Why would a boy in modern Boston want a hidden name? His
everyday name is Ben, and if malicious faerie folks, the
Seelie, get hold of his real name, they'll use it to harm
him. Following straight on from The Girl Who Never Was
we dive into another adventure with Selkie Stewart and THE
BOY WITH THE HIDDEN NAME.
I had not read the first book but the backstory is
cleverly
presented by conversations between Selkie, who is a faerie
princess of sorts trying to live normally, her school pal
Kelsey and other people. Enchantments created by Ben and
Will, a long-lived wizard, have kept Boston safe from
Seelies but now Ben has vanished and the protection is
starting to break. Will comes to fetch Selkie -
accompanied by determined, loyal but marvelling Kelsey -
and take her to safety or, as it is otherwise known,
immediate peril.
Who knew that the goblins live underground in the Boston
subway? Not just in the tunnels, but in a handsome magical
city beside them. Acting to fulfil a prophecy concerning
Selkie, Will brings the girls to the goblin king and asks
for aid. The different races of faerie beings distrust one
another. There's a matter of a missing book, which Ben
stole from the goblins, and a few centuries of disputes.
Still, when all Boston's church bells are crashing noisily
to the ground, being in a cave seems like a good idea.
Selkie is the fay of the autumnal equinox and she's got a
complicated history, which includes having been brought up
in the normal world. This means that she has to keep
asking
questions, as does Kelsey, and she's constantly surprised
when faerie folks tell lies a lot. Every now and then I
wanted the kids to stop arguing and get on with solving
their problems. Sometimes it felt as though the author
had changed her mind about a facet of the earlier story
and
wanted to amend matters, using the lie explanation. The
good aspect of this is that following the story doesn't
depend on having read the earlier book.
Every book about faerie folks involves feasts and courts
and glamours, royalty and danger. You'll find them all in
this exciting and fun Young Adult story THE BOY WITH THE
HIDDEN NAME by Skylar Dorset.
"Benedict Le Fay will betray you. And then he will die."
Betrayal and death—not quite the prophecy Selkie wanted
about her first love. A half-faerie princess with a price
on her head, Selkie Stewart just wants a little normal in
her life. Not another crazy prophecy. Besides, she and Ben
are a team. They're the two most wanted individuals in the
Otherworld, and fated to bring down the Seelie Fairie
Court and put an end to their reign of terror. Nothing can
come between them.
Until Ben leaves.
And the sun goes out.
And the chiming bells deafen all of Boston.
The Seelies are coming. And only Selkie can stop them from
destroying the world.
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