Title: Be Fairy Game
Series: Starfig Investigations: Book Two
Author: Meghan Maslow
Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited
Length: 378 Pages
Category: Fantasy
At a Glance: Everything about Be Fairy Game elevated the worldbuilding, characters and relationships introduced in the first book.
Reviewed By: Jovan
Blurb: They’re baaacckk!
When a simple ‘find & fetch’ case throws private investigator Twig Starfig and newly-minted wizard, Quinn Broomsparkle, into the middle of an EBI murder investigation, it’s just another day in the Elder Realm.
If murder were Twig’s only problem, he’d be the luckiest half-dragon in the land. Murder he can handle. Fulfilling his promise to his scheming, power-hungry father to run for a seat on Lighthelm’s city council? Meh, he’d rather face a demon with a toothache.
On top of their case going sideways, and Twig running for a council seat he really doesn’t want, Twig and Quinn are forced to face some unpleasant realities about their budding romance, while still learning how to handle the wizard-familiar bond they now share. Throw in a red fury with abysmal taste in boyfriends, a ghost pirate-parrot who drinks too much, a murderer who will stop at nothing to get what they want, a host of new friends and enemies, and you’ve got a situation where no one is safe and everyone is Fairy Game.
Review: Be Fairy Game is an aptly named and excellent second journey into the whirlwind of trouble, shenanigans and complications that seem to follow Twig Starfig and Quinn Broomsparkle. The story takes place three months after the events of By Fairy Means or Foul, as Twig and Quinn are hired to search for a fabled artifact of enormous power. Of course, retrieving the artifact turns into one dangerous complication after another, and soon Twig and Quinn are in the midst of a murder investigation, threats on their lives, and, even more troublesome, having to deal with the political machinations of Twig’s father.
One of the elements I enjoyed most about the story was Twig and Quinn’s continuing struggle with the power dynamics of their relationship and their pasts. As a former indentured servant, Quinn is still coming to terms with the emotional fallout from his years in slavery, while also trying to balance his joy of not only finally being in control of himself but being in control of so much power—power from his magic and power from his control over a dragon. While he loves Twig, and is very cognizant of not abusing his influence, he does exercise control over Twig’s actions via his dragon on more than one occasion, while also balking at mating with Twig because he worries that he will have to cede authority to Twig. Quinn doesn’t glory in his command over Twig, per se, but he does like the security and control that his position of power provides after the degradation and humiliation of slavery, and does not want to relinquish it.
Twig’s struggle with their dynamic is just as complicated because although they are working together, the actual meaning and practice of teamwork are still lost on Twig, and trusting Quinn as a capable partner, able to take care of himself and protect Twig, is just as hard to reconcile with as the fact that Quinn has control over his dragon. Given that Twig was a loner whose main goal in life before Quinn was never to be beholden to or under anyone’s rule, it is definitely a bit of a mind-f*ck to literally be under Quinn’s control. As much as he loves Quinn and no matter how content his dragon is with Quinn’s dominance over them, Twig has a hard time not being resentful of Quinn’s ability to command him, especially when Quinn exercises that power without his consent, even if it is for his own good. Moreover, while Twig’s dragon is completely content to let Quinn have his way, he is contrarily growing increasingly protective towards Quinn and their friend, the red fury demon, Bill. Especially now that Bill is dating a dark-elf that Twig and his dragon want to rip to pieces. So, although Quinn can protect himself and has dominion over the dragon, Twig’s dragon is increasingly pushing Twig to protect Quinn at all costs, making Quinn feel less like an equal in their partnership and more like an incapable damsel.
Besides Quinn and Twig dealing with their complicated relationship and their tumultuous family histories, the story also does an excellent job incorporating Bill into the Starfig Investigations family. Their family dynamic is fun and heartwarming, and the manner in which Meghan Maslow showcases this while also expanding their family is both hilarious and adorable. The artifact case, the murder investigation, and Twig’s run for city council are all interwoven seamlessly to not only help develop all the MCs characters’, but add additional depth to the Elder Realm itself and its inhabitants and expand the world even more. Everything about Be Fairy Game elevated the worldbuilding, characters and relationships introduced in the first book, and in the midst of all the magic, sarcasm, running jokes and politics, it manages to give the reader an engaging fantasy quest, a heartwarming tale of found family, coming to terms with the complicated bonds between parents and their children, and, in general, just a wonderful time. I’m already looking forward to the next installment.
You can buy Be Fairy Gam here:
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