Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Adams (The Eldritch Conspiracy) launches an urban fantasy series with a well-worn premise. Brianna Hai, an exiled Faerie princess leading a quiet life on Earth, is forced to return to Faerie where she's swept up in court intrigue and politics. She's accompanied by some human allies, including Det. Nick Antonelli, who suspects her involvement in several unsolved cases and wasn't aware of her true nature until she dragged him across the veil. Once in Faerie, Brianna must simultaneously protect her friends from the Fae, who enjoy human playthings, and deal with the constant struggle to determine who will succeed her father on the throne. While the core story is solid, the pacing is erratic, and the various subplots never really mesh. Nick's investigation is thoroughly derailed by Brianna's return to Faerie; they might as well be two separate books that accidentally collided. However, Adams does an admirable job of breathing life into Faerie and its creatures before ending on a game-changing cliffhanger. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
As a half-human princess of the Sidhe, Brianna Hai has tried to stay out of Faerie politics. Her occult shop is warded heavily against magical attacks, but a very powerful Sidhe noblewoman with a grudge against Brianna and her father, the High King, launches an assault on Brianna while her henchmen attack the King. Traveling to Faerie to aid her father, Brianna brings along her friend David and his brother Nick. As she is drawn into the fight for the Fae throne the trio will have a difficult time staying alive, much less getting back home. VERDICT Adams (author of several urban fantasy and paranormal novels with Cathy Clamp under the name Cat Adams, most recently To Dance with the Devil) goes solo with this new series launch, which has all the right ingredients for a long run: political intrigue, magical struggles, even a possibility that there might be a romantic entanglement somewhere down the line. This should appeal to fans of Seanan McGuire's "October Daye" series. (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A fast-paced fantasy about a half-faerie, half-human girl struggling to figure out which world she really belongs in. Everything is going fine for Brianna Haimaybe a little boring, but fineuntil a dangerous blonde attacks her magic shop, throwing her right back into the messy politics of Faerie, the exact mess she was most hoping to avoid. And it's not just Brianna who's being pulled into the land of the Sidhe. Her shop's assistant manager, David, and his very attractive brother, Nick, get caught up in the mess, too, when a flock of venomous flying doxies attack, forcing them all to cross over into Faerie and face the false friends and outright enemies who await them there. From the moment they do, the plot rockets along, forcing Brianna toward a confrontation with her father, who happens to be the king of the Sidhe, and her destiny. There's danger in Faerie, but it never quite feels like a real threat to our heroine, who keeps herself "fighting fit" enough that she's ready to duel even in the middle of a dinner party. In a book in which nearly every character is stunningly attractive, it's hard to believe anyone's gleaming hair will really get mussed. As a result, the plot speeds almost too quickly toward its cliffhanger conclusion. It's not exactly deep, but this book (the first in a planned series) will entertain readers looking for a fun fantasy that mixes adventure with just a bit of romance. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
