Review by Kelly Jarvis: The Absinthe Earl by Sharon Lynn Fisher

If you love mysterious, romantic stories peppered with Irish folklore, mythology, and literature, then Sharon Lynn Fisher’s novel, The Absinthe Earl, is a must add to your reading list! The first stand-alone book in Fisher’s Faery Rehistory series, The Absinthe Earl takes place in 19th century Ireland as Miss Ada Quicksilver, a student from London’s Lovelace Academy for Promising Young Women, investigates the link between consuming absinthe and faery sightings by visiting one of Dublin’s famous absinthe bars. While there, she meets Edward Donoghue, the Earl of Meath and cousin of the mad Queen Isolde, who is an avid consumer of absinthe due to a mysterious affliction. Sparks fly as Ada’s academic and romantic interests collide, taking her on a journey through centuries of Irish history and storytelling.

Told in the alternating perspectives of Ada and Edward, this captivating narrative keeps readers emotionally engaged in both the budding romance between the protagonists and the dark mysteries standing in their way. Ada and Edward are fully drawn characters with deep personal investments in the faery realm, and their unique voices propel the story forward. Readers are introduced to faery mounds, the Tuatha Dé Danan, the Morrigan, pucas, red caps, water horses, Irish mermaids, and a host of restless souls cursed to rise in the night air, but Fisher offers readers more than a stunning look at Irish folklore and mythology. She also weaves and refashions Irish history, legend, and literature with exciting references to the pirate Grace O’Malley, Queen Elizabeth, and William Butler Yeats. Fisher’s novel blends dark academia, fairy lore, and Victorian romance to a stunning effect, and her writing is as addictive as absinthe itself.

Fisher’s extensive research makes this book a joy to read, but the folkloric information never gets in the way of the adventure, mystery, or romance. Like her witchy Jane Eyre retelling, Salt and Broom, The Absinthe Earl weaves an entirely new story from old material, and its creative blend of traditional folklore and 19th century romance will captivate readers. I loved The Absinthe Earl and I can’t wait to read the next two installments of the Faery Rehistory series, The Raven Lady and The Warrior Poet.

You can find the collection of three books here.

Kelly Jarvis works as the Assistant Editor for The Fairy Tale Magazine where she writes stories, poems, essays, book reviews, and interviews. Her poetry has also been featured or is forthcoming in Blue Heron Review, Mermaids Monthly, Eternal Haunted Summer, Forget Me Not Press, The Magic of Us, A Moon of One’s Own, Baseball Bard, and Corvid Queen. Her short fiction has appeared in The Chamber Magazine and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/