I did the thing I’ve never done before. It was as if it was meant to happen. Without reading the blurb I downloaded a book purely based on the look of the cover. Little did I know it was book 1 in a series of 6 and that the last book had just recently been published. What a perfect way to read a series- the series is fresh and complete! Hence started my obsessive reading journey through the Chaos series by Claire Farrell.

I want to swear, that’s how good it was.

I want to add a song here… A song that suits the whole series- the kings and queens, the children, the fealties, the chaos, loyalty and challenges, death and life. The emotions and power which play a big part in the whole series. The lyrics of this song are just spot on and give an overarching feel of the books. The instrumental describes the book perfectly as well. There are highs and lows, the evil and good, the complexity of politics against common sense and kindness.

Ahhh, where do I even start? These books! As I mentioned, there are 6 main books in the series… there is also #0,5 where it all started. Claire Farrell decided there was definitely more to the story and I am so glad she did. I never read the #0,5 but I know how the story ends so I am not entirely sure reading it could add anything else… Maybe…

Then, there’s #5,5 called Kings which fills the empty void perfectly in between books 5 and 6. I read that book last when I should have read it in between 5 and 6. No bother though. Many a question was answered and the fact I read it the last, didn’t take anything away from the whole series.

The covers- crikey! I actually wrote Claire on Goodreads to tell her I got addicted to her books and complimented the cover art.

I cannot possibly give you a comprehensive overview of the whole series. I just want to say that I read all of them (apart from #0,5) in a matter of days. I turned into a bookzombie in desperate need for more, more, more. The series is about Cara Kelly who lives in Dublin, Ireland. She has always felt she doesn’t fit into this world and has a few pretty crappy family members. One night she feels music and lights calling to her and she follows the feeling to Phoenix Park where she stumbles through a portal into the world of faeries, power struggles, sacrifices, kings and queens. And that’s where the whole story begins… Betrayals, a baby, heartstopping adventures in the worlds of magic. Who is telling the truth; do faeries ever tell the truth? Political decisions are being made and pacts agreed at the cost of someone always getting hurt. Enter brownies, pixies, giants, goddesses, a whole pile of bodyguards, a faery horse Dubh and a woman who is immortal cursed into a cat… You’ll meet Guardian of the Forest, and water fae. You’ll meet Daughter of Death and The Doctor from across the seas. Need I say more? Doesn’t it sound like a massive shit-storm already?

Pfff, I am actually lost for words… How could I possibly try and explain to you all and everything that goes on? All I know is that this series pulled me in as if by the faery magic itself. There wasn’t a single boring moment, plenty of surprises and at times even frustrations. I was worried by Book #5 about how will Claire Farrell ever manage to pull off a proper ending to this fantastic series. I was worried it was going to be flat and unsatisfying. But she did it! The ending gives closure to the reader in  the most real way possible. This is how things go and this is how they are. No silly cliche ending.

If I was to name a few characters I really liked then I would tell you about Grim, the brownie who is sweet and intelligent and also in love with Realtin, the pixie, who is so overly excited at all times. I would tell you about Rumble (or Comhaill, by his real name) who is a proper bodyguard to the royals. A serious man who you’ll learn to respect. I would tell you about Bran- the young guard. I would tell you about Brendan, the king who, after learning from his grave mistakes has learned to crack some pretty good lines and has found a way to use his common sense. Then there is of course Cara and baby Scarlet- the two major chess pieces in the whole game.

Yes, while there are challenging journeys and plenty of evil to overcome, there is also the ever present fairytale like feeling to the whole series. I felt as if I could just curl up with a book and get lost in the magical world. As if I was a kid and my mother was telling me one of the bed-time stories.

If you are into magic, faeries, epic adventures then you should check this series out.