A Real "Faire" Book

Anybody who known me for more then about 13 seconds knows I love fantasy, I love faire's, dwarfs, elves, goblins, gods and goddesses, brownies, pixies, mermaids, dragons, whatever it is I LOVE it.  I also love all the different variety you get when you start mixing in different era's and places.  A faire story set in Brazil in the 1800's is going to be way different then a faery tale (I wonder how many ways I can spell fairy, faire, faery, pharee...) set in China in the 1400's. One of my favorite books, that combines faery's, location, and a mix of time is called Hunter's Moon by O.R. Melling.

 It is a great mix of a super classic fairy tale, an urban setting and traditional, almost tribal myth.  It is set in Ireland and tells the story of Gwen a Canadian teenager who visits her cousin Findabhair (finn-ah-veer) and the two of them set out on a magical mystery tour.  They get much more then they bargained for when after sleeping under a faery mound Findabhair willing goes to become the queen of Finvara the King of Faery's.  Gwen had refused so he could not take her as well.  As Gwen chases the faery's and her cousin through out Ireland she makes many friends in all shapes and sizes who help her when she needs it most, including a boy named Dara who is particularly useful. When she finally catches up to the elven hoard, Gwen learns that Finn went with the Fairy's of her own accord and is happy to stay with them.  After putting the pieces together, Gwen learns that it was the King's intent to bring back two humans, one to wed and one to sacrifice to the great evil.  This is reminiscent of the Celtic Tale of Tam Lin and the darker side of faery that you don't see as often. 

In the end Gwen, Findabhair, the King, and their friends decide to fight the evil instead of sacrificing to it.  After they fail, the King gives himself up, the first of the Fair Folk to ever do so, so that no human would have to be sacrificed, proving his true love for Finn.  Everybody is understandably upset and they all agree to meet up a year later to remember Finvara the Fairy King.  As they assemble the next year they meet a boy that looks exactly like Finvara, turns out the monster took only his immortality and memories not his life.  The group all accepts this new Finvara and all help him to understand what is going on.
This is the first book in a series called "The Chronicles of Faerie" and it is my favorite.  The other ones are pretty good, but never had the same magic of this one...though the one with the ghost pirate captain Molly was pretty cool :-)  The Summer King, The Light-Bearer's Daughter, The Book of Dreams
I really enjoyed the history and mythology (the author has studied Celtic history and myth) that was given, and how it all intertwines in the various time periods.  This is one of those books that I have read several times, and I probably will read it again.  Let me know what your favorite part was!