Today’s review is about THE SCHOLAR AND THE LAST FAERIE DOOR by H.G. Parry. This standalone historical fantasy occurs during the post-WWI Jazz Age. Clover, a commoner, works her way into magic school to undo the faerie curse on her older brother. But she and her newfound group of friends get up to some forbidden experiments.

Author: H.G. Parry
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Redhook
Publish Date: October 22, 2024
Print Length: 464

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Official Synopsis

From the author of The Magician’s Daughter comes The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, a mythic, magical tale full of secret scholarship, faerie curses, and the deadliest spells of all–the ones that friends cast on each other.

All they needed to break the world was a door, and someone to open it.

Camford, 1920. Gilded and glittering, England’s secret magical academy is no place for Clover, a commoner with neither connections nor magical blood. She’s there only to find a cure for her brother Matthew, one of the few survivors of a deadly faerie attack on the battlefields of WWI.

When Clover catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that were previously closed to her are flung wide open, and she soon finds herself enmeshed in the seductive world of the country’s magical aristocrats. But the summer she spends in Alden’s orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed. The consequences will only be truly understood many years later, when it’s too late…

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door Review

I received a free, digital, advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is my own and reflects my honest opinion about this book.

THE SCHOLAR AND THE LAST FAERIE DOOR is about wanting for the world to fit in, no matter the cost. Clover’s older brother returns from WWI, still recovering from a faerie attack on the battlefield. Until then, she had not known magic existed. Now, she vows to learn it to find a way to remove the curse and save her brother. Clover works hard to get into Camford, a school of magic, where she catches the eye of Alden, one of the Families’ golden boys. Their tight-knit quad of friends pushes the boundaries of magic, eventually revealing a long-held secret.

This standalone historical fantasy is from Clover’s point of view, albeit told from her contemporary self as she shares the story of her youth. I appreciate this perspective because Clover can now apply an experienced eye to the situation as she reflects on past events. Youth is ambitious, but lacks the life experienced of someone older. However, Clover does not over indulge on the self reflections. It does not feel like reading a diary of events with a first-person limited POV.

The characterization of all four characters is superb. Clover is studious, driven with a philanthropical lilt due to her brother’s condition, and has a desire to be accepted buried deep inside. Alden is charming, ambitious, and intelligent. Hero is elegant, discerning, and honest. And, finally, Eddie has a love of plants and is quiet, sensitive, and also quite smart. Once Clover falls in with this group I loved their dynamic–all so different, each balancing the others’ shenanigans.

This friendship is exactly what Clover yearns for when she attends Camford. As an outsider, most students avoid her and refer to her as a “scholarship witch,” where “witch” is derogatory in this world. She is not a member of any Family, or the original families gifted with magic. Nor is she of their social class, having grown up in a farming family. So, when she finally lands a friend group, it means the world to her. She would do anything, within reason, to stay friends forever. But I liked that Parry didn’t let Clover’s fear of rejection completely hijack her logic. What Clover feels comes out in snippets of reflection or feeling, both as an 18-year-old and while reflecting as an adult.

The atmosphere in THE SCHOLAR AND THE LAST FAERIE DOOR is also just right. It feels like the Jazz Age, yet subdued because they are in an old magical school. So it’s a blend of old at the college and new when they venture outside of the grounds. The actual story itself is well-developed, which I appreciate. But that is also at the expense of the pace, which I personally felt moved a little slowly for my tastes.

However, I cannot deny this is a well-written tale about youthful ambition, loyalty, love for family, and a desire to be accepted. How these attributes influence the other, as well as their priority to the individual, drive the characters’ actions. THE SCHOLAR AND THE LAST FAERIE DOOR is a perfect for those who enjoy historical fantasy with a dash of fae.

Rating: 4.25
Content warnings: violence, sexual content (off page)
Reading format: Kindle e-book

For additional thoughts about THE SCHOLAR AND THE LAST FAERIE DOOR, check out reviews by Lost In A Good Book and Becky’s Book Blog. If you liked this book, you may also enjoy THE MAGICIAN’S DAUGHTER by H.G. Parry.