The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill is a book of delightful contradictions. For a book that opens with a proper folklore-esque fairy bargain and features “Fairy Bargains” in the title, there’s not a lot of interaction with the fae. The pacing is rather slow and the focus is far more on the mundane than the magical. And yet… I couldn’t put this book down. The struggles of sisters Alaine and Delphine are rarely magical, but the deft way Miller pulls on your heartstrings certainly is.
From early on, I had a pretty good idea of where the plot was headed. Even after I was proven right, I was still hooked and eager to keep reading. From a properly despicable mundane villain to intricate worldbuilding that blended fairy lore with industrialization and women’s rights – this book does a lot of heavy lifting before you even have to think about plot. And as a reader who values characters and world above plot, I loved that. This will probably be a point of division for others, however.
When the book eventually ramps up both the plot and the magic, it was admittedly jarring. Again, this worked for me. It felt like the seeds had been planted for the transition to make logical and narrative sense. To fully enjoy this shift you have to be the type of reader who doesn’t particularly care if the story is magical, but also be able to enjoy the ride when it is.
The parallels between interaction with the fae and the fight for women’s suffrage felt fitting and well done. If anything, it didn’t go far enough – most of the actual resolutions are mentioned briefly in a short epilogue, while the majority of the story sticks with raising intriguing questions.
And so… contradictions. The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill is a book with potentially broad appeal that will likely only strike home with a narrower audience. It contains two very different types of stories within, and you have to like both and dislike neither. For myself, the small-scale story with deep personal investment in the characters, combined with the seamless worldbuilding and impeccable audio narration, made this one of my favorite reads of the year.
I received a review copy of The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill by Rowenna Miller in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Check out our podcast interview with author Rowenna Miller discussing her previous fantasy series, The Unraveled Kingdom!
