Midnight Never Come (Onyx Court 1)

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That the faerie perspective is more compelling than the mortal one probably should not be a surprise. The Onyx Court is the primary constant throughout the (surprise surprise) Onyx Court series - which in and of itself is an interesting structural feature. Most contemporary fantasies that deal with the world of faerie tend to be either portal or intrusion stories where the focal lens is a human who finds themselves caught up in the magical world. In those stories where a human isn’t our lens, we often see through the eyes of a faery who – for all intents and purposes – tends to be indistinguishable from a super-powered mortal. A Star Shall Fall is the third book in Marie Brena's Onyx Court series, which follows a fairy queen's reign and how it impacts (and is impacted) by the history of England. Taking place in the mid 1700s, A Star Shall Fall is highly concerned with the dragon that was banished during In Ashes Lie. When faerie methods alone cannot stop the dragon, the court turns to the great thinkers of the Royal Society to try to find a solution. This is a very beautiful book. I say that meaning the literal aesthetic. The cover is super pretty, and the idea just appeals to me so much. Faeries and Tudors! This book sounds like it was made for me. And the faeries themselves were pretty cool - twisty and magical and dark and interesting. I loved reading about them! I wanted to know more about the hidden courts and the faeries that lived far from the mortal world. I wanted there to be some more rich world building and for this to be a big, beautiful, sprawling fantasy novel. Unfortunately, we didn't quite get there.

But towards the end we find that things aren't quite as they seemed, and there are hidden depths going on. I also grew to appreciate the romance aspect of the story. I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention Brennan's prose, just as restrained and elegant as before. And the only real peeve I had in Midnight Never Come has been remedied here: there's a map of London in the front of the book, along with a Dramatis Personae for those moments when you can't remember who is lord of what. Like Mythago Wood this is closer to my idea of fantasy and what I want from a fantasy story. I want a story that has clever ideas, emotional and characters that can be connected with and getting away from the quest stereotypes, though they of course have their own place in fantasy. Lucid dreaming can be very harmless, or it can be dangerous. I’ve done research and heard through word of mouth about lucid dreaming. Many people claim to have had encounters with demons while lucid dreaming. Many people say they have gone into sleep paralysis while attempting it as well. So this is not only kind of scary spiritually, but it can be hard on your health as well. The fact that this book has a character lucid dreaming in it only perpetuates the behavior and leads young children to try things they should not be getting into.As is always the case with Brennan's writing, her historical research is solid. As a retired computer engineer, I especially enjoyed the minor but significant part the works of Jacquard, Charles Babbage and Ada, Countess of Lovelace and Byron's daughter - yes THAT Byron - played in being adapted into a steampunk version of the Difference Engine, called here, The Ephemeral Engine. In Ashes Lie continues the story of the Onyx Court, a faerie city situated just below London, and the Court's dealings with London's mortals. Lune, who became queen of the Onyx Court in Midnight Never Come, reigns still. Her mortal consort, Michael Deven, is long dead. Lune has chosen another man to act as her official consort and liaison with the mortal world, but the role is political only. The book has a slow build and stuff didn't really seem to be really interesting until the last, like, 25% of the book.

Midnight Never Come: Takes place during the late Elizbethan period and tells the story of Michael Deven, courtier to Queen Elizabeth, and Lune, courtier to Invidiana, faerie queen of the Onyx Court and Elizabeth's dark shadow. Deven and Lune must come together to free England and Elizabeth from Invidiana's hold over them. It begins with a conversation between two would-be queens. Thirty years later, Devan finds himself in the services of Queen Elizabeth (the first) and, more directly, her spymaster Walsingham. Beneath London, in the secret realm of the Onyx Court, Lune seeks to regain the favour of the dark Faerie Queen, Indiviana. Naturally, the path of the mortal man and disgraced fae lady are destined to cross. I'm intrigued enough to suss out the sequel, but this felt like a complete enough story that I'm satisfied with it for now. I like that in a fantasy series.Anyone who knows their British history knows that Charles I was tried and executed by his own parliament, something that had no precedent and has never happened since. It was a corrupted parliament with no authority, but it served its purpose and a brief Commonwealth and military rule led by Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector, followed. (Despite what the book's blurb says, the political upheaval etc. didn't occur in 1666.) The trouble is, I never got a chance to see beyond a surface picture. Few of the faeries were fleshed out - Lune, yes, but the sprite Irrith, the knight Cerendel, the giant Prigurd, the brownies Gertrude and Rosamunde and a bare few others were lightly touched upon, their personalities hinted at. I might have been able to appreciate this mysteriousness but the atmosphere was missing. The novel revolves entirely on plot and a forward momentum through the decades, from 1636 to 1666, and selfishly hoards its characters' more intimate natures, feelings and motivations.