Normally, while I enjoy YA fantasy, I'm not usually attracted to books that revolve around the Fae. I often find they spend too much time on details about the setting and characters. I did however, like the teaser for this book when it was sent to me and it didn't seem overly intricate so I decided to give it a try.
Synopsis from Amazon:
When seventeen year old Lily finds her parents brutally murdered, leaving her broken and alone, she is determined to bring justice to the fairies responsible. Her quest leads her to infiltrate The Empyrean, the land of the Fae where terrifying creatures lurk in every shadow. But with a political rebellion mounting, bloody battles and foreign enemies stand in her way. Alec, a mysterious fairy keeping his own secrets, gradually becomes her guide and dear friend in the unfamiliar world, and restores her faith in love. Disturbing secrets about her parent’s true identity are revealed, causing her to be more involved with the devastating fairy war than she can afford. Her vengeful mission becomes compromised and her growing romance with Alec wavers. She must conquer her fear of the unknown, ignore her grief, and overcome her growing list of enemies if she is to succeed in avenging her parents’ death. Or ever make it out alive.
I'm quite glad that I gave this book a chance. I knew as soon as I read the first chapter that it would be the kind of book I would want to finish in only a couple of sittings. Hence, the iPad began to travel with me wherever I went for a couple of days so that I could read during any free moments I could spare. The opening of the book is a bit brutal but this is part of what makes it hard to put down. It grabbed me right from the beginning. Lily, the main character, is portrayed well. Her role as a girl whose parents were brutally murdered is believable. I felt connected to her emotions as she moved between anguish, fury, hopelessness, and fear while she tried to cope with her drastically changing world. Her companion and supporter, Alec, helps her to deal with what is happening to her as she searches for the Fae who killed her family. They make a great team and his story is as tragic as hers. They compliment each other nicely. The setting was lovely and not overwhelming to the senses. I enjoyed reading about the cities and villages and hearing the history of the world and the fears about what would befall it in the future if no one stood up to save it. I also liked that the romance between the two main characters isn't always at the forefront of the story and the characters are flawed and not cookie cutter perfect in appearance or actions. They are on a mission and have no qualms about what needs to be done to avenge their loved ones. There is some violence but I think this added a nice edge to the story. I'm really looking forward to the next book and also hoping that the characters get to stay together in the story since they have already experienced so much loss. A girl can hope!
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Yay!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed this book!!
Thanks so much for reading and reviewing it!!
-Theresa