This book is intense! I loved every minute of it. And what's more, it's so well written, it can even stand alone, even though it's the second book in a series. There are almost entirely new characters and only few references to the first book. There was definitely an added depth to this book from having read Faery Sight first, but on the whole everything that is necessary is recapped well in Cradle Gift, allowing it to stand on its own and serve as a sequel to the original book.
Faeries can give newborn babes magical gifts - think Sleeping Beauty's fairy godmothers. Maité's Cradle Gift is the ability to transcend reality through dreams.
I simply loved Maité as a character and how she slowly figured out the power of her dreams. I simply loved some of the developments where she realised she could get out of very difficult situations thanks to her cradle gift. The author developed this aspect really well and gave sixteen-year-old Maité a very strong personality. She was absolutely awesome. My favourite scene was when she called out her awful grandfather on some of his hypocrisies. Often scenes like that make me cringe because I find teen characters are too self-centered to get it right, but Maité was convincingly powerful and oh, so very right. She also really grew into her difficult situation beautifully, which made her a very likeable character.
Maité's best friend, Emily, was also so much fun as a character. Her bubbly, talkative, and a little over-the-top character added a lovely dynamic to Maité's more stayed personality. Their friendship was well developed and I liked how strong their relationship is. It's one of those deep friendships you rarely find in literature, and even less so in fantasy, and I really appreciate how the author brought that out.
Then there's the love triangle, with Maité, Amets and David, which was AWESOME! I'm not usually a fan of this trope, but it was done perfectly and comes with the added element of Amets' insanity, which made the whole thing more intriguing. I kept wondering which of the two she'd choose and with all the twists and turns, things turned out exactly as they should, while keeping everything civil and still beautiful. I think that's what's so particularly hard to pull off with love triangles because in more cases than not, one of the love interests is just a third wheel who's in the friend zone and not believably a love interest. Bossano really does a fantastic job of keeping both possibilities open almost until the very end.
Bossano's style has grown quite a lot since the first book and I'm very impressed at how well it lends itself to the urban fantasy of this story. Faery Sight is historical and it didn't quite work for me, while the contemporary setting totally captured my imagination. The unusual choice of the Pyrenean backdrop added so much, and the author definitely brought the scenery alive in this book.
So much to love! I haven't even gotten to the portal fantasy part with the faeries! And there's a whole amazing additional element with genetics that made this story even more amazing!
I suppose, this is the thing: if you enjoy portal fantasy with fae, urban fantasy, Young Adult fantasy with strong characterisation, adore unusual settings, or magic and modern science blending together, then you will in all likelihood LOVE this book as much as I did.
Want to read my review for Faery Sight? Check it out here.
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