The illegitimate son of a human king accidentally binds himself to a Fae princess in J.A. Nielsen’s YA adventure, The Claiming. As war bears down on the kingdom of Telridge, can the two of them break the spell in time?

Lord Ferrous, ruler of Telridge, smells conflict coming for his people. Even so, he denies a mysterious request from the king of the Winter Fae, and sets his sons to prepare their land for war. His eldest, Prince Dirk, gathers his knights and begins to evacuate the common people to the protection of Telridge castle. His younger son Spense, born out of wedlock to the castle’s head cook, uses his finicky magic to Claim a bridge over a powerful river. If he succeeds, the passing will be barred to their enemies. But he fails to realize that the powerful living force he encounters isn’t the bridge at all.

Dewy, crown princess of the Summer Fae, is Claimed instead of the bridge. Her aunt, Lady Radiant, must exile her from their lands. While Dewy’s careless spirit chafed under Radiant’s authority, she grieves for her lost home.

Spense resolves to break the Claiming, no matter what it takes.

The two of them journey on a diplomatic mission to the Fae, while Dirk and his knights begin to fight against an army of both humans, from the kingdom of Verden, and Winter Fae. Spense seeks both an alliance with Lady Radiant, and the means to free Dewy of the bonds he put on her. But this journey will ask more of him and Dewy than they know.

Nielsen brings her characters to full and vibrant life.

Dewy and Spense both feel that they’re different from those around them, unsure of their place in the world. Though they’re initially brought together by magic, they begin to form a genuine bond and bring out positive change in one another. They find confidence in their abilities and, as they come to understand each other, share their fears and sorrows.

Even antagonistic characters show their complexity. Lady Radiant, though reserved and steely in diplomatic talks, wants desperately to help her niece. Prince Dirk fights courageously and sees past the social standing of Flora, a farm girl, to realize that she could help his knights to save Telridge. The king of winter himself, Lumine, is driven by an understandable need, even if he keeps his secrets closely guarded.

The battles, both emotional and literal, keep a gripping pace.

Faerie magic, fire-tipped arrows, gunpowder, and even failed alchemy experiments clash in the battle for Telridge. Dewy wields phenomenal elemental power, Spense offers his clever inventions, and Dirk and Flora must devise creative strategies to hold back the army arrayed against them. Exciting, tense scenes play out as knights and faeries fight. All the while, the characters try to weather the mental toll of waging war.

Spense bears responsibility for all of his people as he becomes Telridge’s diplomat to the Fae courts.

Throughout Nielsen’s luminous, intricately-described Fey lands, Spense grapples with the guilt of what he’s done to Dewy, while Dewy herself contemplates what she feels for him, how much of her fondness can be true with the Claiming upon her. The two risk life, limb, and even more for each other as a curious, subtle mystery forms around their meetings with the Winter Fae.

The Claiming is a story of courage, connection, and the responsibility of a person to care for those around them. Fans of fantasy and faeries will love this fast-paced adventure.