All About Middle Grade Review: The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There (Fairyland, 2) by Catherynne M. Valente, October 1, 2013. 304 pages. Published by Square Fish. Source: publisher.

September has longed to return to Fairyland after her first adventure there. And when she finally does, she learns that its inhabitants have been losing their shadows—and their magic—to the world of Fairyland Below. This underworld has a new ruler: Halloween, the Hollow Queen, who is September’s shadow. And Halloween does not want to give Fairyland’s shadows back.

Fans of Valente’s bestselling, first Fairyland book will revel in the lush setting, characters, and language of September’s journey in The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, all brought to life by fine artist Ana Juan. Readers will also welcome back good friends Ell, the Wyverary, and the boy Saturday. But in Fairyland Below, even the best of friends aren’t always what they seem. . . .

First Sentence:

Once upon a time, a girl named September had a secret.

It took me some time to find my copy of The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, the second installment in Catherynne Valent's epic Fairyland series, but this book was perfection and bliss wrapped up together. This was such a great follow-up to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.

It's so hard to decide where to start on this review because Catherynne Valente did such a marvelous job with the second installment in her wonderful Fairyland series. I just really enjoyed watching the newest side of Fairyland, that of Fairyland Below, and September's latest adventure unfold. Truly, Ms. Valente has a way with fantasy worlds and breathing new life into the whole fairyland type books. Seriously, every time I think there's nothing new to be conquered in the fairy tale-like books, she finds some way to amaze me with her writing. I just really, really enjoy the balance of light and dark, and, good and bad within this series. It's been really interesting to not only watch her characters evolve, but to see the different sides of them. Especially when you look at things from book one to book two. Now, I cannot say too much here because it's really important to the overall plot, but you really must read this one because of...REASONS!!!!

Ah, poor, poor September, she has grown a fragile heart between visits to Fairyland. Gah!!! Words cannot express why I love September as much as I do! Really, there's just something about her voice and character that is just right!
   One of the reasons I find September to be quite the interesting character is how she evolves throughout the books. Her character development is subtle and yet extraordinary. Being the mean reader that I am, it is the struggles between the easy and hard choices that have made reading about September such a joy. I'm just that type of person that enjoys watching a character struggle with their goal and doing what's right. It just makes for good reading...when done right that is.

I am trying so hard to NOT spoil The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There for those who have not read it yet. *so, so hard*

Catherynne M. Valente, has been moving up my list of authors to read since I read the first Fairyland book. And with the second book in her Fairyland series, well, let's just say that she has earned herself a spot in my favorite middle grade authors list. These days it takes quite a lot to get onto my "favorites" list, but her writing and world building and characters has firmly cemented her right to be there.
    There's just something about Ms. Valente's writing that makes me want to spend days reading her books. Her writing is just so beautiful that I want to linger in the world and the lives of the characters for days on end. So much so, that I find myself limiting myself to a couple chapters a day just because I want to make it last! You know what, it has been entirely too long since I last loved an author's writing as much as that!

Final Verdict: The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There- A perfect mixture of wonder and excitement paired with excellently paced character development. Definitely a wonderful read for those looking for a trip into the fantastical.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There earns

This book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.