Lovin' los libros

 

 

I am always down for a good fantasy, so when I saw this one on NetGalley and that it was about fae, I was all in. I was quite intrigued by the different fae and how they are colored- with each color representing a different skill. Based on that alone, I think this book had great potential, but was destroyed by all the things I can't stand in books: insta-love, a love triangle between the 'self sacrificing good guy' and the 'tortured, misunderstood bad boy', and a ton of other clichés that just drove me nuts.

 

Let's start with the characters. Noa has recently lost her older sister Isla, and she has witnessed the deterioration of her family. Her dad throws himself into work, her mom is barely getting by, and her little sister clings to her like she's her lifeline. She meets a mysterious boy at school, who gives her the cold shoulder at first and cringes when she gets near, but she can't help but be inexplicably drawn to him. (Hello, Edward Cullen) Out of nowhere, he decides to show her attention, and then ask her out on a date, in which he ends up trying to cancel because 'they shouldn't be going there'. Sigh. Callum is Fae and humans possess Light, which Fae need to sustain themselves. However, when you take Light from a mortal, it reduces future happiness and takes away moments of joy in their lives. He wants to be with Noa, but can't because he refuses to take any of her Light. Their romance was pretty lackluster for me. I didn't really buy into it, so that made it harder to get behind.

 

Callum has been Banished after an incident trying to keep his younger brother, Judah, out of trouble. Oh, Judah. The 'bad boy' brother is all rough edges and attitude. He and Noa clash to begin with, as she is focused solely on getting Callum back, as he has been taken captive by a ruthless Hunter sent by Callum and Judah's father, to reclaim a ring that Judah has stolen. I just felt the love triangle was completely unnecessary. Callum is the brother that gets everything, where Judah has always felt like the screw up and the one that no one loves. Of course Noa's feelings start to get muddled the more time she spends with Judah because she sees behind his tough exterior, is a fragile boy who craves affection and saves her life. Oh and did I mention Miles, Noa's best friend, who is secretly in love with her too? (I thought I was reading Twilight for a minute, I swear.)

 

There were points I felt the writing was a bit juvenile too. For a fantasy novel, I thought some of the descriptions were a bit over the top and at the end when everything went crazy, I felt it was too chaotic and it was hard to follow along with everything that was happening. There were also too many 'planned' scenes with outcomes. Certain things would become convenient and it was like 'oh, so that's how we're going to justify the triangle'.

 

I loved Noa's younger sister, Sasha. She was a bright spot for me in this one. She was beyond adorable and I loved how she was such a soothing presence. The Fae storyline itself was intriguing too and I thought it would have worked pretty well, had I not had so many other issues. Unfortunately, this one was not for me, but that's not to say it's not worth giving a shot. Some people may be okay with the things I took issue with, and might really enjoy this one.