"I'm like him. I'm a monster, too." 
 I plunged into this story with hopes of enjoying a new YA fantasy. This series was highly recommended to me and I finally got a chance to read The Falconer. I'm glad I did. The characters intrigued me and Aileana was a welcome surprise as a heroine. 
 Aileana is a Falconer. She's the last one standing. She was born to kill the fae. She learned to fight and to kill after she witnessed her mother's murder. Her mother could have been a falconer too. The power comes from the female bloodline. Unfortunately, before she was able to learn how to defend herself, she was attacked and died. Aileana wants revenge. She needs to destroy the one who hunted and killed her mother. She won't give up until she accomplishes this task. In the meantime, she's happy disposing of the fae she runs into. 
 Aileana has been trained by Kiaran, a daione sith. He's powerful and dangerous. She met him after the death of her mother and he has been preparing her to fight the fae from then on. Aileana doesn't know why he attacks his own kind and he doesn't know the reason behind her hate for the fae. 
 Aileana does have another fae in her life. She has Derrick. He's a pixie who likes his honey, helps her fix her ripped clothes and can conceal her from the fae. He reminds me of Jenks from The Hollows series by Kim Harrison. I liked him. 
 There is also Catherine, her best friend. Catherine is sweet and she covers for Aileana when needed. Catherine's brother, Gavin also plays a big part in the story. Aileana had feelings for him before he left for Oxford two years ago. Aileana's father is almost non-existent throughout only making an appearance when he thinks she needs to find a suitor and get married soon. 
 I'm not usually into the Steampunk genre but none of it bother me while reading this novel. Instead, I love that Aileana knew how to create contraptions, fly something close to a helicopter, and make awesome weapons to defend herself. She was smart, innovative and a great fighter. She was also broken, her grief was constantly present. 
 Kiaran was so swoon-worthy. He was a very attractive fae who didn't say much and hid too many things but whom I could tell cared for Aileana more than he wanted to. I can understand how someone could be faestruck by him. 
 "I will worship thee." 
 There were some things in the Falconer which reminded me of The Fever series (one of my favorites). This didn't deter me from liking the story. If anything, I wanted to keep reading it. 
 One thing I hated was the ending. Major cliffhanger. I was not expecting it. Fortunately for me, the next book is out. 
 4/5 Fangs 
 A complimentary copy was provided by Chronicle Books via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 
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