Faye and the Ether

"Faye and the Ether" is a fantasy book centered around a girl named Faye who always felt like she belonged to the sea, and she eventually finds out that she was raised as a human, but was born from the water. Upon finding this out, she is urged to stay away from various mythical creatures in a group called the Ether, which the other main character (Daron) is a leader of. Over the course of the story, Faye finds her place among these creatures and learns to uncover and harness the powers she has.

I was very intrigued by the plot and the characters, and the story overall had me entertained throughout, I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a new fantasy read.

Faye and the Ether is a coming of age fantasy story, in which a girl named Faye is whisked away to a magical land called Ether, where she learns that she has powers she never could have dreamed of.
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I really enjoyed this book! The world building was wonderful, and it was easy enough to understand that I was engrossed in the story after 20 or so pages!
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The characters were wonderful, and I will protect Faye and Alec with everything I have.
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The story did seem a little bit rushed at the end though. There is only 300 or so pages, and in the last 100 a lot happened, and most of it was mentioned in a very off-hand way. It almost seems like there was supposed to be 50 more pages added.
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Other than though, I felt that this was truly a hidden gem, and I don’t know why people aren’t talking about it! I cannot wait to dive (get it??) into book 2!
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you for allowing me to read the arc for this book.

I found it quite an enjoyable read. It is loosely based around Greek mythology which is something I am coming to enjoy reading about. I love a good fantasy read and I would say that this is a low fantasy which still makes it enjoyable.

The Ether is an alterative world to ours and Faye is thrust into a battle to save both worlds. The descriptive writing in this allows for some really captivating imagery and the multiple point of views introduced perspective from more than one angle.

It really is an enjoyable read and I hope to be able to read the second in the series soon.

Will be listed on Goodreads, my blog and amazon.

The story is very imaginative, but not hard to follow along with. It’s a classic fantasy book about the main character (Faye) being unaware of their magical abilities until the other character (Daron) comes along and introduces them to a whole new and wonderful world. This new world is often in jeopardy and the main character is usually the key to saving the fate of the second character’s way of life or magic system.

This book is all of those things, however... YOU SIMPLY MUST READ THIS BOOK!

First of all, Faye and Daron are beings that aren’t commonly written about in the fantasy genre, and are definitely not the usual type of beings that are written as a main characters (there’s no stories that I’ve read to say the least), but Nicole Bailey just proved to me that there should be so much more of this kind of content!

Second, alongside this wonderful exposure to creatures that I didn’t know all that much about, the book also has some really fascinating twists and different approaches to some more commonly known myths/ folklore.

Third, the characters are beautifully developed and are so multi-layered that they feel real and familiar to me. I loved that Nicole didn’t let the characters shy away from their negative emotions, and was realistic about how they responded to different situations and challenges, but also kept their responses so true to each individual personality.

I wanted to remain in the fantasy genre, but I was looking for something to read that was out of my comfort zone so that I could broaden my horizons as a reader a little more, and I’m so glad I found a home with Faye and the Ether.

The cover of this book is simply stunning. Faye’s journey continues further in Nicole’s next book, Faye and the City in the Sea!

Faye is tossed into a current of uncertainty as she deliberates over her college choices. More than anything she wants to study by the sea, forever chasing the line where the ocean meets the horizon. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. This was a great book to read.

Faye and the Ether grabbed my attention right from the first line - and the fantastical mystery didn't stop the whole way through. I was transported to a glimmering world of magic and darkness that Faye and Daron had to wade through, Faye was an exceptionally loveable and curious character right from the start and following her on her journey to stop the dangers facing the world was a pleasure.
Delving into mythology, this book gave it's own unique spin on a lot of classic tropes we've all grown to know and love.
It was a wonderful fantasy, but also a beautiful coming-of-age story all wrapped into one.

Actual Rating: 4.5 out of 5


First of all, WHY AREN’T MORE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK?

I was just browsing through NetGalley and I saw the beautiful cover of this book, I just had to check it out. The description provided on NetGalley made me think this would be a familiar plot and I’m usually interested in this kind of stories, so I decided to read it.

I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t think Faye and the Ether would be just like other fantasy books because of the book description. This book is a great example of why I love fantasy: you can always find something unique in each fantasy book. I thought this is going to be another “normal person finds out they are not who they thought they were and then gets tossed into the world of the usual magical worlds” book. I was wrong!! Faye and the Ether tells you a story about beings that are not usually given attention to. Sure, it’s related to Greek Mythology. But it’s in a totally different way!!! I really liked reading about the world of the Ether and every being connected to it, it’s like I’m learning about them as Faye learns about them, too.

Let’s talk a little bit about the romance. THE ROMANCE. It came out of nowhere, but I loved it so much!!!! I really did not expect what happened. When it happened, I was thinking, “Oh right, THAT’S WHY!!” I was legit screaming because of everything, and I couldn’t put the book down!! I NEED a twist as amazing and scream worthy in my life as this one has.

This is the last book I’m reading for 2020 and what a great book it is!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Faye loves the ocean more than anything. In her senior year of high school, she is looking to the future and the possibility of college. When she meets Daron, a new student, she doesn't know the world as she knows it will be turned upside down.

I quite enjoyed this book. The setting is lovely the characters are good, and I loved that there is a gay romance. Representation is important, and in a novel about groups of different creatures coming together, this lesson plays heavily. I enjoyed a new twist on mythology, and found the retellings interesting.

This book blends mythology and humanity together well. the flow is good and it reads easily and quickly. Before the reader knows it, he or she is absorbed into the story, which is always a good thing. This seems to be the first in a series, and I can't wait to see what happens next as the story unfolds.

**Thank you Netgalley and publisher for giving me an electronic ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

I was totally expecting Daron and Faye to be together because that's the trope, but I'm very happy that it wasn't the case! It was so exciting and I love the magic and the world. It was so beautiful.

This was the perfect blend of our world and Greek Myth. I loved the characters and couldn't put this one down. Although parts did seem a little thing and confusing but overall I can not wait for the next one. I think fantasy and contemporary lovers will die head first into this story and not come up for air until they are done!

Welcome to a land where mythology comes to life and most of the stories you were told are not entirely true.
Faye is a teenage girl who dreams of endless days swimming in the ocean and college applications. She grew up listening to the her mom tell her the stories of Zeus, the selkies, and the centaurs. One day, a new kid arrives at school, who through good intentions, will turn Faye's world upside down.

Initially, I had conflicting thoughts about this one. It was giving me Twilight-vibes: awkward solitary teen girl, powerful protective guy who is much older than he looks, mythical creatures, a party on the beach. Then later on in the story, once we were in the Ether, I was getting serious Percy Jackson-vibes: mainly the mention of the Greek mythology and training/quest aspect. This is not a fault of this particular story or of this author, but more of a reflection of the prevalence of the previously mentioned books -- they are such massive hits that they've become a part of our culture, and it is hard to not make comparisons. Ultimately, Fay and the Ether is its own wonderful story. When I finished the last sentence, I immediately wanted to pick up the next book in the series.

Faye thought that the most difficult choice she’d need to make would be about college applications. Instead, her world changes overnight when a mysterious new student appears. Faye learns that there’s a world called the Ether, filled with mythological creatures. When the new student is revealed to be a magical protector searching for her, Faye discovers that she has a place in this magical world. But before she can adjust, Faye must quickly learn to use magic before a power-hungry villain causes chaos.

In Faye and the Ether, well-known myths and creatures we assume we know are creatively re-imagined. Mythological politics, power plays, and magical lessons create a compelling story. Faye’s struggle to adapt to the magical world was very relatable and I enjoyed seeing her form connections with a wide cast of characters! I absolutely love that there were selkies in this story; I hope we see more of them. I would recommend this if you’re seeking YA featuring magical adventures, mythological creatures, and LGBTQ rep. This was a very fun adventure and I’m looking forward to seeing how it continues! Faye and the Ether is out now! Thank you to Nicole Bailey, BooksGoSocial, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks, Netgalley for the copy of this book in exchange for my thoughts and ramblings.

STORY ★★★★☆ - As soon as I read the blurb for this book I thought it seemed interesting and I was confident that I would enjoy it. I love anything magical, mythical and otherworldly so it definitely seemed like it would be right up my street and it did not disappoint! Faye and the Ether is the story of a girl called Faye who has always been drawn to the water (the ocean in particular but a swimming pool will do in a pinch!) who meets an Ether named Daron and her world is turned upside down. Faye needs to find her place in this new world, master her powers and decide whether or not she wants to be part of the war that she is fated to turn the tide of.

CHARACTERS ★★★☆☆ This is a pretty short book and I feel like because of that there really isn't a huge amount of development so this was a bit of a failure for me as I really do love a well fleshed-out character. What I do really like though is the variety of different types of characters, particularly types not usually seen in these types of books. You'll meet Centaurs and Griffins and various other races. There is also lots of magic, who doesn't love magic? Every race masters a different type of magic. There is air, water, fire and earth

WORLD ★★★☆☆ Another interesting concept in this book is the worlds. So obviously you have the human world, dull and boring and very much the world we all know. Then you have The Ether, which is where the creatures, races and legends of myth live. The Ether is vibrant, colourful and peaceful. The Ether will provide anyone with basic essentials like food and clothing. It simply just appears, you pull it from The Ether as it were. This I found to be an interesting concept but I would have really liked more information about how this worked as it just seemed to be something that was like, "okay so this is how it is, and that's that". You can't pull just anything from The Ether though so no pulling out weapons or other "non-essentials".

ENDING ★★★★★ The ending was the best part of this book (and that doesn't mean the book was so bad that I was glad to finish it!) At about 70% the book really found its feet and the pace was brilliant right through to the end with quite a lot of tense and dangerous moments for the characters. It was a bit of a rollercoaster and then when it was done I just thought wow, I really need to get my hands on the next book to see how this all works out. I wouldn't say it ends on a cliffhanger or anything but there is definitely more to see in the Ether and I am looking forward to reading it.

OVERALL ★★★★☆ I think I have summed up my thoughts and pretty much covered everything in the previous sections. The only other thing I would like to mention is the romantic relationships in this book. I will not go into detail and spoil this for potential readers but it was a surprise and it was a very refreshing change of pace for the book heroine not to fall immediately and crazily in love with the male lead.

I'll start this review by saying this is an amazing fantasy book. It caught my attention in a very unique way and I'm glad I requested it on NetGalley. But, of course, it's not flawless, as things rarely are, so I'll dig deeper into analyzing and rating this book, with more details.

The characters, despite not being flat, felt distant. That was something that, at least for me, often made sense, but it could be a fault depending on how the reader sees it. For Faye, one of the main characters, this sounds reasonable to me because she strikes me as someone who's slightly detached from things because it doesn't feel like home. When she arrives at Ether, this new world she gets to know and affairs of which she was now dragged to the center, it does feel like home, but she's still a bit out of place, as she doesn't really know the habits, culture, etc. of that place. Basically, it makes sense that for a while, she feels distant, since, to her, it doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere. So, yeah, reasonable.

Daron, the other protagonist, on the other hand, feels generally distant except for some moments of intense passion, and I truly think that was on purpose. He often shows restraint, trying not to make his feelings and intensity clear, available to the eye of whoever was interested in checking; that's obviously tiring, so we get to see some of his passion exploding when he can't help but do so. Personally, it felt like at the beginning, he was always keeping his thoughts and emotions tidy as if it was an office, his narrative being almost matter-of-factly. As the pages passed by, though, his thoughts had gradually become more and more unfiltered.

So, I really like how it struck me, whether it was on purpose or not because it's very interesting when the writing style changes as the character are developed. Despite that, I feel like this distance was occasionally used way too much, making it a bit hard to notice whether it was a device to make the reader understand the characters and the pacing better or if it was just laziness on Bailey's part. I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt, considering that if in those parts, the writing style was slightly less distant, this resource would've been useful. The thing here, I think, is that a good writing device is to be used wisely, which usually differs from excess.

Something I appreciated was the fact that a gay couple was portrayed when it could've very easily been another story focused on heterosexual romance. But while it meant a lot to me, there are still a couple of things I'd like to take note of: the first one is that Faye's reaction to Daron being gay wasn't one I appreciated. He didn't want to confess his love to the man he had feelings for, because, in the context, he could've been killed, amongst other things, like fulfilling his duty as a leader, losing the respect of his peers. The other is the habit Bailey seems to have to call men and women 'male' and 'female', like 'the adult female' and 'male and male relationship'. These terms are commonly used as some sort of weapon against trans people and as a trans person myself, I couldn't help but be bothered by that usage.

Though it may not seem that I enjoyed the book (starting the review saying it's an amazing book was precisely because of that), I really did. But there were flaws and things I would've enjoyed more if they were out of the final work and I like to keep my reviews as sincere as possible.

I'm looking forward to the next volume, because there surely is one, not only because I checked, but also because the cliffhanger is making me turn my brain upside down!

Faye and the Ether by Nicole Bailey is a quick and enjoyable read for fans of young adult fantasy. I didn’t absolutely love this book, but I still really enjoyed it.
Now for a bit more detail:
Faye and the Ether is a fantasy novel with some elements of Greek mythology. The main character Faye is thrown into this new world and we as the reader start experiencing all the new things together with her. So far so good.
The story was mostly really enjoyable, albeit pretty straightforward. It still kept me interested and engaged for most of the time.
Most of the characters were likeable too, even though Faye initially came off a little annoying (think: ‘I’m not like the other girls’ girl). I personally love stories with a small group of characters going on missions and being badass together, and there was some of that too. But overall I felt like the characters were a little underdeveloped. I would have loved to see a little more about the characters, just so they feel a little more real.
Now there is one more point I want to talk about that rubbed me the wrong way a little bit:
There was a lot of prejudice against groups of people in this book, which in and of itself wouldn’t annoy me if the characters were then taught to not instantly believe them. But that wasn’t really the case, at least it didn’t seem like it to me. And I know that’s kind of a little thing to be annoyed about, but I couldn’t get it out of my head.
All in all, I would say this is a pretty solid, enjoyable read. It’s not an outstanding book, but there are quite some unique ideas, and while the story and the characters felt a little unfinished I’ll definitely be picking up the next book in the series once it comes out to see how the rest of the story unfolds.

The mythology and world-building is Rick-Riordan-esque and is pretty fun. The side characters didn't feel like side characters, fully fleshed out stories of their own. Very much enjoyed this book.

“Faye and the Ether” is a story about a young girl. Faye enters a world full of mythical creatures, dangerous threats, and magic. Faye learns of her lineage and her fate as a member of the Ether. She grows up quickly, understands the way of her talents, and must make decisions that can change the destiny of the world as we know it. You know, your typical Saturday night.

What I love most about this book is how perfectly it follows the hero’s journey. We get the smallest introduction to Faye before she meets Daron, and it is all we need. The readers enter this strange and bizarre world alongside Faye, and we get to read the experience through her eyes. I thought Faye and Daron were great characters that brought some levity to such a monumental task, preventing the destruction of Earth and the Ether.

One aspect that I wish didn’t happen so quickly was the trek to the top of the mountain. For such a hefty journey, Faye and the others seem to accomplish it reasonably quickly. I always enjoy the introductory parts of the hero’s journey where the hero learns to hone their skill. I got a small aspect of it, but by the end, I feel like Faye was cheated out of her real opportunity to learn the strength of her magic. Yes, she learns through practical use, but I always think that there’s something special when the reader experiences their growth. I think there was an attempt with the globe, but it ended up that there were ulterior motives behind the globe’s use.

I enjoyed it, and I think it is a great YA fantasy book. Faye is a tenacious and robust character, and Daron is a formidable mentor. I appreciate their relationship and how they communicate with each other. Perhaps a little more prior knowledge on Daron would have built up the romance a bit more and felt more satisfactory, but I love that it did not fall into the familiar trope.

I thought Faye and the Ether was an enjoyable book with strong characters. The mythology influence made it feel more unique as well.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The characters really make this story magic. I loved this so much. It was an amazing read.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

I absolutely loved this MM romance.

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

A definite recommend!

Magical book for kids and big kids alike! I really enjoyed getting into the story and I’m 30 so can you imagine how cool it would be for youngsters?!
I think this would be a great addition to any school library and an equally lovely bedtime story to read over a week or so at home with family.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

I really enjoyed this book. I saw the blurb and thought it seemed like something I’d enjoy and I was right. The world is magical and the characters definitely brought the story to life. It’s a quick read that flies by. Faye and Daron are very likeable and I enjoyed all the mythology references throughout the book as well. This was a fascinating novel and I can’t wait to experience the next one!

(i received this e-arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

a compelling middle grade fantasy with plenty of heart and courage.

What a wonderful, enjoyable, and fantastic story! I immediately fell in love with Daron and Faye. The story mixes our world with a world loosely based on Greek mythology. I really love the development of Faye and the inclusion of the world Ether where centaurs, griffins, sirens, and many other lives. Love this MG adventure.