Available Formats
Paperback
Published: 12th August 2025
Paperback
Published: 9th September 2014
Hardback
Published: 6th May 2014
The Falconer: Book 1
By (Author) Elizabeth May
Chronicle Books
Chronicle Books
6th May 2014
United States
Young Adult
Fiction
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Fantasy
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories
FIC
Short-listed for Green Mountain Book Award 2016
Hardback
378
Width 152mm, Height 216mm, Spine 25mm
544g
Debutante by day. Murderess by night. Edinburgh's only hope.
Edinburgh, 1844. Beautiful Aileana Kameron only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. In fact, she's spent the year since her mother died developing her ability to sense the presence of Sithichean, a faery race bent on slaughtering humans. She has a secret mission: to destroy the faery who murdered her mother. But when she learns she's a Falconer, the last in a line of female warriors and the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity, her quest for revenge gets a whole lot more complicated. The first volume of a trilogy from an exciting new voice in young adult fantasy, this electrifying thriller blends romance and action with steampunk technology and Scottish lore in a deliciously addictive read.
[A] fascinating, unique world. May's writing is exquisite and demands a close reading to take everything in. readers will be anxious for the next installment.-School Library Journal
A character and a world that breathes life into fantasy.--Library Media Connection
A combination of steampunk tech and supernatural danger with a multitalented heroine who can hold her own against murderous faeries and romantic foils alike.--Publishers Weekly
A riveting world, a fierce heroine, and electrifying action--I burned through this sparkling debut! --Sarah J. Maas, New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series
Aileana is an amazing, brave hero... the writing crackles with wit.--Booklist
Ball gowns, blood, and an evil fairy determined to bring about the end of the world-this comedy of manners has it all.--School Library Journal Curriculum Connections
Forget Bella, banish Katniss and Expelliarmus Hermione-there is a new breed of ass-kicker intown. . . . Elizabeth May's debut is a wicked cocktailof Jane Austen and the Grimms' fairy tales.--Claire Nicholls, SciFiNow
I couldn't get enough of this steampunk world and all it's awesome gadgets.--Owl Always Be Reading
It's very rare to find a YA fantasy that blends the otherworldly with a very real and raw heroine. I ate up this story and mourned when it was over. The Falconer is a standout read.--Read. Breathe. Relax.
Simply put, my favorite YA paranormal this year. A must read!--New York Times Bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout
This book was AWESOME. It's full of well-worn tropes and clichs.but somehow transcends them all to become some new animal that is the best of all its borrowed parts. -- Billie Bloebaum, Powell's
Witty dialogue, nonstop action, and campy humor. More, please.-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Elizabeth May hails from California and is currently a PhD student in social anthropology at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The Falconer is her first novel.