The Mall Fairies: Exile

By: Conda V. Douglas

Narrated by: Michele Carpenter

Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

In The Mall Fairies: Exile, the first of the Mall Fairies trilogy, Swoop the fairy lives hidden in the attic of a shopping mall. She loves the safety and ease of living in the fairies' town of High Haven, despite the adults insisting she give up her dream of becoming a Flight Instructor. She's terrified of Outside, where fairies can and do die.

Swoop discovers her best friend One Wing in the company of a human, breaking the first law: Never Let the Humans Know Fairies Exist. She believes that her one-winged friend will never survive the challenges and dangers of Outside. Swoop determines she'll do anything to save One Wing from being exiled Outside. She never suspects her actions will imperil everyone and everything she loves.

Next up, the second in the trilogy, The Mall Fairies: War, in which Swoop must find a way to make peace with pixies. Or else.

©2012 Conda V Douglas (P)2014 Conda V Douglas

Very imaginative fantasy with great voices

This is a fun fairy story with a great message for tweens. The main characters are loyal to their friends and friendship, and are willing to postpone or abandon their own hopes and dreams to help out a friend. How imaginative to have fairies living above a mall in a resort town! The disabled teen fairy One-Wing, with his desire to fly taking over his common sense, seemed incredibly real to me. And the friendship between him and Swoop rings true.

I read the book on my Kindle so I worried that hearing it would bring voices to the characters that I hadn't imagined when I read it. It did! But in a good way. The narrator "nailed" the personalities of the different characters well. She was particularly good at the voices of the young people/fairies.
All in all, a fun "listen" that I enjoyed as an adult and believe my great-niece will like, too.

I'm torn

It started slow and didn't grab my interest. I like the undercurrent of loyalty and friendship but I didn't like the rebellion, even if it was done to support the loyalty factor. It seemed to be written maybe for about the 10 year old range but had a little teenage content. The problem that I have with that is that I don't think we need to be pushing dating and relationships on our young people or to run off to Florida because their life isn't going the way they like. As the story developed I liked how barriers of prejudice (fairies hating humans) were being breached. All in all tho, I didn't find this story very good.
The narration was fine, nothing stood out to me which can be a good thing. It felt natural and easy to listen to.

Fun twist on a world we wish we could see!

What made the experience of listening to The Mall Fairies: Exile the most enjoyable?

The narrator is very good at giving life to all the voices within this story. You never are confused about the dialoge and it is at a great pace to follow.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Mall Fairies: Exile?

Who knew that the life of a fairy could be filled with so much excitement and adventure. I need to know if her wings are blue or not after everything Swoop goes through trying to find herself.

Which character – as performed by Michele Carpenter – was your favorite?

I think that would have to be One Wing. He sounds so sure in dialoge and during M.C. performance. He choses to follow one rule and that is being true to himself. Its an important lesson to learn and a hard one.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

While rules and regulations are the means of keeping alive, following your heart and your convictions may lead to finding yourself and the truth behind the why.

What happens in the mall after closing ... Fairies

Any additional comments?

Fairies are living in the attic of the local mall. First rule of the Fairies is that they are not to be seen by humans. One Wing breaks that rule by befriending the old lady that runs the Christmas Fairy Shop. Swoop, a Fairy that tries to be good, decides to help her friend One Wing get back home before they are caught out after curfew. In doing this, Swoop sets herself up for an adventure that involves more humans, a cat and the outside world.

Mall Fairies: Exile is the first in the Mall Fairies trilogy. The is a good foundation for this story and I was drawn in to Swoop's and One Wing's adventures. I can't wait to listen to book 2.

Ms. Carpenter further draws you into the story with her vivid narration. She sets the tone for the Fairy world and makes it come to life. This is the second book by Ms. Carpenter that I have listened to and it was as good as the first.

I would recommend this books to friends 10 years old and older. It has something for everyone including adventure and suspense.

A book for the young

Any additional comments?

My teen niece enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The story is good and kept her interest to listen in its entirety.The narrator did a good job.