Publishers Weekly
01/30/2023
Miller (the Unraveled Kingdom series) takes readers to the turn-of-the-20th-century Midwest for this flawed but atmospheric standalone historical fantasy. Sisters Alaine and Delphine have been raised on their grandfather’s tale of how a fairy encounter gained him the family farm, and on their grandmother’s lore of how to make small, safe, everyday bargains with unseen fae. Alaine is devoted to the farm, while Delphine marries a man from the city. Both paths have their bumps, and as the sisters’ struggles slowly build, so too does their willingness to break their grandmother’s rules and make increasingly dangerous deals with the fae. There’s a touch of Faust to the plot, and a bit of Frozen, too. The storytelling has a YA vibe in its simplified conflicts and improbabilities: if the farm is threatened by foreclosure, for instance, where is cash coming from for silk dresses and watercolor paints? In a purely historical novel, the glossed-over detail and lack of grit would be fatal, but the fairies are the point here, and Miller conjures them fully at last alongside a thoughtful meditation on sisterhood and priorities. It’s not revelatory, but it has its charms. Agent: Jessica Sinsheimer, Context Literacy Agency. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
A deftly spun tale of folklore and sisterhood, of fairy bargains and family bonds. The magic lies not only in Rowenna Miller’s spellbinding prose but also in the heart of her characters—women who are forging their own paths and coming into their own, within our world and beyond the veil. An enchanting story to savor.”—Rebecca Ross, author of A River Enchanted
“Beautifully observed, steeped in folklore and rich with historical detail, The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill weaves a warm-hearted yet fierce fairy tale around the bonds of sisterhood and the choices facing women in a changing world. A true delight.”—H. G. Parry, author of the Shadow Histories series
“A richly woven and deftly atmospheric tapestry of family, sisterhood, motherhood, and women's ambition. The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill is brimming with folk magic and delightfully sinister hidden worlds. Truly enchanting.”—Leslye Penelope, author of The Monsters We Defy
“From a whimsy of ribbon to a bit of bone and blood, two compelling sisters chafing at society's expectations take us down an ever-darkening path. A bold journey against restraints becomes frightening then ultimately thrilling, as we find the sisters' true power lies in their resolve to blaze a trail for women, undeterred by deceptive promises...from man or fairy! A powerful tale of finding sisterhood and self.”—Willa Reece, author of Wildwood Whispers
“In The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill, the magic—and the danger—of the Fae is as close as the garden gate. It's a beautifully written tale of feminine power, sisterly devotion, and magic as old as the hills themselves.”—Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches
“A mesmerising, knotty tale of sisterhood, woven with the dark enchantment of fae bargains and the hard bargains a woman must strike to make her way in the world.” —Cari Thomas, author of Threadneedle
“A historical fantasy that gives equal weight to the historical and the fantastical, Rowenna Miller's latest grows from strong roots firmly anchored in history's realities, then unfurls its petals gradually into fantasy's full bloom. Like the intriguing Fae with whom the Fairborn sisters find themselves entangled in increasingly complex and desperate bargains, Miller promises a world richer and more rewarding than our own, and she delivers on that promise.”—G.R. Macallister, author of Scorpica
“The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill is utterly spellbinding and full of wonder, a jewel of a book that explores the fierce and often complex bond between sisters, and the everyday folk magic woven into the stories we tell.”—Francesca May, author of Wild and Wicked Things
"A bold story of sisterhood, societal expectations, and the lengths women may be willing to travel for love and freedom. Fans of Alix E. Harrow’s The Once and Future Witches will find this fierce and folkloric tale a terrific read." —Library Journal
"Miller seamlessly blends historical fiction and fantasy to create this enchanting tale of two sisters. The book is awash in period details as well as a vivid fantasy world, but Miller never loses sight of the sisters’ relationship that sits at the heart of the story. Readers will be charmed by this tale of sisterhood, female strength, and the fae."—Booklist
"It's impossible to resist the allure of this charming book. Its focus on the small, everyday things that can be made easier with a little luck and a little fairy grace really creates a lived-in world where you can smell the apple blossoms in the orchard and hear the rattle of wagon wheels on dirt roads."—NPR
"A cozy, atmospheric historical fantasy."—Paste Magazine
"Powerful ... masterful balance of the uncanny and the inhumanly strange with complex, realistic issues."
—BookPage
"Atmospheric ... a thoughtful meditation on sisterhood and priorities."—Publishers Weekly
"The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill weaves a heartfelt story of sisterly love with well-developed fairy lore, and depicts the growing spheres of power for women in the years before suffrage. Fans of Ami McKay's The Witches of New York and H.G. Parry's A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians will be enthralled."—Shelf Awareness
Library Journal
01/01/2023
In Miller's (Rule) latest, the worldbuilding and historical folklore is richly detailed, while the ties of fairy and family create an intriguing plot. Sisters Alaine and Delphine know their family's history on Prospect Hill—one told through the generations as having come to them through the power of the Fae. Even as the land has changed, with farms slowly shrinking and rail lines and mills taking priority, their family farm and orchards survive and thrive, and if bits of ribbon and glass offerings disappear the next day, who is to say why? When Delphine's new husband is not the man she expected him to be, Alaine is sure that she can bargain, yet small prizes only yield small gains. A major bargain is the only thing that will create the change the sisters need, but the price is one that neither had expected to pay. VERDICT A bold story of sisterhood, societal expectations, and the lengths women may be willing to travel for love and freedom. Fans of Alix E. Harrow's The Once and Future Witches will find this fierce and folkloric tale a terrific read.—Kristi Chadwick
Kirkus Reviews
2023-01-25
Two sisters caught up in their bargains with the Fae find themselves in over their heads in this tale of family tradition and upward mobility.
Lilabeth Canner taught her daughter and granddaughters to safely bargain with the Fae—for luck, good weather, and empty wombs. Years after her husband traded a handkerchief to a Fae girl for a plot of land on Prospect Hill, the Canners' oldest granddaughter, Alaine, presides over the family's failing farm. Alaine harbors a deep resentment of her younger sister, Delphine, whose impending marriage to Pierce Grafton will sweep her away to the big city and leave Alaine to worry about the farm alone. For her part, Del is jealous of her big sister; Alaine has a place in the world: at the farm, where Del has never felt as if she belongs. Her dreams of joining the socialite class flag as she struggles to adapt to the posh Grafton lifestyle, however. Both women soon find themselves making risky, untested bargains with the Fae to improve their circumstances—a decision that has dire, if predictable, consequences. Awkward dialogue plagues the opening chapters as Miller shoehorns information into casual conversations between family members. Poor pacing turns the novel's first half into a slog, and readers well versed in Fae literature may bristle at how long it takes the sisters' proverbial chickens to come home to roost. Del's society faux pas and Alaine's financial woes receive enough attention in the first half to almost completely drown out the early fairy bargains—the stakes of which are so low that it becomes easy to forget this is a fantasy novel. Yet when a bargain finally goes awry, the sisters' personal problems cease to matter at all. To its credit, the last third of this fairy story proves enjoyable. Although Miller nicely ties up the majority of loose ends in the denouement, many readers may not stick around to find out what happens on Prospect Hill.
A fantasy offering that takes too long to raise its narrative stakes.
