ALA Booklist (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

Beckan, Scrap, and Josha are the only fairies left in Ferrum. All the others have been eaten or blown up in the war between the tightropers and the gnomes. To make ends meet, Beckan and Scrap regularly turn tricks in the mines with the gnomes, and in the process, they befriend Tier, the son of the late gnome king, who ate Josha's boyfriend. The plot, however, matters less than the chaotic narrative style, made up of Scrap's obsessive, floundering attempts to capture an accurate, purely objective history of the war. His frustrated interjections and false starts and Tier's scribbly illustrations unsettle the story and, almost ironically, imbue the account with intense feeling. He soon finds that he is lousy at documentary, and eventually the line between fact and fiction muddies. Moskowitz's thick, sultry, lyrical language builds a strong sense of atmosphere and, in stark contrast to the fantasy setting, delivers clear, viciously realistic examinations of the aftermath of war. While some readers will likely be baffled, others will deeply appreciate this rich, off-kilter snarl of a story.

Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

The arrival of creatures called tightropers in ancient fairy city Ferrum escalates tension between fairies and gnomes into out-and-out war. Beckan, a fairy girl, strikes uneasy alliances with gnome prince Tier, his fiancie Rig, and tightroper boy Piccolo. Reminiscent of Holly Black and Laini Taylor, this gritty fantasy/war story is also an exploration of love in many forms and creating a family of choice.

School Library Journal (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

Gr 10 Up-Beckan Moloy, 16, is a fairy who lives with three boys in Ferrum, an old fairy city. At one point, the fairies and gnomes live together harmoniously (even though the gnomes often snack on fairies) until war erupts, destroying the city. To survive, Beckan and her friend Scrap resort to prostitutionthey have sex with the same gnomes who might eat them. After the fairies are liberated by the tightropers, a strange group of people who live in spun webs above the city buildings, Beckan imagines life will go back to normal. Then she meets Piccolo, a tightroper who has his own ideas about liberation and political power. Peace may not come as easily to Ferrum as Beckan hopes. There are no magical, ethereal, or sinister fairy qualities that readers might expect in this kingdom. Moskowitz employs an unusual storytelling format, where an unseen narrator is writing the first draft of Beckan's story. Unfortunately, this makes for a disjointed narrative and teens will struggle to make sense of the time line. In addition, characters are introduced without backstory, making context and rereads necessary. Still, the author's talent is evident as she ambitiously tackles complex themes of violence, sexual awakening, politics, and even infertility, although her message might be lost on some readers. VERDICT Add this to your collection for teens who are looking for a unique, albeit untidy, reading experience about the fae. Kimberly Garnick Giarratano, Rockaway Township Public Library, NJ