Pixie by D Jordan RedhawkPixie by D Jordan Redhawk is a worthy follow-up to Darkstone. This standalone novel is no sequel however. Though it follows the events of Darkstone, the plot and characters stand fully on their own.

When Joram Darkstone threw open the doors between the human and fairy worlds, all sorts of creatures crossed over, including Gillie. A pixie who has left her home in England to travel the world, she finds more adventure when she bargained for when she wakes up after a night of bliss with a mysterious tattoo on her back. The mark seems to attract trouble.

Further trouble appears in the form of Lindsay, a young human woman from Portland. Though mysterious forces are after her, Gillie can’t help but be attracted to Lindsay. When the trouble on her tail proves too much for Gillie to face, she pulls Lindsay on the run with her. Together, they ride the rails down the West Coast, hoping to find an answer to the mysterious forces plaguing them.

The Characters

Gillie is the epitome of footloose and fancy free, or she would be if mysterious forces weren’t out to fry her at every turn. She is a pixie, and as such shares a deep connection with nature, which manifests as rapid plant growth whenever she’s around. Her intentions toward Lindsay are frivolous at first, but she is drawn to Lindsay’s quiet courage, and her attraction continues to grow, even when not so advisable.

For her part, Lindsay is the opposite of everything Gillie stands for. She yearns for stability and comfort in her life. She spent a stint living on Portland’s streets, but has managed to move off them and is in college. As a result of her tenuous circumstances and the trauma she suffered while homeless, Lindsay is rather risk-averse. However, she is swept along by Gillie’s spontaneous ways and spends much of the book discovering and nurturing the courage she never knew she had.

The Writing Style

As with Redhawk’s other books, the language is as much as it needs to be for the story. Her style is simple, and nothing gets in the way of her storytelling. The pacing moves along at a good rate, and builds throughout until the story’s final climax. The stakes get progressively bigger and the price of failure for our protagonists grows throughout.

The Pros

I enjoyed seeing the human world a year after the reintroduction of magic. Redhawk’s vision of the world is very convincing. It isn’t all sunshine and roses, but it’s not all doom and gloom either. Humanity has been working to adapt to its new reality, and like so many things, that reality is somewhere between idyllic and ruin. Both characters are well-created and I enjoyed getting to know them.

The Cons

My one con is that we didn’t get as much backstory on Lindsay as we might have. Her past is hinted at, but we never get a full explanation of how she ended up being homeless, and how she made her way off the streets. It seemed to me that it was something Redhawk thought about putting in, but either it was cut or never came to full fruition, which is a shame.

The Conclusion

This is a fun romp of an urban fantasy novel. Fans of Darkstone will appreciate getting another vision of Redhawk’s universe. Those who haven’t read Darkstone will be treated to a great novel, and one that should compel them to check out that novel as well. Lesfic doesn’t have many urban fantasy novels dealing with the fae, and this is a fantastic addition to that long-neglected subgenre.

Excerpt from Pixie by D Jordan Redhawk

It was far too early to alert the crew that they had a stowaway. Best to remain hidden for another day. The farther from their port of origin when the crew discovered her, the better. There was still time for them to call seagoing authorities to pick her up and cart her back to Iceland. Besides, luck had always been with her. It didn’t matter when she decided to explore the ship; if she wasn’t supposed to be seen, she wouldn’t be. And if she was discovered, so be it.

Gillie folded her sleeping bag into a cushion and sat, leaning her back against a nearby crate. “Ow!” She searched for the splinter that had stabbed her in the shoulder and was unable to locate it. With a frown, she tugged her T-shirt aside and peered at the damage.

The thick, black lines of a tattoo met her gaze, a tattoo she knew she hadn’t had the day before. “What the—” She leaned farther away from the crate and exposed more of her shoulder. Yes, there was definitely a tattoo there, a big one. She explored what she could reach with her fingers, felt the faint lines of raised skin along shoulder and spine and down to her waist. The flesh was tender but not overly so.

She’d had experience with tattoos. Thick, blue woad lines circled her biceps and ankles, each representing life achievements and lost friends. They had all taken time to fully heal. This new one seemed a week old, not a tattoo acquired within the last twelve hours. Have I been unconscious for a week? She had no way to tell. Her pocket watch didn’t have a date function, and she’d yet to attain the funds to purchase any of the newfangled electronics everyone sported these days.

Why would a moneyed and gorgeous woman like Sigyn pick up a ragamuffin like Gillie, treat her to the best weekend ever and then slip her a mickey? What was the purpose of tattooing her and dumping her on a cargo ship heading gods knew where? Where had Gillie been this last week? Curiously, she didn’t feel like that much time had passed, which would indicate the tattoo was magical.

That was a scarier prospect than waking in the hold of a cargo ship with no idea about her destination.

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Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number: 9781594935831
  • Publisher: Bella Books

D Jordan Redhawk Online 

Note: I received a free review copy of Pixie by D Jordan Redhawk. No money was exchanged for this review. I will always review books as honestly as possible and on occasion I refuse to review books.