Chicory Up
The Pixie Chronicles
Irene Radford

Daw Books, Inc
May 1, 2012 / 9780756407247
Fantasy
Amazon

Reviewed by Jan Fields

In Skene Falls, Oregon, the gardens are truly beautiful. They should be. They've got pixies. But the pixies of Skene Falls aren't all flutters and pixie dust -- they're feuding with each other and deadly enemies of the fairies (a lazy bunch who want the pixie's woods). This is the second book in the Pixie Chronicles. The first focused on Thistle Down -- a pixie turned human, and we see plenty of Thistle in this book too, but the story includes plenty of other pixies and humans as well. Like most pixies, Thistle's friend Chicory has trouble focusing on serious subjects for long, but he can tell something is seriously wrong in Skene Falls. His fellow pixies aren't acting normal at all and spend all their days fighting. There's trouble among the humans too -- with violence breaking out all over.

With the help of human friends and one pixie turned human, Chicory intends to do whatever it takes to keep his pixies safe and put a stop to the tricks of the fairies. I found this a very unusual novel -- it's not really urban fantasy (as it totally lacks the grittiness and the "urban" setting) but it's definitely not classic fantasy. It's light, but with some sweet, touching moments. It's fast paced without being action packed, and the characterization is charming. At times, it's almost a screwball comedy -- with pixies. For all the trouble pinning this one down, it's a sweet, funny story of loyalty, romance and pixie dust!