The Faerie Path, a novel by the British author Frewin Jones, is the first book of a series. The story sets a teenage girl in a predicament: choosing what life she wishes - the life she has known since birth or a life she never knew she had, where she is a princess who must save a kingdom. According to a review, this "floral Faerie tale may unspool at a measured pace, but girls will likely take to Anita. ... A well-executed reference to Romeo and Juliet gives the finale a bit more punch than most fantasy romances."

Summary

On the eve of Anita's sixteenth birthday, boating with her boyfriend Evan, she is in an accident which sends her to the hospital. Upon awakening, she is frightened to find that Evan is not yet awake, although nothing is wrong with him. As the clock strikes midnight, Anita's parents give her one of her presents to brighten her mood. The present, wrapped in a postal envelope with no return address, is a very beautiful book, but the pages are blank.

Anita's parents leave her to rest, but Anita cannot. She explores the book, which suddenly has a story written inside. The story tells about a lost princess, the seventh of seven daughters, who has become trapped in the Mortal World on her sixteenth birthday, the night before she was to marry Lord Gabriel Drake. Anita finds herself needing to check two bites on her back, and searches the hospital for a mirror. Once in the bathroom, her wings grow and she flies out of the window. She flies above London for a moment before it fades away, and all she can see now is the Thames river and Hampton Court.

Suddenly, her wings wither away and she falls. Found in the hospital bathroom by a nurse, she is returned to her bed, still worried about Evan not waking. The nurse brings Anita a gift addressed to her, from Evan's belongings. The gift is a necklace that she quickly puts around her neck. She fell asleep, and when she woke up, Evan is gone. A ghostly image appears to Anita, the image of Gabriel Drake, calling her to follow him. Anita followed Lord Drake out onto a balcony where he urges her to focus strongly on him so that she can reach him. Anita tries her hardest to focus on him and suddenly their hands meet in the air. Lord Drake pulls Anita from the Mortal realm presents her to her father. She soon realized she is more than she seems.

The Realm of Faerie

The Realm of Faerie is ruled by King Oberon

Oberon

Oberon is a legendary king of the fairies.Oberon may also refer to:-People:* Merle Oberon , British actress* Oberon Zell-Ravenheart , Neopagan activist-Media and entertainment:* Oberon...

. With the disappearance of his daughter, Tania, and the death of his wife, Titania, King Oberon forces all time to stop in the Realm of Faerie where they lived in twilight for five hundred years. The Realm of Faerie holds many mythical creatures including unicorns, dragons, and basilisks. It is an island shaped like Great Britain, sharing similar geographic features. For example, the Thames River is called the Tamesis River and follows the same path. There are points in the Realm of Faerie and the Mortal realm that almost touch, causing the similarities.

Explanation of the character's name

It is not known the significance of Tania's name other than it is an anagram of Anita, her mortal name. Her name is also part of her Faerie mother's name Titania.

Seventh of the Seven Daughters

"One alone will walk both worlds, Daughter last of daughters seven."

Each of the seven daughters is given a gift that normally comes on her sixteenth birthday. In the Realm of Faerie, prophesy tells that the seventh of seven daughters will be given the ability to walk between the Mortal Realm and the Realm of the Faerie.

"When Faerie soul in mortal lies
it burns too bright, and swift the mortal dies
but if it dwells for sixteen years
the choice is there to make--for joy or tears
If Faerie turns to Faerie true
then Faerie soul is born anew
If Faerie lives 'neath mortal sky
then Faerie soul shall fade and die."

This passage explains that Tania will not be able to continue to live in both worlds. She must choose to live in the Realm of Faerie, or the Mortal Realm; otherwise, she will not be able to turn back into a faerie. It is unclear whether it means she can no longer walk between the Realms or if her heart must choose which is truly her home.

Gifts

It is not known if all of the Faerie people receive these gifts on their sixteenth birthdays, but each of the seven sisters receives a gift and that gift is unknown to her until her birthday—except for Tania (Anita), whose gift was prophesied. The gifts can sometimes take time to develop.

Princess Eden

Eden is the eldest daughter of Oberon and Titania. She is a tall, thin woman with hair the color of snow and brilliant blue eyes. She is introduced as a depressed sorceress wanting nothing to do with her family as she witnessed her mother's "death" when really her mother entered the Oriole Glass and never returned. She apologizes to her father and becomes a happier woman once her mother returns. She shares her fathers gift of wielding the power of the Mystic Arts and is the fourth strongest person in the realm of Faerie (after her father, mother, and husband). She is married to the elderly Lord Valentyne. In the first book, when Tania encounters Eden for the first time, it is not a friendly meeting, but as the series goes on, Eden is portrayed as a kind and thoughtful sister.

Princess Hopie

Princess Hopie is the least talked about sister in the book. She is the second daughter of Oberon and Titania. She has vast knowledge of herbs and healing others. Her room is a dark forest. Her hair is dark brown, as is her favorite color. She is married to Lord Brython. The manga spin-off (which takes approximately one year later) shows that she and Lord Brython now have a young son. She mentions that she is sad he will never be able to meet one of his aunts (Zara).

Princess Sancha

Sancha is the most studious daughter of the King and Queen of Faerie. Her room is covered with endless words for books. She has brown hair and her favorite color is black. She can move any object with her mind without touching it and can read the text of other soul books and mortal books, but not computers. She escaped Faerie along with Cordelia and Zara and entered the Mortal Realm in the second book and was able to find her mother by reading it off a file in a cabinet at the Pleades Law Firm. She is not married.

Princess Cordelia

Cordelia, affectionately called Cordie by her sisters, is the middle child of the King and Queen of Faerie. She can talk to any animal and sometimes lets them perch themselves on her, like she did with a red squirrel. Her hair is a red-gold color and her room is a forest filled with her favorite animals. In the second book, she entered the Mortal Realm to escaped the Knights of Lyonesse with Sancha and Zara. She is married to Bryn Lightfoot. In the fourth book, she falls gravely ill to a disease shortly after her wedding.

Princess Zara

Zara was a carefree princess and very curious of the mortal world. She was a blonde with blue eyes, as was her favorite color, and could weave enchantment into her music. She escaped Faerie and entered the Mortal World once, along with Sancha and Cordelia from the Knights of Lyonesse. She was murdered by Gabriel Drake in the third book, sacrificing her life for Tania's. In the sixth book, Zara comes back to life for a while and she is revealed to be the Dream Weaver that Tania talks to on her quest to speak with the Divine Harper. She never married.

Princess Rathina

Rathina is introduced as a raven haired beauty with hazel eyes. She is Tania's favorite sister and dared Tania to step into the mortal realm. During Tania's absence, she fell in love with Gabriel Drake, only for him to betray her later on. She then betrayed her family by releasing the Knights and King of Lyonesse. In the third book, she repented. Out of love for her family and fury for Gabriel's murder of her sister, she grabbed a sword of Isenmort and stabbed him. She then learned that her gift was being able to touch Isenmort without getting hurt or burned. She joined Tania and Conner Estabrook, a friend of Tania's from the mortal world, in the quest to find the Divine Harper. She is unmarried.

Princess Tania

Tania is the main character of the story. On the eve of her 16th birthday and wedding, she accidentally stepped into the Mortal World and could not find a way back. Her mother went after her but also could not get back. Tania died, but her spirit passed onto many girls and was reborn again and again. Sadly, none of the girls never lived to the age of 16. Finally, Anita Palmer was born and reached her 16th birthday, allowing her to become Tania, a faerie princess and 7th daughter of Oberon and Titania, King and Queen of Faerie. When she turned 16, a mysterious gift was sent to her - an old book containing the tale of Princess Tania. Gabriel Drake met her and brought her into the land of Faerie, where Anita constantly reprimanded herself she was in a dream, until she finally accepted that she was Princess Tania. Gabriel Drake's plan to marry Tania was fooled by Evan Thomas (Edric Chanticleer), Tania's boyfriend from the Mortal World who was sent by Drake to retrieve the princess. In the fourth book, Edric proposes to Tania, but she declines, saying she is too young. In the 6th book, she asks Edric to propose again, and she finally accepts.

External links

• Allan Frewin Jones official website