Candy. Very sweet and probably bad for you... I admit, I liked the sweetness, aka the Goodness of the Good People. I liked the magic horses and the puppy. Didn't like the bad guys so much. Of course, you're not supposed to, but they were really over-the-top bad, in a Christian-Evil kind of way. Typical witch hunters. I don't like reading about this kind of insanity and obsession, and on top of that, it's not exactly the first book in which I've read about it. Then of course there were also the fae, with a few good ones, and a few who were not exactly evil, but who were pretty disgusting all the same. I did like that in the end, the main character doesn't end up with the reformed arrogant fae (he did reform to some extent, but it wasn't close to far enough). I figured he would go all the way and become Ari's partner. Instead he still thought it normal not to respect her because she couldn't talk about anything interesting.
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Pale version of The Crucible crossed with Sheri Tepper. The villains were too heavy-handed. ( )

Overall, decent but not a stand out. I liked that the guy who showed her love could be fun wasn't the "first(good) and last". Too often the previously wronged lady gets one guy who "shows her how it should be" and then that's it. You're locked to him forever. Just a slight variant on the Virgin to Bride trope. And while there were two love interests, it wasn't a traditional triangle thing. She had one while the other pined quietly in the background, then the second stepped up, the first showed he wasn't a long term guy, and she made a decision fairly quickly, or at least without any whining. Thank Goodness. The realistic way she had to worry about food was a good detail, and there were some tiny scenes where the fae were less bland, like trying to learn to garden the human way or dropping off rabbits. Not enough of these though. Also liked Ahern's story, but that could have started earlier and been more. Morag and the puppy were the two best parts. The Fae lands and the witches' magic were a little boring and stale, in the way I remember these stories being in the 80's and 90's. They felt like they had all the uniqueness and variety of a particularly uninspired term paper. In spite of that, I did enjoy it, and by the end I was hooked. Took awhile though, the beginning was not great. ( )

I've been reading some of my older fantasy books. Anne Bishop has always been a favorite of mine, but the Tir Alainn series is one of her lesser-known works.
Here, the Fae are more of the traditional folklore types: cruel, uncaring, and selfish. There are exceptions but Diana the Huntress and Lucian the Lightbringer are only concerned with their own wants. I much prefer this type of Fae rather than the Disney fairies more common today.
They become involved with Ari, a young witch who lives down a shining road from Tir Alainn, the land of the Fae. Parts of Tir Alainn are disappearing and part of their interest with Ari is to discover why this is happening. Meanwhile, Inquisitors are murdering witches, determined to prove masculine superiority over womens' magic.
Ari is a compelling protagonist, stubborn yet kind. She is the keeper of the Brightwoods, one of the Old Places that hold the world's magic. Ms. Bishop writes strong women and Ari is no exception. The author also writes dark fantasy; this first book of the series isn't quite as dark as the "pretty poison" of the Black Jewels beginning, but it comes close with the torture and cruel deaths of the witches.
The head Inquisitor is a good representation of the kind of men who participated in the Salem witch trials and other pogroms throughout the ages. He seems a bit black and white, but that's part of the horror of their evil. His view of women, especially witches, is what makes him so terrifying.
I also enjoyed this book just because it's a different view than most of the YA fantasy romance now on the shelves about the Fae. Ari is entitled to the jewels of "kindness, courtesy, respect, and loyalty" rather than the trinkets Lucian gives her out of obligation for her laying with him. And I like that a lot. ( )

I usually love Anne Bishop but this series just does not work for me at all. I find the story confusing and sort of boring and I cannot relate to the characters at all. I feel like this series gets worse as it progresses. ( )