Stevie’s review of Outcast Prince by Shona Husk
Paranormal Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 02 Jul 13

I fell in love with historic and supernatural Charleston at the age of seven, which may have been what drew me to this book, even though the location isn’t specifically mentioned in the blurb. Some lovely history and worldbuilding in this story, but with the snag that I found the politics and backstory far more interesting than the central romance.

Caspian is a changeling: the son of a fairy prince born in the human world and raised by his human mother and her husband. He’s mortal but with the gift of seeing the history of anything he touches: a highly useful skill when valuing antiques. Although he generally avoids probate work, he can’t resist the job of valuing the contents of Callaway House – Charleston’s notorious ‘mistress hotel’ after the Second World War and later a haunt of artists and musicians. While there, he’s drawn to Lydia, the granddaughter of the hotel’s late matriarch, and senses that at least one fairy has visited during the house’s years of notoriety, and at least one banished fairy is still there.

Tasked by his father to find a lost fairy mirror, and menaced by a recently banished fairy – and lover of the fairy queen – Caspian has to draw on all possible allies to recover the mirror while keeping himself and Lydia safe. I love the various forms the banished fairies assume depending on which attribute they most want to hang onto: magic, looks, or longevity. I also love the court politics and will be following this series to find out how that develops.

As for Caspian and Lydia, I couldn’t feel the spark between them. They are interesting characters, although rather detached from the world around them, but I like them as individuals rather than as a couple. Hopefully that will improve if we see them again in future books. On the other hand, I would love to see a book about Lydia’s grandmother or possibly one about her mother.

Grade: C