The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry

“But the world had never been safe, not for everybody. It had been broken for a very long time, and the war had only shown those cracks for what they were. It couldn’t be patched over. It needed to shatter if it was ever to be rebuilt into something glittering and new.”

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door

H.G. Parry has become one of my favorite authors the past few years, and I am just in absolute awe of her writing. I loved her novels The Magician’s Daughter and A Far Better Thing, but The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door is one of the most incredible books I have read in ages and I’m completely enthralled by it.

Set in 1920 in the aftermath of World War I, this novel follows Clover as her brother Matthew returns home from the war shattered by a Faerie curse. Up until this point, Clover and her family weren’t aware of magic or the Fae, of the Families who wielded magic and protected its secrets. But Matthew is sent home against the better judgment of the Magical Board with strict instructions. On the night of each holiday, he must be tied and locked away to keep the faerie curse from growing worse. 

Helpless and intrigued by this new world, Clover sets her sights on Camford, a magical university hidden in England that she yearns to study at. After obtaining a scholarship, Clover leaves behind her family in the hopes that she can find a way to break Matthew’s curse. 

But faerie magic is forbidden and it is not taught or studied. Yet Clover manages to find a way to study it and draws the eye of some other students, Alden, Hope and Eddie who have been friends since they were children and have their own reasons for wanting to study faerie magic. The four become inseparable, fighting against all odds to delve deeper into a kind of magic that’s meant to be kept secret. They become family, so close it almost seems impossible to see them ever apart. But one decision changes their lives and their friendships forever.

I don’t want to spoil too much, but this could not be a more perfect book. It is atmospheric and academic and magical and emotional and heart-wrenching. It is utterly gorgeous and one of my favorite stories depicting magical academia and faerie magic of all time. This is just so damn perfect. I am completely smitten with this book, and I will be forever. I cannot recommend it enough, this is a bewitching read that you do not want to miss.