Sound and Fury: Not your average fairy tale.
Sound and Fury by S.A. Archer and S. Ravynheart
Sound and Fury depicts a modern world where fairy creatures can move between living in their own realm and coexisting among the rest of humanity. Those who live among us hide themselves using a form of magic known as Glamour. The story centers on two protagonists, Kieran and Malcolm, two Sidhe (a type of fey that rules over the rest of the realm) dealing with the fallout after the disappearance of Donovan, their leader. Kieran finds himself struggling with an addiction to The Touch, an intimate form of magic that bonds the user to the receiver, fearing being alone without someone to share this bond. Malcolm, without the guidance of their leader, becomes increasingly unhinged and reckless, unable to move past the horrors that have been committed against him and wanting to seek revenge.
When I first started reading Sound and Fury I didn’t even realize that it wasn’t the first book in the series. Any of the terms that I might have been confused about were either explained in the intro or glossary, if not later in the story itself. I interpreted any mentions of events that took place before the story to be hints to the greater world in which the story takes place. The overall name of the series is “The Sidhe Series Collections.” Sound and Fury is the first book in “Bastion of Magic,” a smaller collection in the greater Sidhe Series. This was actually an exciting discovery for me as it means that I can read more about what lead the world of Sound and Fury and its characters into its current state.
In case you’re confused about any of the fairy names used or unsure about how to pronounce the names of some of the characters, Sound and Fury has both an explanatory introduction and a pronunciation guide/glossary at the end of the book to help guide you. The intro mentions that the creatures in the story are inspired by Celtic myth with some added twists. Sound and Fury reminded me of Holly Black’s Tithe, an urban fantasy novel that I loved as a teenager, while incorporating more of the mythological creatures I read about in books such as The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Fairies.
The language used by the authors is beautifully descriptive, and the characters are fully fleshed out beings. Kieran and Malcolm, with all of their strengths, faults, wants, and fears feel like real people. For a beautifully written and character driven urban fantasy tale, be sure to check this book out. Sound and Fury is available on the Kindle store for purchase or for rental with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.
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