Slightly Above Time by Mark Forti (with Dana Forti & Camille Miller)
Reviewed by EllenRatings
Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content
LANGUAGE
VIOLENCE
SEXUAL CONTENT
ADULT THEMES
Title: Slightly Above Time
Author: Mark Forti (with Dana Forti & Camille Miller)
Ratings Explanation
Violence: Alexa falls into an orb weaver spider’s web and is almost eaten; she is chased and hunted down by Aerioth, an evil dark fairy, who tries to kill her. Numerous other incidents involving fairies fighting each other, wielding swords, tearing each other’s wings off, etc.
Adult Themes: Death, sacrifice, life-changing events, i.e. Alexa’s mother sacrificed her life for her when Alexa was “in chrysalis”; Alexa’s best friend and her mother are killed when their tree is torn down by humans. Alexa must make difficult choices, like whether to kill the evil fairy or spare her life.
Synopsis
Alexa is a meadow fairy living in a different realm from that of the human world, a realm which is “Slightly Above Time”, as they exist in a different time sphere and dimension. No fairies have ever seen humans or believe they exist–they are a myth to the fairies. But one day Alexa accidentally crosses a time portal into the world of humans and is convinced she has seen a human girl, despite everyone else’s disbelief in her story. Only one person, a dryad (tree spirit) named Ispirianza, knows Alexa is telling the truth. She also knows that Alexa is the “chosen one”, the foreordained fairy who must travel into the human world to convince them to change their destructive habits before the fairies’ realm is completely destroyed. Now Alexa must risk her life to enter this foreign world and try to make a difference, but is she ready for such a quest?
The formula: a young heroine (in this case, a tiny fairy) with typical teenage angst and self-doubt, an overwhelming assignment to save the [fairy] world, and an evil villainess lurking in the wings to defeat her. Sound vaguely familiar? This book didn’t make it onto my top ten list, but it’s probably fine for girls ages 10-13 who enjoy fantasy stories about fairies, dryads, and sylphs. The writing lacked polish, but there were a few redeeming lessons–rather familiar but still worthwhile. The evil fairy Aerioth tells young Alexa, “Tiny decisions we make seem so unimportant, but, all together, they make us who we are. That is where the real magic lies.” I’ll agree with that.