Fairy Keeper

Written by Amy Bearce

Narrated by Rebecca Gibel

Forget cute fairies in pretty dresses. In the world of Aluvia, most fairies are more like irritable, moody insects, and almost everyone views the fairy keeper mark as a gift. But not fourteen-year-old Sierra. She hates being a fairy keeper, but the birthmark is right there on the back of her neck. It shows everyone she was born with the natural ability to attract and even control the tiny fairies whose nectar is amazingly powerful.

Fairy nectar can heal people, but it is also a key ingredient in synthesizing Flight, an illegal elixir that produces hallucinations. She's forced to care for a whole hive of the bee-like beasties by her Flight-dealing, dark alchemist father.

Then one day, Sierra discovers the fairies of her hatch are mysteriously dead. The fairy queen is missing. Her father's Flight operation is halted, and he plans to make up for the lost income by trading her little sister to be an elixir runner for another dark alchemist, a dangerous thug. Desperate to protect her sister, Sierra convinces her father she can retrieve the lost queen.

The problem? Sierra's queen wasn't the only queen to disappear. They're all gone, and getting them back will be deadly dangerous.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Oct 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781515982302

Amy Bearce

Amy Bearce writes magical escapes for young readers and the young at heart. She is the author of the World of Aluvia series, Shortcuts, and Paris on Repeat. She is also a former reading teacher and school librarian. As a military kid, she moved eight times before she was eighteen, so she feels especially fortunate to be married to her high school sweetheart. Together they are raising two daughters in San Antonio. A perfect day for Amy involves rain pattering on the windows, popcorn, and every member of her family curled up in one cozy room reading a good book. You can find Amy online at www.amybearce.com, as well as on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Reviews for Fairy Keeper

[katy.halsema · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received this book free from Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for an honest review of the book.Sierra is a fairy keeper and she hates it. Her father is a dark alchemist and forces her to take more nectar from the fairies than she should. And she does it to keep her little sister Phoebe safe. One day, all the fairies, except the queen die after an earthquake. She knows that Jack, her father, is going to be beyond pissed when he finds out. Bentwood, another dark alchemist from two ports over, just so happens to be over that night for dinner and to talk business with Jack.Since there won’t be anymore nectar, Jack and Bentwood come to a new agreement. Sierra has two fortnights, or a month, to find a wild fairy queen and bring it back to the hatch. If she doesn’t have a fairy queen by that time, then Phoebe will go work for Bentwood. And Sierra really hates that idea. Jack calls on Nell, one of his runners and enforcers, to travel with Sierra as he doesn’t want her doing anything stupid while on the journey. Sierra’s first instinct is to go to Corbin, the other fairy keeper in the same port and the same age as her. They arrive to his hatch to find it empty and all the fairies except the queen dead as well.Corbin sets out on the journey with Nell and Sierra. It’s awkward between them because Nell likes Corbin and is jealous of the friendship between him and Sierra. Sierra doesn’t like Corbin in that way and soon feels like a third wheel when it’s obvious that Corbin likes Nell. Things go from bad to worse on their journey to find either their fairy queens or to find a while fairy queen.———————————————————-This book is packed full of adventure and fantasy. This book had me hooked from cover to cover. This book has it all. Adventure, fantasy, magic, romance and some action as well. Definitely a book I will be keeping in my library and returning to in the future! I must say that some spots took me by surprise as I had pictured the outcomes of a few things differently.

[jennaelf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Note: I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5, but opting up to 4 (instead of down to 3) because it is a well-executed story! (As an aside, I tend to rate with the notion that a 3 is still a "good" read. 4 I find even better, and 5 are books I particularly loved.)

This was a refreshing and quick read (as appropriate to its status as a "young adult" novel). Without giving away any spoilers, I particularly liked the ways that this story veered away from some of the more typical tropes - for not only 'fairy' stories, but for the YA label.

In short: I enjoyed the read and look forward to future work from Amy Bearce - there's a good deal of potential here.

[isisunit · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I would like to thank Curiosity Quills Press for granting me a copy of this e-book to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review.Goodreads Teaser:"Forget cute fairies in pretty dresses. In the world of Aluvia, most fairies are more like irritable, moody insects. Almost everyone in the world of Aluvia views the fairy keeper mark as a gift, but not fourteen-year-old Sierra. She hates being a fairy keeper, but the birthmark is right there on the back of her neck. It shows everyone she was born with the natural ability to communicate, attract, and even control the tiny fairies whose nectar is amazingly powerful. Fairy nectar can heal people, but it is also a key ingredient in synthesizing Flight, an illegal elixir that produces dreaminess, apathy and hallucinations. She’s forced to care for a whole hive of the bee-like beasties by her Flight-dealing, dark alchemist father.Then one day, Sierra discovers the fairies of her hatch are mysteriously dead. The fairy queen is missing. Her father’s Flight operation is halted, and he plans to make up for the lost income by trading her little sister to be an elixir runner for another dark alchemist, a dangerous thug. Desperate to protect her sister, Sierra convinces her father she can retrieve the lost queen and get his operation up and running.The problem? Sierra’s queen wasn’t the only queen to disappear. They’re all gone, every single one, and getting them back will be deadly dangerous. Sierra journeys with her best friend and her worst enemy -- assigned by her father to dog her every step -- to find the missing queens. Along the way, they learn that more than just her sister’s life is at stake if they fail. There are secrets in the Skyclad Mountains where the last wild fairies were seen. The magic Sierra finds there has the power to transform their world, but only if she can first embrace her calling as a fairy keeper."This story is both entertainment as well as a metaphor for the situation our world is currently in. Sierra is your typical teenager in some ways, and in others she's very different. Sierra and her younger sister Phoebe live with their father, Jack. Their mother died years ago, so it's been the three of them for some time. Jack's a dark alchemist, famous for his drug known as Flight, but also well known for his poisons, not to mention his quick temper. One he takes out on Sierra often enough, though he'd never go so far as to kill her. She's very valuable to him, or more precisely for him.Sierra is a fairy keeper. From a long line of fairy keepers on both sides of her family, Sierra's known for as long as she can remember just what she'd grow up to be. What many view as an honor Sierra sees as an unwanted obligation; she resents having her life mapped out for her from the very beginning, with no options or choices ahead of her. Her mark shows everyone that she has a special connection to magical beings, fairies being the most magical of all. And she's conflicted about the whole situation. Even though she resents not having a choice, she still cares about her fairies, even if it is somewhat grudgingly. Yet her best friend Corbin is thrilled to be a fairy keeper. Despite their differences they really are the best of friends, and Sierra knows she can trust Corbin with anything.Phoebe, Sierra's little sister, is the light of her life. Sierra would do anything and everything for her sister. So when the fairies disappear Sierra ends up on a dangerous journey to rescue her fairy queen, or find some way to procure another. She's prepared to do anything to save Phoebe from the life Jack has arranged for her. Thus marks the beginning of Sierra's travels with Corbin and Nell, the most unlikely trio one could imagine. This is also the beginning of Sierra's inner journey, her time of growing up. Sierra has only a small window of time in which to fulfill her end of the bargain with Jack, time filled with adventures and lessons. And if Sierra doesn't learn these lessons quickly enough it may not just be Phoebe's life that's at risk.Like the larger story each of Sierra's lessons could be used as a metaphor for life in today's world, which is part of what makes this story work on multiple levels. Throughout the adventures, dangers, and discoveries Sierra must make choices, and the repercussions of her choices may impact them all, sometimes in ways she never imagined possible. Her inner journey is easily as important as her outer journey, maybe more so.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fairy Keeper by Amy Bearce is a paranormal novel for young adults. Sierra Quinn is a 14 year old Fairy Keeper. She was born with the mark of the keeper on her neck (fairy wings). Sierra can communicate and attract fairies. Sierra does not like being a keeper because she dislikes being told what to do. One day she is checking on her fairies in their hatch and discovers all the worker fairies are dead and the queen is missing. Her father, Jack will not be pleased. Jack is a nasty man. He makes Sierra collect fairy nectar which he uses in poisons and drugs (especially a drug called Flight). Sierra only stays around because of her sister, Phoebe (who was not born a keeper).Jack is upset when he finds out about the nectar. He then states that Phoebe (who is only 10) will have to go work for Elder Graham Bentwood. Bentwood is a big man, has a nasty temper, and sells drugs. Sierra makes a deal with Jack. She will bring back the queen and Phoebe will not have to go work for Bentwood (at least not for another year). Jack agrees with the bargain on the condition that his enforcer, Nell goes with Sierra. Sierra cannot stand Nell, but she will tolerate her on the trip for the sake of her sister.Sierra and Nell embark on an adventure to find the missing fairy queen. As they start their trip, Sierra stops at her friend, Corbin’s house to check on his fairies. Corbin is also a fairy keeper and has read everything he can find on fairies. Corbin’s queen is missing as well and his worker fairies are dead. Corbin joins Sierra and Nell on their quest. It is a long journey and will be full of adventure.The Fairy Keeper is a cute story and is aimed at young adults. There is violence in the book and concepts are for an older young adult. The book does place an emphasis on not over using natural resources which is a good thing for young adults to learn. I give Fairy Keeper 4 out of 5 stars. I liked the story but did not fall in love with it.I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.