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A review by kblincoln
Of Blood and Honey: A Book of the Fey and the Fallen by Stina Leicht
5.0
I didn't know what to expect going into this book. I guess I was thinking "Charles de Lint" and so the first few pages I spent readjusting to both the lingo, the political climate of 1970's Ireland, and a brutally honest and realistic story of a young man, Liam, wrongfully thrust into one of Ireland's most brutal prisons: Long Kesh.
In the Kesh, Liam undergoes a brutal experience that lets loose the darkness in him that is a legacy from his unknown father.
Even when he is let out of the Kesh, he can't escape politics. It seems like BAs (British Army) have it out for him and he is again arrested as a rioter when trying to defend his fiance/girlfriend during a demonstration.
He spends three years in prison this time, and it firms up his desire to join up with the IRA.
But the BAs do have it out for him, not only because of his ties to illegal activities, but also because an evil has infiltrated their ranks, and this evil has a personal vendetta against Liam's father. It will stop at nothing to destroy him.
Unlike alot of urban fantasy these days, this story does not feature a kick ass female with a supernatural love, nor is it about a noble, magic-wielding loner of a man.
Liam is firmly enmeshed in his Catholic community. His actions have repercussions on his mother, stepfather, fiance, mates, and priest. He struggles to do the right thing, but is constantly met at each turn by brutal force. One gets the despair and hopelessness when we experience, along with Liam, his utter helplessness at the brutality wielded by those in authority.
Of Blood and Honey is a history lesson on the IRA, Republicans, Protestants vs. Catholics, and Ireland/British history rolled up with action, spiced with a smattering of Irish folklore. It's crazy how even the supernatural parts fit so well inside the story one doesn't even blink. When Liam's friend, Father Murphy tries to get his bishop to acknowledge the possibility that not all supernatural creatures are fallen angel-demons and fails, its explained that the Church can't allow the possibility because it would mean admitting hundreds of years of genocide and wrongdoing.
And the blending of redhats (goblin-like creatures of folklore) with the BA red berets is genius.
This is not a book for young children. There's not a chance I'd leave it out for my elementary school-aged daughters to pick up and read by accident (although since the first pages read more like a historical novel than fantasy, there's little chance they'd get past the first few pages). There is graphic violence, betrayal, and the worst of the ways humanity uses prejudice and greed to hurt itself.
On the other hand, this is an amazingly good book to put in the hands of someone who doesn't understand why you read fantasy. THIS is why I read fantasy. The supernatural is used here to highlight and deepen the struggles Liam faces when choosing actions that are not clearly-cut wrong in a political, moral, or religious way.
This Book's Snack Rating: Tayto Wurster Sauce Crisps for the total Irish history, lingo, and deep, salty flavor of sadness that stays on your tongue long afterwards
In the Kesh, Liam undergoes a brutal experience that lets loose the darkness in him that is a legacy from his unknown father.
Even when he is let out of the Kesh, he can't escape politics. It seems like BAs (British Army) have it out for him and he is again arrested as a rioter when trying to defend his fiance/girlfriend during a demonstration.
He spends three years in prison this time, and it firms up his desire to join up with the IRA.
But the BAs do have it out for him, not only because of his ties to illegal activities, but also because an evil has infiltrated their ranks, and this evil has a personal vendetta against Liam's father. It will stop at nothing to destroy him.
Unlike alot of urban fantasy these days, this story does not feature a kick ass female with a supernatural love, nor is it about a noble, magic-wielding loner of a man.
Liam is firmly enmeshed in his Catholic community. His actions have repercussions on his mother, stepfather, fiance, mates, and priest. He struggles to do the right thing, but is constantly met at each turn by brutal force. One gets the despair and hopelessness when we experience, along with Liam, his utter helplessness at the brutality wielded by those in authority.
Of Blood and Honey is a history lesson on the IRA, Republicans, Protestants vs. Catholics, and Ireland/British history rolled up with action, spiced with a smattering of Irish folklore. It's crazy how even the supernatural parts fit so well inside the story one doesn't even blink. When Liam's friend, Father Murphy tries to get his bishop to acknowledge the possibility that not all supernatural creatures are fallen angel-demons and fails, its explained that the Church can't allow the possibility because it would mean admitting hundreds of years of genocide and wrongdoing.
And the blending of redhats (goblin-like creatures of folklore) with the BA red berets is genius.
This is not a book for young children. There's not a chance I'd leave it out for my elementary school-aged daughters to pick up and read by accident (although since the first pages read more like a historical novel than fantasy, there's little chance they'd get past the first few pages). There is graphic violence, betrayal, and the worst of the ways humanity uses prejudice and greed to hurt itself.
On the other hand, this is an amazingly good book to put in the hands of someone who doesn't understand why you read fantasy. THIS is why I read fantasy. The supernatural is used here to highlight and deepen the struggles Liam faces when choosing actions that are not clearly-cut wrong in a political, moral, or religious way.
This Book's Snack Rating: Tayto Wurster Sauce Crisps for the total Irish history, lingo, and deep, salty flavor of sadness that stays on your tongue long afterwards