Review: "An Echo of the Fae" by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt

This book was one of my favorite reads of June, and as a bonus, it was written by someone I know through the blogosphere! Jenelle is the sweetest, so it was no surprise that her book is so soft and wonderful and lovable! So today I'm very excited to introduce you to: An Echo of the Fae! 

Worldbuilding/Writing Style

The worldbuilding in this is amazing, both in the Fae world and "our" world! I love all of the tiny details--what Echo's house sounds like at night, the flowers that grow in the Faeorn--that make the story come alive. The worldbuilding feels almost thick--like you could step inside the book and never come back. I really liked the way that she had a Fae kingdom, but her characters also believed in God (The Creator)--those two things are not mutually exclusive! In terms of writing style, I appreciated her use of complicated vocabulary (i.e. "spill" in the sense of something used to light a fire, "stolid", "shinny" and so on) because for one, many middle schoolers know those words, and it seems foolish not to use them, and for two, reading complicated vocabulary in context is how we learn vocabulary! There were also a few moments of banter and lightness that made me laugh quite a bit! 

Plot

The plot was very well done, in my opinion! I did not see the opening twist coming AT ALL (although maybe I should have?) and thereafter, the plot is evenly paced, with the right amount of problems for Echo. There were a couple of times where I thought everything was going to resolve and was a bit irritating because it wouldn't have been hard enough...only to be surprised by another thing going wrong! There were maybe two or three moments that seemed a bit forced or inconsistent, but it wasn't enough to detract from my overall enjoyment. 

Characters

Echo: Echo was a relatable main character--who hasn't felt like they are left out of something in their life? I also love her love of reading and the forest, the way she is determined to help her sister, her cleverness, and her tender heart. I also appreciated how she brought her parents into what she was planning to do, instead of running off on her own, as MG and YA characters are wont to do...Her character arc seemed a wee bit choppy, but that did not detract from my enjoyment of her character!

Malilia: Malilia is an interesting character--I thought she could have been developed a tiny bit more, but I appreciated her role in the story (and I'm going to leave it at that, so this will be spoiler free!)

Jana: I liked Jana, she seemed a realistic character for one who has been recently kept locked in a tower, and is suffering from a mysterious ailment. Because she is sick, I didn't feel like I got to know her very well, but who knows, maybe in a sequel? 

Mamai and Dadai: Oh my word, they were so sweet! Their romance (both before and within their marriage) makes my heart happy, and I loved how they were so quick to reassure Echo of her place in their family, regardless of what happened (being intentionally vague to try to avoid spoilers). 

Fae of the Winter Kingdom: Riotighra and Eirloch were FANTASTIC! So awesome and cool and just spot on. I'm not going to say any more, so you can be pleasantly surprised. 

Romance

Unless you count Mamai and Dadai (who are SO CUTE), there isn't any.

Content

None 

Overall Rating

Four stars! I look forward to reading this one again and sharing it with my siblings!

Have you read this one? What did you think? Do you like fairytale retellings or original stories set in fairyland better?