Review: Don't Feed the Fairies

Don't Feed the Fairies
by Eileen Gormley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Don't Feed the Fairies / B003CV7U70

Cytolene isn't having a very good day. At first she was thrilled that her mother picked her for this assignment - scouting the planet Earth with an eye towards harvesting humans was a big assignment (not to mention a tasty one!), and it had been worth the painful disfiguring surgery if it would get her mother's attention (it's not easy standing out when you're the 63rd daughter in a family of 200). But when her mother stranded her on Earth with no reassurance of when she would be back, Cytolene began to panic. Afterall, being surrounded by the intergalactic equivalent of walking prime-rib steaks might *sound* good, but being stuck in primitive Earth culture...with no hope of escape...and a constant need for secrecy...is not Cytolene's idea of a good time.

This humorous novel is marked with a wonderfully fresh premise, and the pacing is superb - the reader is drawn in almost instantly, and the initial characterization of Cytolene is established quickly and easily. Combining the wonderful insecurities of a middle child with the "trust fund heiress" snobbery of the galaxy's elite, the author has painted a fascinating heroine that is driven at least as much by her own naivete and insecurities as she is by her actual situation. Sure, she *could* set up shop on Earth as a pre-school teacher (assuming her mother arranged for a credit history and a social security card, neither of which is likely knowing her mother) or - barring that - a sex worker, and she *could* work and wait patiently for a ride to come her way, but Cytolene is too proud, too impetuous, and too impatient to do so - instead taking an airplane to California, in a desperate attempt to hitchhike out on the first spaceship that comes her way. And, as realistic as her character is, it is heartening to see that Cytolene is also a dynamic character - one who is able to change her mind as to the status of humans (from "food" to something more complex) over the course of her journey.

The wit here is wonderful, with lots of nice touches (like the airplane staff tasting "tired and dry") that really bring the story to life.

NOTE: This review is based on a sample excerpt of this book provided through the ABNA contest.

~ Ana Mardoll

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