Review: "The Halfling" by H.D. Gordon

Fae to the rescue 5 stars *An ARC was provided for honest review for Wicked Women Book Blog* H.D. Gordon is a new author to me and I was captivated by her storytelling. The Halfling is fast paced, mystery/suspense urban fantasy that takes you on a wild ride. It has magic, cool gadgets, super swoony men, a kickass heroine, smart and engaging sidekicks and best of all it also has a superhero. Aria Fae is a seventeen year old, half human and half Fae, who has been banished to the human world. All she knew to be true is no more. Her mother is gone and so is her home. The Peace Brokers she has spent her young life serving for has exiled her, never to return home again. Never thinking how she will survive on her own. As Aria struggles to accept her fate, she finds herself suddenly thrust into an alien world called, Grant City. She wants to desperately blend in, become the shadow, and hide from everyone so no one notices that she is different. On her first day at school, she rescues Samantha Shy from getting beat up and forges a bond of true friendship in the midst of confusion and loneliness of this new destiny. Samantha takes Aria under her wings and shows her the ropes. Sam is a geeky, computer whiz. But deep down Sam hides an intense pain that was brought on by the loss of a loved one. As the story develops, I loved how the author addresses Aria’s battle with depression, how she defined the disease. She portrayed Aria as a strong willed, young woman yet she did not shy away from showing Aria’s vulnerable side. As Aria struggles with what the future holds for her, she succeeds in acclimatizing herself to her new situation with the help of Sam and finally reveals the truth about her origin to her. Sam being Sam totally embraces Aria being half human and half Fae. H.D. Gordon very subtly incorporate a touch of romance into the story with the entrance of mysterious Reid and charming young Caleb. All through the book I kept rooting for Reid, he played an integral yet elusive role as Aria’s neighbor. Aria manages to intrigue Reid but he keeps his thoughts very close to his chest and never reveal that he knows or that he sees everything. And for Aria there is something about Reid that strikes her imagination and seizes her teen hormones. Whereas, Caleb played a huge role in the story what with his father being who he is. Caleb on the other hand is pretty straight forward about his interest in Aria and he pursues her relentlessly. As Aria slowly starts to make a new life for herself in Grant City, she also makes a new friend in her employer, Rose. Then Sam, because of her tragic past and because of the Fae skills that Aria possesses, comes up with a plan. She wants Aria to fight crime during her nights and keep the streets of Grant City safe. Sam manages to get her childhood best friend, Mark to tag long on their quest. At first things are easy, dangerous but exhilarating, the trio make a perfect team, each bringing a skillset into the mix. They manage to make quite a dent in the Black Magic market. But little do they know that the main man, Mr. Shy wasn’t a dummy. My heart about jumped out of my chest with what transpires. The true revelation of who Mr. Shy is and what he is all about almost made me throw my kindle. What Aria had to face, how she had to center herself. And the ending and the hurting. OH MY LORD. The ending left me craving for more and some part of why Aria was banished comes to light. It made me angry and sad and I wanted to hug her and make her feel safe and accepted. If you haven’t read the The Halfling then don’t wait any more, go and 1-click this fastastical story about Fae and their kinds.