Audiobook Review: Talia: Heir to the Fairy Realm by Joel C. Flanagan-Grannemann

Talia — the young, Iridescent-winged Heir to the Fairy Realm — and the Heir to the Human Realm — Prince Bastile — embark on a secret love affair that has wide-ranging consequences for both their worlds. Certain elements within each society hate the other side, and the Realms have a long history of warring with one another.

Talia, her maid, her 8 Ladies, and her Heir’s Guard (9 female Fairy soldiers) soon find themselves alone on an adventure through the lands of the Fairy Realm in search of information on a reviled ancestor, the Exile Queen.

While Talia has always aspired to bring peace to the two Realms, her evil Aunts (known as the Three Sisters) and others within both the Fairy and Human courts conspire to thwart her ambitions, not understanding the ancient prophecy they are about to set Talia on the path to fulfill.

GENRE: Epic Fantasy / Fairytale Retelling

PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joel C. Flanagan-Grannemann has been writing since childhood, and has a B.A. in writing from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in Bradford, PA. He has lived in Columbia, SC for more than twenty years with his wife and editor, Jay-Jay Flanagan-Grannemann, and a coterie of cats. Joel's day job is Claims Supervisor at a major national retail chain.

Servants of the Moon and Sun, of which Talia: Heir to the Fairy Realm is the first book, was inspired by the idea: What if Maleficent were Aurora’s mother, and what if she wasn’t really evil? Thus we have a female-forward epic fantasy adaptation of Sleeping Beauty.

Review

I honestly don't know how I ended up reading all these fairy/fae novels when they're not exactly a fantasy subgenre I particularly like, but here I am, and so far, Talia: Heir to the Fairy Realm is one of the most unique. While it's said to be an epic fantasy retelling of a popular fairytale, Sleeping Beauty, it feels nothing like it at all.

The world and character building are phenomenal. So much thought went into creating the fairy realm, the different cultures, the rituals and magic system, and the huge cast of characters. While I first thought the story ran really long, that actually worked out well in the end. Because instead of just dumping heaps of information on us, the author lets us experience the world and go on a grand adventure with the characters, who are all delightful and not mere stereotypes. There's a lot of representation too. And court intrigue. What's a fairy story without court intrigue?

(So I actually read a blog post somewhere that this and the sequel, Talia: On the Shore of the Sea, was supposed to be just one book, but ultimately had to be split because of the total length. So, yeah, it's chonky. The author really takes his time telling the story, so if you're looking for something more fast-paced, this might not really be your thing. But if you love worldbuilding and character development, then this might be for you!)

As for the audio performance, it took a little getting used to, but that might just have been me not having listened to a lot of audiobooks yet. Once I got acclimated to the style, however, I found myself easily swept into the world every time I tuned in. I even looked forward to doing chores (I listen to audiobooks while cooking or doing the dishes or folding the laundry) as I wanted to join Talia and her ladies and her guard on the next leg of their adventures.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️