Exile
2012
- fantasy
- psychic ability
- ability
- memory
- juvenile fiction
- elves
- fiction
- children's fiction
- fairies, fiction
- fantasy fiction
The story
Sophie is settling in nicely to her new home and her new life in the world of the lost cities. And it helps that living at Havenfield means getting to spend time with rare, precious species—including the first female Alicorn, who shows herself to Sophie and trusts no one but her. Sophie is tasked with helping to train the magical creature so that the Alicorn can be revealed to the people of the lost cities as a sign of hope, and Sophie wants to believe that the recent drama and anguish is gone for good. But the secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memories remain, and before long before she’s back in incredible danger, risking everything to find the answers to questions that could save not only her life, but the life of someone close to her… [Also at archive.org here: https://archive.org/details/exile0000mess]
What it’s like
Brisk, chatty prose in a close first-person voice, with short chapters that end on hooks, so it reads quickly and in pieces. The world is an underground city of elves and other magical folk, rendered through lush, cozy details: greenhouse gardens, shared meals, bright hallways and the glow of magical creatures in a sheltered estate, set against a looming sense of unease. The tone is warm and a little breathless, with humor in the everyday friendships and a steady undercurrent of mystery about the protagonist's buried memories. Pacing alternates between gentle, domestic scenes and sudden bursts of danger, with a few tense action sequences that are fast and not gory. Violence is moderate: scuffles, injuries, and frightening moments, but nothing graphic, and no sexual content. Its emotional register is hopeful with real anxiety, and its arc follows a young girl learning to trust her new community while confronting what she has forgotten. A good fit for middle-grade and young-teen readers, or adults who want a comforting, fast-moving fantasy with a magical-creature soft spot and a twisty secret at its core.
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