The Thirteenth Fairy by Melissa de la Cruz

Nothing ever happens in Filomena Jefferson-Cho's sleepy little suburban town of North Pasadena. The sun shines every day, the grass is always a perfect green, and while her progressive school swears there's no such thing as bullying, she still feels bummed out. But one day, when Filomena is walking home on her own, something strange happens.

Filomena is being followed by Jack Stalker, one of the heroes in the Thirteenth Fairy, a series of books she loves about a brave girl and her ragtag group of friends who save their world from an evil enchantress. She must be dreaming, or still reading a book. But Jack is insistent--he's real, the stories are real, and Filomena must come with him at once!

Soon, Filomena is thrust into the world of evil fairies and beautiful princesses, sorcerers and slayers, where an evil queen drives her ruthless armies to destroy what is left of the Fairy tribes. To save herself and the kingdom of Westphalia, Filomena must find the truth behind the fairytales and set the world back to rights before the cycle of sleep and destruction begins once more.

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published December 1, 2020

 by Roaring Brook Press

4/5 stars

This is the first book in the Never After series, and while it’s aimed at middle-grade/young adult readers, I think anyone who loves fairytales will find something to enjoy here - I did.

The story follows Filomena, a book-loving girl who's obsessed with a popular fairytale series that she and her friends can’t get enough of. But when the newest book in the series doesn’t release as promised, things start to get weird. Really weird. One of the characters from the story shows up in real life, and before Filomena knows it, she’s pulled into the magical world of her favorite books - complete with a shady Jack (as in Jack and the Beanstalk) who's not exactly trustworthy.

This was such a fun and quick read! It’s packed with familiar fairytale characters, but they’re all given unique twists. The 13th Fairy mixes magic, secrets, family ties and a solid dose of adventure.  It totally sets things up for book two in what will eventually be a five-book series. I’m already looking forward to seeing where it goes next.

This book is part of my 2025Reading Off My Shelf Challenge #34