Dame of Owls by A.M. Belrose

Publisher: Self-published
Date published: 2013
ISBN: none
ASIN: B00HFMZ6CI
Genre: Fantasy
Book format: E-book
Obtained via: Publisher Gift
Reviewed by Keldon__

RATING: four

RAT

Sid is a half-human/half-fairy knight, residing in the fairy realm. She is part of the Winter Court, the House of Owls. Although feathers are involved at times, this is not a shifter story—Sid does not morph into an actual owl. Because of her human side, she is sent on a mission to bring a particular human back to the Winter Queen. Since this is nothing new, Sid assumes the queen has chosen this mortal for his beauty.

Chris is a bookstore worker who doesn’t believe in fairies—until Sid shows up to haul him back to the queen by any means necessary.

Chris gives in early on and doesn’t seem to have any interest in fighting his trip to the Winter Court. He seems taken with Sid and trusts her. Neither Chris nor Sid have any idea of the true reason the queen wants this particular mortal.

Several other fairy realm houses play a part, including a persistent Lilly knight, and other fairy folk enter the picture at intervals.

The story is told from third person point of view, both Sid’s and Chris’s. The fairy realm is well developed and believable. The characters are three dimensional and the plot moves right along. There are several chase sequences and fight scenes. The intimate scenes are more of a catalogue of mechanical action and include little emotion, which was disappointing compared to the vivid description elsewhere.

The action peaks near the end, with a pleasing resolution (no spoilers here).

Overall, I enjoyed the story, and would recommend it to readers who enjoy fantasy.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.