How did I not know there was a delightful short illustrated story about Damar? ( )

This was basically an unconventional romance. Beautifully evocative and haunting, but certainly not a children's story. What makes the story particularly difficult to review is deciding who the audience is and what kind of personality is going to enjoy the book versus an eye-roll reaction. I'm probably not ever going to be quite sure what I feel about the tale. Critical thinking doesn't seem to enter into the assessment. As I said, it was haunting and I was left with an uncomfortable feeling about Maddy's future life with her fiancé. ( )

Very charming book. I enjoyed it as an adult but I think a child might find it scary, some too scary and probably wouldn't understand the romantic element. The illustrations are wonderful. ( )

Set in the kingdom of Damar, Maddy encounters a stone fey when she's looking for a lost lamb. Her fiance is off working for a year as a lumberjack, and they're both trying to save money for their own farm, but the fey distracts Maddy as she becomes attached to him. He's a cipher, we only get Maddy's point of view, and some actions of his are described. The call that he exerts on her so that she can find him seems convenient at first, but when she tries to resist it, it becomes more sinister. Or maybe it's a commentary about sticking with your own kind, but I'm willing to give McKinley the benefit of the doubt. :) The physical relations are glossed over as they were in the Damar novels, but the themes are edging more to the adult side than young adult. The illustrations are gorgeous and dream like, I'd love it if Clapp were to collaborate on an illustrated "The Blue Sword". ( )

As an addition to the world of Damar, "The Stone Fey" is welcome. As a story in it's own right, I found the characters to come alive right away. Maddy's obsession with the stone fey is only hinted at, and yet there is that feeling of illness, of the wrongness of the relationship. And for all that the story ends well, there is a sense of loss. Maddy traded her love of the Hills for something that in the end could only do her harm. I was surprised that she actually recognized it and had the strength to tear herself away. ( )