From Publishers Weekly
The author of Child of Faerie, Child of Light serves up profoundly satisfying fantasy for fans of the genre. Here, 18-year-old Count Thierry of Forretterre rescues the young lady Glinfinial from a hillside beset with violent lightning during a mysterious thunderstorm. Sherman's readers, unlike Thierry, will immediately suspect that Glinfinial is in fact a princess of Faerie. The subsequent adventures--describing how young Count Thierry must rescue his lady love from the magical snares of the Lord of Faerie--are also heavily and recognizably steeped in the lore of Faerie. However, Sherman's vigorous narrative drive, her fascination with the deep forest which figures so prominently in her conclusion and her dry wit raise this novel to fresh levels of reading pleasure and originality. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-8-As in the author's Child of Faerie, Child of Earth (Walker, 1992), this story involves a part-human, part-faerie who falls in love with a human, against parental opposition, and the mortals must go through a series of trials before winning their hearts' desire. In this book, the romance is between Glinfinial, daughter of Tiernathal, Lord of the Faeries, and purehearted Count Thierry. Tiernathal has big problems. He and his small band of exiled faerie folk have been living in a secluded part of the humans' forest for many years, and can't find their way home. The human world is rough on them-the sun burns their skin and iron weakens their magic. Glinfinial's proposed defection is too much to bear, and Tiernathal spirits her back to his forest hideout. Undaunted, Thierry seeks her out, and her father realizes that under the rules of magic he must give the young man one chance to gain his love. He offers him a quest, finally accepts their betrothal, and soon after remembers how to find his way back to the faerie world. There is enough humor and adventure to keep readers interested, even though the tale is lightweight in comparison to romantic fantasies such as Robin McKinley's Blue Sword (1982) and The Hero and the Crown (1984, both Greenwillow).
Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
