana meets a homeless boy who suffers from dark apocalyptic visions; Meteora meets a young girl with an incredible tattoo on her neck that could only mean an artist with magic powers who wants to kill the beholder of his work. Soon all will conjoin as the mortal and Fae realms are threatened with total destruction. This is a great urban fantasy with an atypical feel to the story line that enhances the otherworldly tale. Fast-paced from the onset, fans will welcome the siblings as each struggles with adjusting to the world of the mortals. The sisters make the thriller work as their adaptation is slow and before they can partially adjust, they are caught up in a save two realms scenario. Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder team up with a winner as fans see New York and Milwaukee through the eyes of "political immigrants". Harriet Klausner

Playing pranks on unwary folk is the only interaction Serana and Meteora, born to the high court of the Fairy Queen, have ever had with the mortal realm. But all that changes when, in a moment of carelessness, Meteora reveals the Queen's scandalous secret and both she and her sister are exiled violently into the human world. Stripped of their magic, their glamour and each other, both sisters soon discover that the worlds of mortals and the fey are intertwined deeper than imagined, and if they wish to return to the Greenwood they will have to face the demons of elfland on human ground. While many books have trod the paths of mortals becoming lost in fairy mists, //Except the Queen// illuminates the astonishing trail of immortals who have been thrust into the iron-and-concrete forests of modern-day mankind. And through the eyes of two Elvin sisters, our polluted, noisy, crowded, dirty world suddenly resonates with a veritable rainbow of magical undertones. Yolen and Snyder's prose is an a cappella composition of small magics, both human and fairy, and each character seems to step right out of the pages of our much-beloved storybooks. A fantastic read whether you believe in fairytales or not! Reviewed by Heather Ortiz