Review:
Trailer Park Fae. Tell me that is not the best title ever! I mean, faeries are so elegant, graceful, and proper, and trailer parks are, well not. So a juxtaposition like that, how could it not be amazing?! And that COVER. Honestly probably my all-time favorite. So as soon as I saw this book, I needed it in my life.
But then I read some reviews, and so many said the same thing—the writing was too frilly and difficult to understand. So I sank into the depths of indecision and stared longingly at the the book on my Amazon wishlist for months.
Finally I caved, and I figured December was the perfect month to read it because I had finished my goal for the year and would have the whole month to take my time with this book.
Imagine my surprise when I finished it in three days.
The thing about this book is, the writing is flowery and archaic and poetic. But I like flowery and archaic and poetic, so I thought the writing was beautiful!
As for it being too hard to read, it only took me ten pages of reading slowly and rereading some sections to get the hang of it. After that, the more I read, the easier and more natural it became. Even if a sentence here or there tripped me up, it didn’t affect my enjoyment or understanding of the story. It’s not a book you can skim though, so just save it for when you can go at a relaxed pace and really sink into the writing. So if you like concise writing, this may not be for you. But if you like beautiful writing that does a brilliant job of showing rather than telling, and you’re interested in the story, don’t make the same mistake I almost did!
This book is more than just its writing style though. For one thing, the plot had me hooked. Once I picked this up, I didn’t want to put it down. I never knew where the story was going to head next or what new twists would be thrown at me.
The characters were also well-written, especially Jeremiah. He was gruff, harsh, sullen, and sometimes selfish—but sometimes he was also selfless, and there was more complexity to him than meets the eye. He was kind of broken but also badass—a combination that worked surprisingly great.
As for the cover matching the story? No, the writing was not gritty and rough, and the story definitely was not a fluffy, crude-humor type of read like one might expect. But Jeremiah was still gritty and rough, as well as many of the settings, so I felt like I did get that juxtaposition of elegant and gritty that I wanted. And the story was not lacking humor, nor was it super dark; I found myself cracking up plenty at little bits of sarcasm or wit and even the absurd situations the characters sometimes ended up in.
So, to summarize, flawed characters who tug at your heart strings, a plot that keeps you on your toes, beautiful writing, and a sprinkling of humor, all wrapped up in an oddly gritty yet elegant package with a cover that is TO-DIE-FOR!
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes flowery, lyrical writing, the cruel side of faeries, and gritty, flawed characters.
More Books in the Series:
Book Review: Trailer Park Fae (Gallow and Ragged Book 1) by Lilith Saintcrow
Book Review: Roadside Magic (Gallow and Ragged Book 2) by Lilith Saintcrow
Book Review: Wasteland King (Gallow and Ragged Book 3) by Lilith Saintcrow
Yup! I agree about the title and the Cover! I haven’t read Lilith Saintcrow yet but I notice that seem to be her signature: an edgy twist to otherwise “graceful” things. 🙂 Fairies are not my favorite fantasy characters/creatures. I don’t think I have ever read a fairy book other than fairytales when I was little. But I’m now very intrigue by your review! you had me at “writing is flowery and archaic and poetic” 🙂
I haven’t read any of her other books yet, but I think you might be right. Faeries aren’t my *favorite* creature, but I do like them. You should give them a try! Urban fantasy faeries are probably pretty different than children’s fairy tale ones. I’m glad I could get someone interested with my description 🙂
I love the cover for this one and it definitely attracted my attention the first time I saw it. And I like that contradition in the title, makes me curious.
The thing about the writing style does worry me, as sometimes I can really dislike a book when the writing style doesn’t work for me. Like Shatter Me, I just couldn’t get used to the writing style. But then writing style is so specific and difficult to explain, that it’s hard to know whether it’s going to work for you or not until you give it a try.
The story sounds great with how you didn’t knew where it was going and the many twists. I like those type of complex and damaged characters. Great review!
I get what you’re saying, writing style is such a subjective thing, probably more so than other aspects of books. Even I’ve read certain books with “beautiful writing” that just didn’t click with me and ended up getting so lost in metaphor it was just nonsense. So I was happy that the writing in this book did click with me. I haven’t read Shatter Me, so I can’t compare it to that.
But yes, damaged characters are my favorite! And I was definitely surprised by the twists, in a good way. Thanks 🙂
I feel like I’ve seen this on someone’s blog before, but gave it a pass, because it looked a little trashy? 😀 (Not that I don’t enjoy trashy sometimes) The person also gave it a good rating though, I think, and it does sound kind of cool, but I’m not a huuuge fan of flowery writing most of the time, so IDK if it’s really the thing for me. I’m glad you enjoyed it though!
It’s definitely not trashy. I feel like that might be why some people were disappointed, because they expected a crude humor type book, but it wasn’t like that at all. Everyone has different preferences when it comes to writing style, but thanks, I definitely did enjoy it!
I do agree with you on the cover – it’s gorgeous! Your mention of the irony of putting fae in a trailer park make me giggle. And I’m also a fan of “flowery, archaic, and poetic” writing. AND I love well developed characters and great world building. So I think this would be a perfect read for me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Kristen. 🙂
Ugh, so obsessed with the cover! And it does sound like you’d like this book if you like all those things! Always nice to find a fellow lover of beautiful writing. Thanks for visiting and sharing my post 🙂
This sounds like a darker fae read, which really appeals to me. I love, love, love that title and that cover! Thanks for giving me my first look and for the recommendation. I am going to add it to my TBR and will let you know when I read it.
I’m so glad I could introduce someone to this book! It is definitely on the darker side with its cruel, mischievous faeries, but it’s not so dark that it’s depressing, so it’s a good balance. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it 🙂