Miss Landon and Aubranael (Tales of Aylfenhame) by Charlotte E. English
This is a great fantasy book that people of all ages will fall in love with. We open by meeting our story-teller, who just happens to be a bridge troll. He is a pretty good story-teller and I was captivated from page one. He tells us that story of Miss Sophia Landon, a rather down and out young lady that has a heart of gold. She is the perfect fairy tail heroine. A little quick to temper at times, but she is a very incredibly good person, especially to the fairy types that live near her village of Tilby.
As a gift, a friend of Miss Landon's sends her to Aylfenhame for a visit - a bit of a day long vacation. It here she meets a strange young man by the name of Aubranael. He is an elf but has been left horribly disfigured and shunned by his people. The two instantly feel a connection and Miss Landon can't seem to get him out of her mind when she returns home.
The rest of the story revolves around the two of them trying to find their way back to each other - but not succeeding very well. Much of this is Aubranael's fault as he is not used to English society and he does not approach the situation with honesty. It's a great moral tale on the benefits of telling the truth and being true to who you are.
There is a lot of fairy magic and fun all through the book. It is very fun to read and did a great job of holding my interest. With a handful of very cure illustrations scattered throughout the story at just the right moments to help you picture the characters and places. I'm thinking of purchasing a copy for my daughter, as I'm sure she will love it just as much as I did. I will need watch and see if the author writes more in the series. While the book does have a very nice ending, I think there's still more to tell in the story of Aylfenhame.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
