Genre: Urban Fantasy

POV: 1st Person (narrated by the heroine)

Senusality: Hot

Violence: Not for the faint of heart!

My Grade: B+

Dreamfever is the fourth installment in Karen Marie Moning’s addictive Fever series. It’s nearly impossible to write a review of this book without spoiling the first three in the series. Be warned: there are some spoilers in this review!

Dreamfever picks up where Faefever left off. After a horrific attack by the Lord Master and several Unseelie princes, Mac Lane has been turned pri-ya, or sex-mad. When she’s finally rescued by Dani, the thirteen-year-old sidhe-seer and Mac’s friend, Mac is brought to the Abbey where the Grand Mistress, Rowena, and her fellow sidhe-seers reside. Realizing that Rowena is not overly concerned with ensuring Mac’s recovery, Dani is only too willing to assist Jericho Barrons when he arrives at the Abbey to retrieve Mac.

Using an unusual method, Barrons succeeds in reversing Mac’s pri-ya status, but she’s never going to be the same as she was before the attack. The new Mac is tougher and more than ready for the fight which lies ahead. The realms of the fae have merged with those of the humans and chaos reigns. Billions of people have been killed by the voracious Unseelie. It’s up to Mac to find the elusive book of black magic known as the sinsar dubh and restore order on Earth. Still unsure whether Barrons is good or evil, Mac joins forces with Dani and some of the other sidhe-seers to fight the fae.

The Fever series is my new crack. It’s sort of a guilty pleasure as there’s much to criticize, yet my overall impression of the books is that they leave me craving more. I can overlook the inaccuracies in Moning’s portrayal of Ireland and the Irish because this is a fantasy series. I’m choosing to suspend disbelief.

Moning excels at creating convincing characters her readers root for. I love to hate Jerricho Barrons. Although I wish there had been just a bit more development of his relationship with Mac in this installment, I’m still hoping they end up together by the end of Book 5. I appreciate the development of Mac’s character. She’s changed considerably since Book 1 but she had to in order to fulfil her role. Dani is another strong character. I’m not usually a fan of children or teenagers in books but Dani is a brilliant addition to the cast.

The world-building is quite complex. One criticism I have of this book is that while a couple of questions I had were answered, yet more questions were posed. Given that this is to be the penultimate volume in the series, I have no idea how the author will manage resolve all the threads in the final book.

Dreamfever ends on an even more dramatic cliffhanger than Faefever did. How am I going to wait a year before finding out what happens next?

Despite its flaws, I found Dreamfever to be an entertaining and compulsive read. I literally couldn’t put it down while I was reading it, and a few days after finishing it, I’m still thinking about it. As such, I can’t grade it any lower than a B+.

Also Reviewed in this Series:

Darkfever (2006) – My Grade: B

Bloodfever (2007) – My Grade: B+

Faefever (2008) – My Grade: B

Other Reviews of Dreamfever:

Lurv à la Mode – 2.5 to 3 scoops out of 5

Romance Rookie - A

Leontine’s Book Realm – 4 out of 5 stars

Smexybooks – 4 out of 5 stars

Smokin’ Hot Books – No grade but very positive review

Gernre: Urban Fantasy

POV: 1st Person Narrative

Sensuality: Kisses

Violence: A few violent scenes but most occurs off page

My Grade: B

Blue Diablo is the first book in Ann Aguirre’s Urban Fantasy series starring Corine Solomon. It’s fun and fast-paced with likable characters.

Corine Solomon is a “handler”. Through the power of touch, she can see an object’s history. She inherited her unusual gift from her mother who was burned to death by vigilantes when Corine was twelve. For many years, Corine used her gift to help find missing people. When it all became too much, she upped and left, leaving behind her lover and partner-in-crime, Chance.

Eighteen months later, Corine has dyed her hair red and made a new life for herself as a pawn broker in Mexico City. Her relatively peaceful existence comes to an end when Chance walks into her shop. His mother, Yi Min-chin, has disappeared in Laredo, Texas. Chance – and the police – suspect foul play. Chance wants Corine to accompany him across the border and “handle” Min’s purse in the hope that it might yield a clue as to her whereabouts. Corine is reluctant to leave her peaceful life in Mexico but Min was always good to her and she wants to help find her.

The police officer in charge of Min’s case is the sexy Jesse Sandana. When he and Corine meet, sparks fly – literally. It turns out that Jesse also has a gift and he recognizes Corine’s ability. When he realizes that she’s mostly ignorant of her paranormal heritage, he offers to be her mentor and get her into contact with others like them. Corine is unconvinced at first but comes to realize that connecting with other gifted people might bring her closer to understanding Min’s fate. Together with Jesse and a couple of friends, Corine and Chance try to piece together the clues which will lead them to Min and her captors.

Blue Diablo is a fun, fast-paced adventure. Corine is a charmingly imperfect heroine and the story is told from her point of view. I loved the fact that she has cankles and doesn’t worry about being chubby. Chance is a sizzling potential hero and I seriously hope he and Corine find a HEA in a future book. I suspect the inclusion of Jesse Sandana in the storyline indicates a love triangle but I am firmly in Camp Chance.

We don’t learn much about Corine and Chance’s respective backgrounds in this book, nor do we discover what triggered Corine’s impulse to flee eighteen months ago. I’m hoping these loose ends will be tied up in future books. The second book, Hell Fire, is due out in April 2010 and I’m very much looking forward to it.

For Urban Fantasy fans, Blue Diablo is a book not to be missed.

Other Reviews of Blue Diablo:

The Romance Reader – 5 stars

My Friend Amy – 4 out of 5

Book Thingo – no grade but very positive review

Katiebabs – A

Here are the final three mini reviews of books I read in November.

Daughter of the Blood (2000) by Anne Bishop Genre: Fantasy

Blurb: Seven hundred years ago, a Black Widow witch saw an ancient prophecy come to life in her web of dreams and visions. Now the dark Kingdom readies itself for the arrival of its Queen, a witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself.  But she is young, still open to influence – and corruption.

Whoever controls the Queen controls the Darkness. Three men, sworn enemies, know this. And they know the power that hides behind the blue eyes of an innocent girl. And so begins a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, of magic and betrayal, in which the weapons are hate and love – and the prize could be terrible beyond imagining…

My Take: Daughter of the Blood is the first book in Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels Trilogy. The world building is excellent, as is the characterization. I found some scenes to be highly disturbing and this affected my grade as I assign grades on the basis of my overall impression of a book after I’ve finished it. Judged on its own merits, it’s probably deserving of a higher grade, but I was sickened by a couple of scenes involving – or heavily implying – paedophilia. The subsequent books in the trilogy are supposed to be less dark than this one and I look forward to reading them. Jaenelle and Daemon have the potential to be a great couple – she just needs to be a little older to suit my tastes. My Grade: B-

Grimspace (2007) by Ann Aguirre Genre: Science Fiction

Blurb: By all accounts, Sirantha Jax should have burned out years ago… As the carrier of a rare gene, Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace—a talent which cuts into her life expectancy, but makes her a highly prized navigator for the Corp. But then the ship she’s navigating crash-lands, and she’s accused of killing everyone on board. It’s hard for Jax to defend herself: she has no memory of the crash.

Now imprisoned and the subject of a ruthless interrogation, Jax is on the verge of madness. Then a mysterious man breaks into her cell, offering her freedom—for a price. March needs Jax to help his small band of rogue fighters break the Corp monopoly on interstellar travel—and establish a new breed of jumper.

Jax is only good at one thing—grimspace—and it will eventually kill her. So she may as well have some fun in the meantime…

My Take: I’ll say straight up that I’ve never been a fan of science fiction. I don’t think I’ve managed to sit through an entire episode of Star Trek and I’ve fallen asleep the couple of times I attempted to watch Star Wars. The SciFi element put me off trying this series for the longest time, despite the glowing reviews. Although it took me a couple of chapters to get into the flow of the story, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I’d expected to. Jax grated on my nerves at first, but I’d grown to like her by the end of the book. As this is a story told in the 1^st person from Jax’s point of view, it’s important to have a sympathetic lead character. The plot was interesting and I’m curious to see where Ann Aguirre takes the storyline from here. I’m hoping the saintly Kai turns out to be a traitor! My Grade: B-

Storm Front (2000) by Jim Butcher Genre: Urban Fantasy

Blurb: Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he’s the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the “everyday” world is actually full of strange and magical things — and most of them don’t play well with humans. That’s where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a — well, whatever.

There’s just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry’s seeing dollar signs. But where there’s black magic, there’s a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry’s name. And that’s when things start to get… interesting.

Magic. It can get a guy killed.

My Take: Storm Front is the first book in Jim Butcher’s bestselling Dresden Files series. It’s an interesting mix of hardboiled mystery and urban fantasy. Although I liked both the premise and the protagonist, the story failed to grab me and it took me a few days to finish this book. I’ve heard from several sources that the later Dresden Files books are stronger, so I would be willing to give one of those a try at some point. My Grade: C+

As you may have noticed, reviews have been scarce at Monkey Bear Reviews of late. There’s a reason for this. The last three books I read were ones I either could not get into or actively disliked. Instead of prolonging my torture by devoting three normal-length reviews to these books, I’ve decided to go the lazy route and feature them in mini reviews.

The first book on my (s)hit list did not suck as such, but I couldn’t engage with it.

Brief Synopsis: The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber is billed as Historical Fantasy. Eighteen-year-old Miss Percy Parker arrives at the Athens Academy to finish her education. She is an oddity in both appearance and ability, and is quite self-conscious in consequence. Percy is albino which inevitably draws stares. To ensure that people stare even more, she tries to disguise herself by wearing a turban and lavendar glasses. (This made absolutely no sense to me, but whatever.) In addition to being albino, Percy can see and hear ghosts. She has never revealed this ability to anyone for fear of being considered insane. The Athens Academy is also not quite what it seems. It is run by the mysterious Professor Alexi Rychman. Together with five friends, Alexi is part of a select circle with supernatural powers. Their task is to prepare for the war against evil and to await the arrival of a seventh helper.

My Verdict: The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker is not really a bad book and I’m sure it would appeal to many readers. Unfortunately, it failed to engage my attention and I gave up halfway through. While I’m not a fan of too much info dump, I felt as if I’d been thrown into the story with no adequate background knowledge. Much is assumed, little is explained. The circle of six all have distinct personalities – or so I assume – but beyond the odd one-liner, we’re not given a true glimpse of their characters. We learn a little more about Alexi and Percy, but not enough to make me want to spend a whole book in their company. Although Alexi has potential, Percy seemed cold and uninteresting. If I don’t care about the characters, the book is a lost cause. I also got the impression that Alexi and Percy were gearing up for a romance. The age difference bothered me (he is 36 to her 18) but the teacher-student relationship disturbed me even more. Grade: DNF

The second book on my list was one which I finished, but it is not one I can recommend.

Speed Dating by Nancy Warren is part of the Harlequin NASCAR series. I downloaded it for free from the Harlequin website. Given how bad the book sucked, I was glad I hadn’t paid money for it.

Brief Synopsis: Actuary Kendall Clarke gets dumped by her cheating fiance right before an important ceremony at which she is due to receive an award. Dylan Hargreave is a NASCAR driver in need of a date to his ex-wife’s wedding. Kendall humiliates herself in front of her colleagues with a tell-all speech in which she reveals her fiance cheated on her and impregnated another co-worker. Needless to say, she’s demoted and given a forcible stress leave. For some odd reason, Kendall fails to realize she acted unprofessionally. Dylan needs a fake girlfriend to stop him kissing his newly-married ex-wife. Only it doesn’t. Somehow, the ex-wife and her doormat new husband decide they are actually in love. After about five minutes of soul-searching, Kendall and Dylan decide they are, too, and they all live happily ever after.

My Verdict: This book was the worst I’ve read so far this year. It wasn’t even bad in a Susan Mallery sort of way whereby I could at least laugh at its ridiculousness. Apart from having a beginning, a middle and an end, this book has no redeeming features. Grade: F

The last book on the list is J.R. Ward’s Covet. After five days, I’m only on page 203 and I’ve started skimming. I’m not quite prepared to label it a DNF just yet, so I’ll put it aside with the intention of trying it again at another time. At the moment, it’s boring me and I want to devote my limited reading time to a book I might actually enjoy.

Brief Synopsis: Following a fatal accident at work, carpenter Jim Heron is sent back to earth with a mission: to save his boss’s soul. Vin di Pietro is a self-made man. He’s described as ruthlessly ambitious and has no problem with being on the shady side of the law. He lives with his beautiful fiancee, Devina, but is fighting his attraction for the prostitute Marie-Terese. Marie-Terese is also attracted to Vin but she is busy trying to pay off her debts and protect herself and her son from her evil ex-husband.

My Verdict: Jim is a good character. I could have done without his Harley-riding sidekicks, but I had no basic objection to Jim. Vin’s actions and Ward’s description of his character seemed at odds. She tells us he’s ruthless, yet I haven’t seen evidence of that up to the point I stopped reading. He seems cold but basically a good guy. The character I had the most problems with was Marie-Terese. Her portrayal was so very different from that in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. In those books, she was described as the head ho in Rhev’s club, ZeroSum. In Covet, she’s metamorphosed into a typical J.R. Ward doormat heroine. She’s a reluctant prostitute and seems to be pretty low on the totem pole in the club in which she now works. The part which defied all logic was when her boss, Trez, offered her the money to clear her debts and she refused because she was too proud to accept help. WTF? She’ll sleep with men for money, even though she despises herself for it, but is too proud to accept help from a friend? I think I need to move on to another book. Grade: TBF/DNF

Faefever is the third book in Karen Marie Moning’s highly addictive Fever series. While I described the first title, Darkfever, as Urban Fantasy Lite, the subsequent two books have taken the tale in an increasingly dark direction. Parts of Faefever are highly disturbing and definitely not for the squeamish.

For readers not yet familiar with the series, here’s a brief synopsis of the story so far: MacKayla Lane is a pampered Southern belle with a penchant for sunbathing and shopping. Nothing of substance penetrates her vacuous existence. All this changes when her beloved sister, Alina, is brutally murdered in Dublin. Dissatisfied with the lack of progress the Irish police have made on the case, Mac decides to fly to Dublin to investigate herself.

Within a few weeks, she discovers that she and Alina are so-called sidhe-seers, part of an exclusive circle of women who can see faeries. Neither the Seelie nor the Unseelie fae can be considered good, but the latter are considerably more evil than the former. For centuries, the Seelie kept the Unseelie incarcerated and maintained a magical division between the realms of the fae and the mortals. Now the Unseelie are escaping their prison and entering the mortal world. With the Seelie unable to contain their evil brethren, the walls which divide the realms are crumbling, threatening both fae and human alike.

In addition to her ability to see the fae, Mac is able to sense the presence of Unseelie objects, including the sinister book of black magic known as the sinsar dubh. It was her sister Alina’s dying wish that Mac continue the search for the sinsar dubh, and Mac is determined to see the mission through. There are several individuals also seeking the sinsar dubh, including the enigmatic bookseller, Jerricho Barrons. It is with Barrons that Mac forms a reluctant alliance.

The opening of Faefever picks up from the cliffhanger which occurred at the end of Bloodfever. Mac’s evening out with Christian MacKeltar did not quite go as planned. Wretched and literally in the gutter, Mac now knows how the sinsar dubh is being transported around the city. Anxious to confide in Barrons, she hurries home to the bookstore, only to make a horrifying discovery about her partner-in-crime. Unsure whom to trust, Mac is torn between Barrons and V’Lane, a charismatic Seelie prince with a tenuous hold on veracity.

To add to her confusion, Mac is drawn into a group of dissatisfied fellow sidhe-seers, who question the methods of their leader, Rowena. Mac’s own dealings with Rowena have thus far been exclusively negative and she feels no loyalty to her. Through the sidhe-seers, Mac discovers more about her the history of her people but nothing about her biological parents.

When she finally meets up with Christian MacKeltar at the Department of Ancient Languages at Trinity, a few pieces of the puzzle come together, yet even more questions are posed. Of all the people who are potential allies, Mac recognizes Christian as the genuine article. Yet she reluctantly admits he is not powerful enough to protect her from the forces of evil, thus necessitating a continued alliance with either Barrons or V’Lane. With the war with the fae growing ever closer, Mac will have to choose sides or be damned.

While I enjoyed Faefever a great deal, I wished there had been more Barrons in the book. I also found a particular scene upsetting. This scene is the cliffhanger on which the book ends. I have been reassured by fans of the series that the fourth book, Dreamfever, does an admirable job in dealing with the aftermath of this event, which gives me hope.

Moning has done an excellent job with the development of Mac’s character. While her innocence is gone, her upbeat personality has not quite been extinguished. Despite the darkness which surrounds her, she’s focusing on the one glimmer of light. Given the events which occurred in this installment, I’m very curious to see what will happen to Mac in the next book in the series.

Fans of the Fever series are bound to enjoy Faefever. For those of you who have not yet started the series, I highly recommend starting with book one, Darkfever. Moning does a decent job of catching her readers up on events in the previous books, but I would say the Fever books do not stand alone well and need to be read in the correct order. The story is essentially one book spread out over five volumes. I would also implore people who chronically read the end first not to do so with the books in this series! Grade: B

Also Reviewed:

Darkfever (2006) by Karen Marie Moning – Book One in the Fever Series

Bloodfever (2007) by Karen Marie Moning – Book Two in the Fever Series

Bloodfever is the second installment in Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. I described the prequel as Urban Fantasy Lite with romantic elements. This book is much darker in tone than the first and I’m curious to see how this develops over the five books in the series. Bloodfever follows directly on from where Darkfever finished, so I would recommend reading them in order.

At the opening of Bloodfever, Mac Lane is reeling from the events of the previous few weeks. Following the murder of her sister Alina, Mac travelled from Georgia to Dublin, Ireland. Within a few days, she discovered she was a sidhe-seer (a human who can see fae), and joined forces with the enigmatic bookseller, Jerricho Barrons, in the hunt for the elusive sinsar dubh (a book of fae dark magic).

Pursued by fae assassins, a mysterious old woman, a policeman with a grudge, and an assortment of other villains, Mac’s life is far from the carefree existence she enjoyed in Georgia. Her relationship with Barrons is fraught with tension and distrust. The charismatic fae prince V’lane is also interested in forming an alliance with Mac, but at what price?

In the midst of Mac’s personal chaos, the barrier between the realms of the fae and the world as she knows it are eroding, allowing all manner of evil to enter the human world…

It is very difficult to describe the story in Bloodfever without revealing series spoilers. As the stories are so tightly connected, they are essentially a continuation of the same book. Karen Marie Moning does a decent job of summarizing the important events from book one in the first couple of chapters of Bloodfever. As I had recently finished Darkfever, I found myself skimming these parts, but I realize they serve their purpose for readers who had waited a year between book releases.

Despite the odd anachronism, Karen Marie Moning writes compelling page-turners. She’s adept at cliffhangers and leaving her readers clamouring for more. As indicated above, the books appear to be growing steadily darker. Some of what occurs in Bloodfever is definitely not for the faint of heart.

I was pleased with the manner in which Moning developed Mac’s character, but Barrons is my absolute favourite. His moral ambiguity reminds me of some of Anne Stuart’s darker heroes. He’s definitely not a good man but he’s appealing nonetheless. I feel confident that whatever else occurs, Barrons will protect Mac.

I’m trying to space the four books currently available until the fifth comes out next summer. As I have very little willpower when it comes to books, watch this space!  Grade: B+

Also Reviewed:

Darkfever (2006) by Karen Marie Moning (Book One in the Fever series)

I wrote this review of part of Keishon’s monthly TBR Challenge. It’s sort of a cheat as the book spent all of two days on my TBR shelf. However, it fits the suggested theme for this month which is new authors or authors you haven’t read in a long time. Karen Marie Moning is definitely a new-to-me author and Urban Fantasy is still a fairly new-to-me genre.

Darkfever is the first title in Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. Although the spine proclaims it to be a romance, this is not the case. I’d classify it as Urban Fantasy Lite.

I’ll say straight up that I had a few reservations when starting Darkfever as it is a) set in Dublin – my hometown and b) it’s a paranormal. Although I’m slowly being won over by some Urban Fantasy authors, it is not a genre to which I naturally gravitate. Despite my hesitance – and a few inevitable inconsistencies – I found Darkfever compulsively readable.

MacKayla “Mac” Lane is a pampered Southern gal with no ambitions beyond improving her suntan. Her life of leisure comes to an abrupt end when her student sister, Alina, is found brutally murdered in Dublin, Ireland. With zero evidence and no leads, the Gardai (Irish police) are forced to conclude the case is a dead end. Mac refuses to accept this, especially after hearing a strange message Alina left on her voicemail right before she died. Against her parents’ wishes, she decides to fly to Dublin to investigate herself.

Naïve and clueless, Mac hasn’t the first idea where to start. She’s never travelled much and this is her first time overseas. Struggling to understand the Irish accent (heh, heh), she feels lost and alone. On one of her first evenings in Dublin, she has a weird vision in a pub and thinks she sees a handsome man transform into a monster. Putting it down to grief and Guinness, Mac tries to forget the experience. When she continues to see strange things in the shadows, she’s certain she’s going insane.

When a chance rainstorm leads her to take shelter in Barrons’ Books and Baubles, Mac encounters Jericho Barrons, an enigmatic book dealer with anger management issues. Recognizing her as a fellow fae-seer, Jericho urges her to forget about Alina’s murderer and return home to Georgia for her own safety. Mac refuses to be intimidated and more or less forces Jericho to educate her on the fae and become her reluctant ally in the search for the sinister sinsar dubh (an evil book of some sort).

What follows is a fast-paced story with a ridiculous-but-fun plot. Mac is naïve and far too trusting but I think she wised up considerably over the course of the book. Barrons is a brilliant character. He’s utterly ruthless and shows no remorse for his actions. There’s a definite chemistry between Mac and Barrons, although there is no sex in this book – I believe their story arc is set to continue over the course of the five-book series. I’m curious to see how Moning develops Barrons’s character as he currently makes Anne Stuart’s darkest heroes seem tame.

Inevitably, there were a few inaccuracies which made me wince. The description of certain Dublin architecture and the pronunciation of Irish/Gaelic phrases gave me definite pause. However, I went into the story on the assumption that Moning’s version of Dublin and Dubliners would not necessarily fit my own experience. Given that the book is an Urban Fantasy, it made it easier to relativize these inconsistencies and remind myself that this an alternate reality Dublin and doesn’t have to be 100% accurate.

I wavered between a B and a B Minus for this book. Despite the flaws and the silly plot, Darkfever sucked me in and kept me turning the pages until the very end. It also left me wanting more. For this reason alone, I can’t justify giving it less than a straight B.

Cry Wolf is the first book-length story in Patricia Briggs’s Alpha & Omega series, which is a spin-off to her Mercy Thompson series. The story follows on directly from the Alpha & Omega novella, and I would strongly recommend reading this before starting Cry Wolf. For background story on Samuel and Bran, I would also suggest reading Moon Called, the first of the Mercy Thompson books.

Charles Cornick is the son and main enforcer of the werewolf leader, Bran. After the events in Alpha & Omega, he returns to his pack in Montana with Anna, his new-found mate. He’s been gravely injured and requires expert medical treatment from his brother, Samuel, the pack’s doctor. Charles doesn’t have long to recuperate, however. Bran requires his and Anna’s assistance in tracking down a lone wolf who has been attacking people in the region.

Meanwhile, Anna is trying to overcome her brutal treatment at the hands of the Chicago pack. She must also come to terms with what she is: a rare and valuable Omega wolf. With Charles at her side, she slowly begins to regain her confidence and learns to use her newly discovered powers.

I must admit I struggled with Cry Wolf. As usual, Patricia Briggs writes wonderfully and manages to make the preternatural seem so real. Although the story itself is interesting, I spent much of the book irritated with Anna. She’s meek and mild and uninteresting. Her defining characteristic is her vulnerability and this needs to change in order for her to develop into an interesting heroine.

Charles is a stronger character than Anna, in every sense of the word. While he’s not as compelling as the charismatic Adam in the Mercy Thompson series, I enjoyed learning more about his past and his powers. Another strong point in this book is the back story on Bran.

While I didn’t enjoy Cry Wolf nearly as much as Patricia Briggs’s other books, I’m still interested to read more about Anna and Charles. I can only hope that Anna develops some backbone in future books.  Grade: C+

Ink Exchange is a beautifully written book and one which will stay with me for a long time. It is the second in Melissa Marr’s faerie series, although it’s not a sequel to Wicked Lovely in the traditional sense (I believe Seth and Aislinn’s story will continue in Book 3, Fragile Eternity).

There are three main characters in Ink Exchange: Leslie (Aislinn’s best friend); Niall (Keenan’s friend and advisor); and Irial (King of the Dark Court). Despite the three points of view, this is ultimately Leslie’s book.

When we first met Leslie in Wicked Lovely, she was portrayed as flight and slutty – the ultimate party girl – and I dismissed her as such. In Ink Exchange, we see an entirely different side to her. Leslie’s drug-addict brother sold her to his friends in exchange for drugs and she was the victim of a horrific gang rape. Ink Exchange is the story of her struggle to reclaim her body and sense of self-worth. Leslie wants to aid this process by getting the tattoo of her dreams.

Irial, King of the Dark Court, is trying to retain control over his people. Now that peace reigns, the Dark Fae are restless and seek trouble wherever they can find it. It’s Irial’s responsibility to feed their darker desires. In order to avoid doing so by means of warfare with the other fae courts, Irial decides to satisfy his people through a so-called ink exchange with a human. By tattooing his magic symbol onto a human, Irial can control that person and feed his people’s hunger. The human he chooses for the ink exchange is, of course, Leslie.

Unbeknownst to Leslie, Niall has been appointed her guardian by Aislinn and the Summer Court. Although he is usually invisible to her, Niall watches over her and endeavours to keep her safe from harm. Once he becomes aware of Irial’s interest in Leslie, Niall is immediately suspicious. As a former member of the Dark Court, Niall is all too familiar with Irial’s sadistic nature.

The plot in Ink Exchange develops slowly but surely. When I initially learned that Leslie would be the main character, I was disappointed as I hadn’t liked her in Wicked Lovely. However, her harrowing story was wonderfully done and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her character develop.

Irial is fascinating. He’s evil, yet he’s not. To say more would spoil the plot. Niall was the weak link for me. He’s overly worthy and struggles against his baser nature. I wished he would just give in to himself and act according to his wishes, as opposed to how he feels he ought.

The secondary characters provide a tantalizing glimpse at possible future storylines. For example, we learn more about the tattoo artist, Rabbit, and his extended family. Aislinn, Seth and Keenan play important roles. I haven’t said much about them for fear of spoiling Wicked Lovely for those who haven’t yet read it, but I will say this: there is a plot reveal which paints Aislinn in a very bad light and makes me question her actions towards a girl who is supposed to be her best friend. I didn’t like Aislinn in this book and I can only hope she redeems herself in the third book, Fragile Eternity.

Although I’ve read several criticisms of the conclusion to Ink Exchange, I thought it was fitting. As far as I’m concerned, this is Leslie’s story, and I think it ended just as it needed to end for her. I’m not certain Leslie will be featured in future books, but I’m sure we’ll see more of the other characters and unresolved plot threads will continue. I’m definitely looking forward to reading Fragile Eternity in the near future. Grade: B+

Also Reviewed:

Wicked Lovely (2007) by Melissa Marr (Book 1 in the Faerie series)

Wicked Lovely is my second foray into the world of the fae and Young Adult urban fantasy. It’s the first in a series of books, all of which have garnered rave reviews.

Aislinn sees fairies. She’s always seen them. Heeding her grandmother’s advice, she strives to keep her sight a secret from her fellow mortals and – most especially – the fae themselves. Aislinn struggles to ignore the havoc-wreaking faeries she sees around her, and concentrates on navigating the rocky waters of high school and boys. When it all becomes too much, she can visit her friend, Seth, who conveniently lives in an iron-clad residence: a train car.

When Keenan, the Summer King, decides Aislinn is his missing Summer Queen, he is insistent and persistent in his pursuit. Keenan’s mother, the Winter Queen, has somehow bound his powers in order to rule alone. (We’re not told exactly how she achieved this. Apparently, more information about the curse will be revealed in the second book in the series, Ink Exchange.) The only way for Keenan to regain control over his half of the fae is to find his queen.

To further complicate matters, Beira, the Winter Queen, has attached a curse to the search for a Summer Queen: a girl who agrees to become queen must hold her staff and swear an oath. If she is the true Summer Queen, she will be infused with power; if not, she will be doomed to wander the earth as the Winter Girl until the next person takes the challenge. The current Winter Girl is Donia, whom Keenan loved but ultimately betrayed. She is dispatched by the Winter Queen to watch over Keenan’s search for a Summer Queen and report back.

When Aislinn realizes Keenan has chosen her as his queen, she is terrified. She confides in Seth and together they try to find away to prevent her from having to take the challenge.

Melissa Marr writes beautifully and her rendition of the world of the fae was more to my taste than Holly Black’s in Tithe. Marr’s fae seem more human than Black’s, and she explained much of the folklore surrounding them. I felt a little at sea while I was reading Tithe, so I was relieved that Marr didn’t assume I knew a lot about faeries from other fantasy books. As someone who has read very little fantasy, I will say that my favourite scenes are those which take place in the mortal world. I liked the juxtaposition of the humans and the faeries.

The characters are multifaceted and I wanted to learn more about them. Aislinn is a strong heroine who begins the book frightened and vulnerable, but slowly discovers her inner strength and confidence. Seth is incredibly nice, but perhaps too perfect. He’s been in love with Aislinn for ages but waits until she’s ready before pursuing her. The development of their relationship is probably the strongest aspect of the book. Donia, the Winter Girl, is intriguing. To say more about her would spoil the end of the book, but suffice it to say I’m looking forward to reading more about her. Keenan is spoiled, arrogant and shallow. I have no idea how his character could be redeemed in future books, but perhaps Marr doesn’t intend to.

Wicked Lovely is a riveting read which managed to captivate a reluctant fantasy reader such as myself. I plan to read Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity in the near future. Grade: B

Also Reviewed:

Ink Exchange (2008) by Melissa Marr (Book 2 in the Faerie series)

Note: As part of their YA appreciation month, The Book Smugglers have a new review of the manga version of Wicked Lovely.