Vögelein, created by Jane Irwin, is a clockwork faerie, built in the 1500s (sic) by a watchmaker in Heidelberg, Germany. She has "lived" through the centuries with various human Guardians to wind her up every day, but her latest guardian, Jakob, has died without giving Vögelein a new Guardian. She must find a replacement because if she winds down completely, she will lose her memories, and if no one rewinds her, she will die. In a contemporary big city in the United States, she first tries a college student named Jason, but his attitude is that she's some kind of fantastic toy to lock up. She needs freedom to fly. She also encounters a real faerie, a bitter, coal-dark, bat-winged Duskie bent on destroying the Fir (humans) for killing of many of his kind and causing him to be banished from Tir na nOg. Only one human, Ezrael, is willing to accept her for what she is, but he lives in an abandoned used bookstore and cleans the streets at night. As Vögelein continues to search, she remembers her origin and her first Guardians and also must deal again with the Duskie.
Irwin creates an original tale that harks back to good old-fashioned storytelling. Teens who grew up with fairy tales and fantasy will enjoy it. Jason mentions The Velveteen Rabbit, which most teens should remember from childhood. Who hasn't wished that a favorite toy could comw alive? One can finish the book with a wistful sigh. It's suitable for middle and high school libraries, with some fascinating bits of history and watch making along with the gentle fantasy, and lots of snippets from great poetry of the past.