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sexiilikeacow's review against another edition
3.0
Wasn't my favorite, it lacked something though I'm not sure what. The love interest was annoying. Only person that seemed genuine throughout the book was Kimber, and maybe Finn. Idk, it was just ok..
qquos's review against another edition
1.0
You know, I think this the only YA novel I've read that has admitted the guy has an erection. Kudos for that. I didn't like Black's writing, and found Dana pathetic and lacking. Won't be reading the sequel.
book_whispers's review against another edition
3.0
Thoughts:
First off let's get my minor complaints out of the way.
Black's Morgans Kingsley series is sensational, fantastic world building and character depth up the yin yang!! Safe to say I had very high standards for such a hot writer, maybe even too high of standards. The world building was slow, and it took a long time for any real information to be dealt out. I felt like instead of giving the reader information about the current life or death situation unfolding around Dana, the majority focus of the book is a terrible love interest.
The love interest, Ethan, is a huge flirt. His sister even hints to Dana that he sleeps with anything that's female. Dana wisely decides he's bad news and doesn't need that drama. Of course events put them in a jam and the next thing we know is the two are alone. Let the making out begin. Dana eventually gets a hold of herself enough to tell Ethan that nothing beyond kissing is going to happen. So things resume, more spit swapped. Then Dana is on her back and we find out Ethan is basically date raping her with magic. Letting the magic relax her, but it wouldn't be relaxing her if she “didn't want it.”
At this piont I'm begging Dana to forget the shmuck. For a while she does, but almost at the first opportunity Dana forgives and forgets Ethan's transgressions. This is after the the magic date rape, Ethan holding back information from her, and even sending evil fairies after her so he can “save” her.
There was another sore point for me, Dana's mom is an alcoholic. When Dana realizes her mother left the only home she had ever known to take Dana away to be safe she blames herself for her mother's drinking problem. That was absolutely ridiculous! If her mom was so great to leave Avalon to protect her daughter, then she should be great enough to stay sober and raise her daughter. In the end of the book Dana's mother sales her out for alcohol. Dana's upset, but she still manages to feel like it's some how her fault.
All of this can almost be forgotten with the rest of the book. Especially when Ethan gets dumped out of the story line for a bit!
Avalon is where our tale takes place, a place that connects earth and Fairy. Avalon balances out the technologies of earth and the magics of fairy. If a fairy wanted to leave Avalon and go to earth they'd basically be a ghost there and unable to use magic. Human technologies can't cross over into Fairy, but humans can. This is were Dana comes in as an invaluable asset. She's a Fairiewalker! That means if a fairy accompanies her over to earth, staying within reasonable distance, they won't turn into ghosts. Plus that fairy can use magic while they're on earth. Fairiewalkers can also take human technologies over into fairy.
Upon finding out that Dana is Fairiewalker many Avalon fairies want her for there own agendas. Soon both queens of fairy, the Seelie and Unseelie court, want her dead. After all, a gun could kill them if she brought it in. Dana has to figure out if she can trust her father, if his loyalties to her out weigh his agenda. Her own Aunt has other devious ideas for her. Plus, Ethan's father wouldn't mind having Dana on his side. Which leads to her being kidnapped and then kidnapped again!! Let's just say it's a riot.
Dana is a very grownup girl. Sure at times she acts like a teenager, (cough, Ethan, cough) she's a teenager after all. Dana realizes she can't take care of her mom anymore, she deserves something better. So Dana goes out to make things better. Unknowing of her importance as a Fairiewalker. She takes action and makes decisions in a world she has know idea about. Even when her life is on the line she shows herself capable. At one point she even decides to get some self defense lessons. Even if she can't physically best a fairy assassin, she won't go without putting up some kind of a fight.
Black shows off some of her character skills with her colorful cast. Such as Kimbar, who happens to be Ethan's sister. She seems like a snobby ice queen, a real Mean Girl. In Black's books characters are never how they appear, so it's no surprise when Kimbar turns out to be an awesome gal. She's living under the shadow of her magically talented brother. All Kimbar has to her name is super smarts, which is not valued in Avalon next to magic ability. Plus, Kimbar is a riot as the keeper of possets. (Some type of European mesh drink with alcohol tucked in. Kind of a “cure all” for ailments.) Dana also gets a hot fairy body guard to protect her, of course she gets him to warm up a bit. She gets herself into some embarrassing situations when she tries to embarrass him. This hot body guard just happens to have a hot rebellious son, who is teaching Dana self Defense. May I say he might turn into a very, VERY, promising love interest!
Bottom Line: This is not the best of Black, I know she can do better. Once she gets rid of Ethan—the dreaded ladies man/almost date raper—and focus on that other love interest I mentioned, we'll be on track. Black has a fantastic world and idea here that needs to be explored. The end of this book leaves Dana trapped at her father's mercy as her “guardian.” However, Dana has a new secret weapon to explore, which will make her even more dangerous to the fairy. The Fairiewalker series is going somewhere, and I'm itching to follow along.
Sexaul Content: Some smooching that escalates into a bit more heavy make out sessions. As mentioned above Ethan uses some of his magic to relax Dana, kind of a magic date rape.
Rating: 3/5- Good, I liked it.
First off let's get my minor complaints out of the way.
Black's Morgans Kingsley series is sensational, fantastic world building and character depth up the yin yang!! Safe to say I had very high standards for such a hot writer, maybe even too high of standards. The world building was slow, and it took a long time for any real information to be dealt out. I felt like instead of giving the reader information about the current life or death situation unfolding around Dana, the majority focus of the book is a terrible love interest.
The love interest, Ethan, is a huge flirt. His sister even hints to Dana that he sleeps with anything that's female. Dana wisely decides he's bad news and doesn't need that drama. Of course events put them in a jam and the next thing we know is the two are alone. Let the making out begin. Dana eventually gets a hold of herself enough to tell Ethan that nothing beyond kissing is going to happen. So things resume, more spit swapped. Then Dana is on her back and we find out Ethan is basically date raping her with magic. Letting the magic relax her, but it wouldn't be relaxing her if she “didn't want it.”
At this piont I'm begging Dana to forget the shmuck. For a while she does, but almost at the first opportunity Dana forgives and forgets Ethan's transgressions. This is after the the magic date rape, Ethan holding back information from her, and even sending evil fairies after her so he can “save” her.
There was another sore point for me, Dana's mom is an alcoholic. When Dana realizes her mother left the only home she had ever known to take Dana away to be safe she blames herself for her mother's drinking problem. That was absolutely ridiculous! If her mom was so great to leave Avalon to protect her daughter, then she should be great enough to stay sober and raise her daughter. In the end of the book Dana's mother sales her out for alcohol. Dana's upset, but she still manages to feel like it's some how her fault.
All of this can almost be forgotten with the rest of the book. Especially when Ethan gets dumped out of the story line for a bit!
Avalon is where our tale takes place, a place that connects earth and Fairy. Avalon balances out the technologies of earth and the magics of fairy. If a fairy wanted to leave Avalon and go to earth they'd basically be a ghost there and unable to use magic. Human technologies can't cross over into Fairy, but humans can. This is were Dana comes in as an invaluable asset. She's a Fairiewalker! That means if a fairy accompanies her over to earth, staying within reasonable distance, they won't turn into ghosts. Plus that fairy can use magic while they're on earth. Fairiewalkers can also take human technologies over into fairy.
Upon finding out that Dana is Fairiewalker many Avalon fairies want her for there own agendas. Soon both queens of fairy, the Seelie and Unseelie court, want her dead. After all, a gun could kill them if she brought it in. Dana has to figure out if she can trust her father, if his loyalties to her out weigh his agenda. Her own Aunt has other devious ideas for her. Plus, Ethan's father wouldn't mind having Dana on his side. Which leads to her being kidnapped and then kidnapped again!! Let's just say it's a riot.
Dana is a very grownup girl. Sure at times she acts like a teenager, (cough, Ethan, cough) she's a teenager after all. Dana realizes she can't take care of her mom anymore, she deserves something better. So Dana goes out to make things better. Unknowing of her importance as a Fairiewalker. She takes action and makes decisions in a world she has know idea about. Even when her life is on the line she shows herself capable. At one point she even decides to get some self defense lessons. Even if she can't physically best a fairy assassin, she won't go without putting up some kind of a fight.
Black shows off some of her character skills with her colorful cast. Such as Kimbar, who happens to be Ethan's sister. She seems like a snobby ice queen, a real Mean Girl. In Black's books characters are never how they appear, so it's no surprise when Kimbar turns out to be an awesome gal. She's living under the shadow of her magically talented brother. All Kimbar has to her name is super smarts, which is not valued in Avalon next to magic ability. Plus, Kimbar is a riot as the keeper of possets. (Some type of European mesh drink with alcohol tucked in. Kind of a “cure all” for ailments.) Dana also gets a hot fairy body guard to protect her, of course she gets him to warm up a bit. She gets herself into some embarrassing situations when she tries to embarrass him. This hot body guard just happens to have a hot rebellious son, who is teaching Dana self Defense. May I say he might turn into a very, VERY, promising love interest!
Bottom Line: This is not the best of Black, I know she can do better. Once she gets rid of Ethan—the dreaded ladies man/almost date raper—and focus on that other love interest I mentioned, we'll be on track. Black has a fantastic world and idea here that needs to be explored. The end of this book leaves Dana trapped at her father's mercy as her “guardian.” However, Dana has a new secret weapon to explore, which will make her even more dangerous to the fairy. The Fairiewalker series is going somewhere, and I'm itching to follow along.
Sexaul Content: Some smooching that escalates into a bit more heavy make out sessions. As mentioned above Ethan uses some of his magic to relax Dana, kind of a magic date rape.
Rating: 3/5- Good, I liked it.
itscori15's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 I read it along time ago, but I do remember that I was not really into the story, it was not for me.
karen_k77's review against another edition
1.0
Disclaimer; I read a few negative reviews of this book before actually reading it myself. This might have colored my opinion, and I won't be making that mistake again.
That being said; I did NOT like this book. AT ALL.
Here are the things I liked about it; The idea of mixing faeries with something as normal as politics appealed to me. It was an interesting mix that, combined with the idea of someone who can walk between two worlds, I had hoped would produce a unique, enjoyable story. And the setting was cool. The whole city-on-a-mountain idea was kind of interesting to picture, and I enjoyed imagining the cobblestone streets and old-age buildings. The Water Witch was also written very well. It gave me the creeps, if only for a second. I don't know. I'm grasping at straws, here.
Here are the things I did NOT like about it (brace yourself); the characters. Dana is sick of her drunk mother causing problems for the both of them. I can sympathize with that. And I suppose I can understand her reluctance to talk to anyone who could've helped, like a police officer or a counselor. After all, who's to say they wouldn't have just thrown her into the foster system? Oh wait. She has a father. They probably would've called him, right? And then she wouldn't have been heading to Avalon quite so blindly. Maybe the book's events could have been watered down with someone helping her from the beginning. So....whoops. Also, Dana seemed to be attracted to every guy with a pulse. First Ethan. Then, when he made her mad and disappeared from the book for a while, she moved on to ogling Finn and Keane, which was both unnecessary and slightly weird considering they're father and son. Wouldn't everything else that was going on be a bit more important than Keane or Finn's impressive chests?
Kimber was nice, I guess, but she didn't seem consistent. First she's an ice-queen: cool and calm and knows how to keep emotional distance. Then, she's suddenly the nicest girl ever who isn't above begging for Dana's forgiveness. I seriously doubt Dana had a compelling enough personality to inspire that much loyalty in Kimber after only a few days. I don't like it when personalities waffle in a way that is both unexplained and unbelievable.
Ethan. So much to say about Ethan. He was kind of amusing at first, as the arrogant, talented player. There's always one. Then I couldn't help but be mad at him when he used a calming spell on Dana. She overreacted, I thought (instead of running away, why didn't she just chew him out right then and there?), but that was kind of a dick move on his part. Whatever. But then he turned into Kimber. He was suddenly the most contrite guy ever, begging Dana for forgiveness after only knowing her for a few days. I myself didn't like Dana too much, so I was confused as to why Kimber and Ethan were so smitten.
The other characters weren't really note-worthy. Dana's mom was annoying. Her dad was kind of refreshing with his brutal honesty. His snobbiness didn't bother me too much, because we didn't know him too well. Finn was kind of funny, although I thought the situation where he let himself get beaten up for Dana was a bit dramatic and emotionally drawn-out. But that wasn't Finn's fault. I might have to do with me not caring about any of the characters. Keane was alright. I don't know. All in all, the characters were not too satisfactory.
The plot was a bit lacking. It started with her being held prisoner by her aunt. Then she's whisked away to an underground cave by people she doesn't know. Then she's brought to an apartment. Then an underground safe house. Then her father's house. There wasn't much Dana did herself that ended well, except for a maybe a few phone calls. She ran away to Avalon by herself, but that didn't turn out so well. She ran away from Ethan in the underground tunnels, but that seemed a bit dramatic and not very well thought-out. And she attempted to run away from Avalon, but that almost got her and her mother killed. So everything she did herself turned out badly. And everything else, good or bad, was done for her as people fought over her. Not inspiring for a protagonist. Or entertaining.
The ending wasn't good either. I liked how Ethan kind of redeemed himself in the reader's eyes (I couldn't care less if he was redeemed in Dana's eyes), but other than that it was too weak. Her mother sold her for a drink, and that sucks. Her father took advantage of her mother's alcoholism, and that sucks. But I didn't believe her new-found confidence. It's only AFTER everything happens that she decides to take control of her own destiny? After an entire book of being carted off to different places by different people who may or may not be after her blood? It was a little bit of a delayed reaction, in my opinion, but hey, at least she got there. I couldn't get behind her calling herself smart, though. Once again, after everything that happened? She can still call herself smart? She didn't really accomplish anything herself. She just let things happen. There had to be something more inventive than just sitting and lusting after every guy that came near her. I appreciate the fact that she resolved to do better for herself. I can respect that. But I can't respect her patting herself on the back after the book I just read.
This book was an ordeal for me. At first it was simply annoying, but by the end it I was almost begging for the pages to run out.
That being said; I did NOT like this book. AT ALL.
Here are the things I liked about it; The idea of mixing faeries with something as normal as politics appealed to me. It was an interesting mix that, combined with the idea of someone who can walk between two worlds, I had hoped would produce a unique, enjoyable story. And the setting was cool. The whole city-on-a-mountain idea was kind of interesting to picture, and I enjoyed imagining the cobblestone streets and old-age buildings. The Water Witch was also written very well. It gave me the creeps, if only for a second. I don't know. I'm grasping at straws, here.
Here are the things I did NOT like about it (brace yourself); the characters. Dana is sick of her drunk mother causing problems for the both of them. I can sympathize with that. And I suppose I can understand her reluctance to talk to anyone who could've helped, like a police officer or a counselor. After all, who's to say they wouldn't have just thrown her into the foster system? Oh wait. She has a father. They probably would've called him, right? And then she wouldn't have been heading to Avalon quite so blindly. Maybe the book's events could have been watered down with someone helping her from the beginning. So....whoops. Also, Dana seemed to be attracted to every guy with a pulse. First Ethan. Then, when he made her mad and disappeared from the book for a while, she moved on to ogling Finn and Keane, which was both unnecessary and slightly weird considering they're father and son. Wouldn't everything else that was going on be a bit more important than Keane or Finn's impressive chests?
Kimber was nice, I guess, but she didn't seem consistent. First she's an ice-queen: cool and calm and knows how to keep emotional distance. Then, she's suddenly the nicest girl ever who isn't above begging for Dana's forgiveness. I seriously doubt Dana had a compelling enough personality to inspire that much loyalty in Kimber after only a few days. I don't like it when personalities waffle in a way that is both unexplained and unbelievable.
Ethan. So much to say about Ethan. He was kind of amusing at first, as the arrogant, talented player. There's always one. Then I couldn't help but be mad at him when he used a calming spell on Dana. She overreacted, I thought (instead of running away, why didn't she just chew him out right then and there?), but that was kind of a dick move on his part. Whatever. But then he turned into Kimber. He was suddenly the most contrite guy ever, begging Dana for forgiveness after only knowing her for a few days. I myself didn't like Dana too much, so I was confused as to why Kimber and Ethan were so smitten.
The other characters weren't really note-worthy. Dana's mom was annoying. Her dad was kind of refreshing with his brutal honesty. His snobbiness didn't bother me too much, because we didn't know him too well. Finn was kind of funny, although I thought the situation where he let himself get beaten up for Dana was a bit dramatic and emotionally drawn-out. But that wasn't Finn's fault. I might have to do with me not caring about any of the characters. Keane was alright. I don't know. All in all, the characters were not too satisfactory.
The plot was a bit lacking. It started with her being held prisoner by her aunt. Then she's whisked away to an underground cave by people she doesn't know. Then she's brought to an apartment. Then an underground safe house. Then her father's house. There wasn't much Dana did herself that ended well, except for a maybe a few phone calls. She ran away to Avalon by herself, but that didn't turn out so well. She ran away from Ethan in the underground tunnels, but that seemed a bit dramatic and not very well thought-out. And she attempted to run away from Avalon, but that almost got her and her mother killed. So everything she did herself turned out badly. And everything else, good or bad, was done for her as people fought over her. Not inspiring for a protagonist. Or entertaining.
The ending wasn't good either. I liked how Ethan kind of redeemed himself in the reader's eyes (I couldn't care less if he was redeemed in Dana's eyes), but other than that it was too weak. Her mother sold her for a drink, and that sucks. Her father took advantage of her mother's alcoholism, and that sucks. But I didn't believe her new-found confidence. It's only AFTER everything happens that she decides to take control of her own destiny? After an entire book of being carted off to different places by different people who may or may not be after her blood? It was a little bit of a delayed reaction, in my opinion, but hey, at least she got there. I couldn't get behind her calling herself smart, though. Once again, after everything that happened? She can still call herself smart? She didn't really accomplish anything herself. She just let things happen. There had to be something more inventive than just sitting and lusting after every guy that came near her. I appreciate the fact that she resolved to do better for herself. I can respect that. But I can't respect her patting herself on the back after the book I just read.
This book was an ordeal for me. At first it was simply annoying, but by the end it I was almost begging for the pages to run out.
maricelalv's review against another edition
4.0
It is more like a 4.5 but it wasn't one of the best.
elfflame's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
alexandriatp's review against another edition
This book just didn't catch my attention like I thought it would. I read the short story before this one and thought I would really like the series. But it just wasn't doing it for me. I may return to this one sometime though.
brendaoliva's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars!
I really enjoyed this book. It was such an original story, or at least it was for me since I’ve never read anything like this before. The story is about a 16 year old girl named Dana who lives with her alcoholic mother. They are often moving from place to place because Dana’s mother insist that they need to hide from Dana’s father, who is “a big time Fae” from Avalon. Dana has never met or talked to her father and since her mother is never sober long enough to have a real conversation with her, Dana often wonders if what she tells her about her father is true. Fed up with always having to take care of her mother and being humiliated time and time again, Dane decides to ran away from home and find her father. After all, how much worse can things be in Avalon? Avalon is the only place in the world where Fae and humans can coexist. A Fae cannot venture into the human world the same way a human cannot venture into Faerie. Dana has no trouble locating her father and even though he was ignorant to her existence, he wastes little time and arranges for her to fly into London where he has made arrangements for her to be picked up and brought into Avalon. When Dana arrives in London she finds that there is nobody waiting for her and after an hour of waiting she decides to take a cab into Avalon where she is certain her dad will be waiting at the gate as he promised. When Dana arrives in Avalon she makes her way through customs where she is detained. After a short interrogation, the border patrol agent informs Dana that she is her father’s sister, Grace. Aunt Grace tells Dana that her father is in jail due to a little misunderstanding and that she will be staying in her house until her father is released. Even though Dana is not fond of Aunt Grace she finds that she has very say in what will happen to her and where she will stay. She soon finds out that Grace intends to hold her captive for Dana’s “own benefit” as she kindly puts it. Dana is soon kidnapped by two teenage Faes, Ethan and his sister Kimber, who claimed to have rescued her. By this point you know someone is lying, but you don’t know exactly who. Ethan and Kimber are as trustworthy as Aunt Grace but Dana has no choice but to trust them until her father is out of jail. Dana soon learns she is a Faeriewalker, a being that is able to enter both the human and Fae world and who is able to bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie. Dana is the only living Faeriewalker and she soon becomes a target. With no one to trust and people trying to either kidnap her or kill her Dana sets out in a journey she didn’t sign up for. All she wanted was to come to Avalon to find her father and live a normal life, but normal is no longer an option.
I really liked Dana. She had to grow up rather quickly living with an alcoholic mother who couldn’t take care of herself, let alone a child. It was sad to see that despite the fact she had found her father she wouldn’t be able to get what she yearned for the most: to live a normal life where she would be taken care of. I didn’t care for Dana’s mother, Cathy. Cathy is careless and despite the fact that Dana opened a can of worms when she stepped into Avalon, her father is the best choice she has at surviving and being cared for and yet her mother manages to dump all over that and makes her feel guilty about leaving her behind. Dana’s father Seamus on the other hand, I loved! He is… different, but in his own way, he is everything Dana had hoped for even if she doesnt know it yet.
I loved the uncertainty of not knowing who was out to get Dana and who was really trying to help her. The book was very descriptive and unique. It was not slow and so easy to read. I really liked the book even though it lacked a little in the romance department for my taste. I will definitely read the next two books soon
I really enjoyed this book. It was such an original story, or at least it was for me since I’ve never read anything like this before. The story is about a 16 year old girl named Dana who lives with her alcoholic mother. They are often moving from place to place because Dana’s mother insist that they need to hide from Dana’s father, who is “a big time Fae” from Avalon. Dana has never met or talked to her father and since her mother is never sober long enough to have a real conversation with her, Dana often wonders if what she tells her about her father is true. Fed up with always having to take care of her mother and being humiliated time and time again, Dane decides to ran away from home and find her father. After all, how much worse can things be in Avalon? Avalon is the only place in the world where Fae and humans can coexist. A Fae cannot venture into the human world the same way a human cannot venture into Faerie. Dana has no trouble locating her father and even though he was ignorant to her existence, he wastes little time and arranges for her to fly into London where he has made arrangements for her to be picked up and brought into Avalon. When Dana arrives in London she finds that there is nobody waiting for her and after an hour of waiting she decides to take a cab into Avalon where she is certain her dad will be waiting at the gate as he promised. When Dana arrives in Avalon she makes her way through customs where she is detained. After a short interrogation, the border patrol agent informs Dana that she is her father’s sister, Grace. Aunt Grace tells Dana that her father is in jail due to a little misunderstanding and that she will be staying in her house until her father is released. Even though Dana is not fond of Aunt Grace she finds that she has very say in what will happen to her and where she will stay. She soon finds out that Grace intends to hold her captive for Dana’s “own benefit” as she kindly puts it. Dana is soon kidnapped by two teenage Faes, Ethan and his sister Kimber, who claimed to have rescued her. By this point you know someone is lying, but you don’t know exactly who. Ethan and Kimber are as trustworthy as Aunt Grace but Dana has no choice but to trust them until her father is out of jail. Dana soon learns she is a Faeriewalker, a being that is able to enter both the human and Fae world and who is able to bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie. Dana is the only living Faeriewalker and she soon becomes a target. With no one to trust and people trying to either kidnap her or kill her Dana sets out in a journey she didn’t sign up for. All she wanted was to come to Avalon to find her father and live a normal life, but normal is no longer an option.
I really liked Dana. She had to grow up rather quickly living with an alcoholic mother who couldn’t take care of herself, let alone a child. It was sad to see that despite the fact she had found her father she wouldn’t be able to get what she yearned for the most: to live a normal life where she would be taken care of. I didn’t care for Dana’s mother, Cathy. Cathy is careless and despite the fact that Dana opened a can of worms when she stepped into Avalon, her father is the best choice she has at surviving and being cared for and yet her mother manages to dump all over that and makes her feel guilty about leaving her behind. Dana’s father Seamus on the other hand, I loved! He is… different, but in his own way, he is everything Dana had hoped for even if she doesnt know it yet.
I loved the uncertainty of not knowing who was out to get Dana and who was really trying to help her. The book was very descriptive and unique. It was not slow and so easy to read. I really liked the book even though it lacked a little in the romance department for my taste. I will definitely read the next two books soon