Valente, Catherynne M.: The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led The Revels There
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There (2012)
Written by: Catherynne M. Valente
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Pages: 272 (Hardcover)
Series: Book Two (Fairyland)
Why I Read It: After reading and loving The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (review: on Live Journal; on Word Press) last December, I knew that the sequel would be a must-read. As soon as it was announced, I pre-ordered it, and as soon as it arrived, I moved it to the top of my 2012 TBR pile, because Valente's work in this children's lit series is so delightful and fun, no matter what your age. It's also classic. It was a joy to finally take the book from the TBR pile and settle down to see what magic was in store for this next adventure….
The premise: ganked from BN.com: September has longed to return to Fairyland after her first adventure there. And when she finally does, she learns that its inhabitants have been losing their shadows -- and their magic -- to the world of Fairyland Below. This underworld has a new ruler: Halloween, the Hollow Queen, who is September’s shadow. And Halloween does not want to give Fairyland’s shadows back.
Fans of Valente’s bestselling, first Fairyland book will revel in the lush setting, characters, and language of September’s journey, all brought to life by fine artist Ana Juan. Readers will also welcome back good friends Ell, the Wyverary, and the boy Saturday. But in Fairyland Below, even the best of friends aren’t always what they seem. . . .
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. There's a few quotes at the very least that I want to share because they add such wonderful depth to the story, so if you haven't read the book yet and want to remain unspoiled and surprised, feel free to skip to "My Rating" and you'll be in great shape. Everyone else, onward!
Happy Halloween! What a coincidence that of all dates, I posted this review on Halloween, because that, my friends, is the name of September's shadow. :)
But let's back up a bit.
Oddly, despite loving this series so much, and despite being such a fan of Valente's craft, it took me seven days to read this. To be fair, though, it was my birthday week, so I had a very, very busy seven days. But I made a point to finish reading this on the morning of my birthday, because it was my birthday and that's what I wanted. And truly, this book was a delight. While it didn't quite capture me the same way as the first book did (and the first book did because everything was fresh and new and surprising), the book did capture me with its depth and pursuit of various themes and how interestingly it commentates on current children's classic literature and fairy tales. It's rare that a book like this is so utterly appealing to both children and adults alike…. it makes me wish I had a daughter to read this to.
There's so much to enjoy in this book: reindeer selkies, who fear being made into wives; the Sybil, who now has to give items away after a thousand years of requiring people to leave things behind; September's practicality and how she's growing up and what it means to have a newly formed heart. Here's a lovely quote on page 72 about what kind of title September would prefer in Fairyland Below:
"I don't want to be a Princess," she said finally. "You can't make me be one." She knew very well what became of Princesses, as Princesses often get books written about them. Either terrible things happened to them, such as kidnappings and curses and pricking fingers and getting poisoned and locked up in towers, or else they just waited around till the Prince finished with the story and got around to marrying her. Either way, September wanted nothing to do with Princessing.
I loved the Grand Arcade of Bones' Desire, because as Glasswort Groof was happy to point out (pages 89-90):
Hearts are idiots. They're big and squishy and full of daft dreams. They flounce off to write poetry and moon at folk who aren't worth the mooning. Bones are the ones that have to make the journey, fight the monster, kneel before whomever is big on kneeling these days. Bones do the work for the heart's grand plans. Bones know what you need. Hearts only know want.
I adored Aubergine and her Quiet Physicks. I loved the Monaciello's dream of discovering the GUT, otherwise known as the Grand Unified Tale, which (page 137):
…will bind together all our Theorems and Laws, leaving out not one Orphan Girl or Youngest Son or Cup of Life and Death. Not one Descent or Ascent, not one Riddle or Puzzle or Trick. One perfect golden map that can guide any soul to its desire and back again.
The shadow versions of A-Through-L and Saturday were delightfully different, and their betrayal didn't hurt quite as badly as I thought it might, especially given how the book ends. I also was fascinated by the way Valente incorporated September's father into the main story, especially since I was so certain he was going to be killed, especially after September is taken to Fairyland for the second time.
And the final line was one of wonder, in a fun, kind of giddy way (page 258):
….September's mother finally saw a strange thing…. But she could be almost certain that her daughter's shadow had gone a deep, profound shade of green--just the color of the smoking jacket of a man she'd known long ago, when she was just a small girl.
An aside from all the quoting and gushing, and I'm hoping readers more versed in classic fantasy and fairy tales can provide more interesting commentary, but I kept getting drawn back to the themes of Peter Pan while reading this book. Perhaps that was because I'd read, somewhere rather recently, how Peter Pan had a deep, lasting effect on the author, how it angered her that Peter would betray the elderly Wendy and choose to take a granddaughter to Neverland instead. The deal with shadows seemed to speak to my memory of the Peter Pan story (and can I just say, I love what Valente did with those shadows), as well as the fact that September was, indeed, growing up, and yet that growing up did not hamper her enjoyment of or her ability to move about in Fairyland. Reading this book makes me wish I had read Peter Pan, simply so that I could make delightful and intellectual comparisons between the two works and the rules that govern both fairy worlds. Alas, I haven't, so I won't. But there's something wonderful and sad that both September and her mother have been to Fairyland and back.
I hope that September gets to go for the third time. I rather hope her mom gets to go back too, because that would make sense considering what I consider to be the author's stance on fairylands in general: you should never be too old to get there.
My Rating: Excellent
It took me a while to read, but that's more due to my busy life than anything, and besides, Valente's work is meant to be savored and enjoyed. The first book managed to get quite a lot of award recognition, and I can only hope and pray that this one does as well, because Valente's writing simply delights. The Fairyland books are so accessible, and her imagination and words inspire wonder in readers of all ages. If you haven't yet read The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, go forth and read it now. You can even read the free Tor.com short story The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland -- For a Little While, which is a prequel to the first book. Wherever you're at in this series, get yourself caught up and read the latest gem. I can't wait for the next one!
Cover Commentary: I am so, so, SO excited that the publisher is keeping the same design and theme as the first book, because it's so delightful to look at (you can see the first cover here). I love the use of purple for this book, as it mainly takes place in Fairyland-Below, and I love the two shadows dancing behind September. She's wearing the jacket so wonderfully described in the book too, and it's just wonderful. And look! Ell is on the cover too!
Next up: Spectyr by Philippa Ballantine