Bloodring (Rogue Mage #1)- Faith Hunter

In a post-apocalyptic world ruled by Seraphim, neomages like Thorn are relegated to luxurious "prisons" called Enclaves. However, when Thorn came into her powers she realized that she could hear the thoughts of all the others in her New Orleans Enclave. Between going insane and living as a fugitive in the human world, she chose the latter and has lived in fear of discovery for the past ten years. However, her life of faux-normalcy is shattered when her ex-husband Lucas is kidnapped by dark forces, Thorn knows that it is not long before they come after her. Then there is the issue of the kylen (part human, part seraph), Thaddeus, who shows up at her doorstep and starts asking questions. She is strangely attracted to him in spite of the knowledge that any misstep will result in her being killed by the humans or shipped back to her Enclave--either way her death will be inevitable.

Overall Merit: I loved the premise behind the book so I forced myself to slog through it and it did get better by the end. However, for the most part it was remarkably slow and filled with unnecessary characters. I did like Thorn's powers, stone mages are not common, most authors opt for all-around powers or elemental magic, so Hunter's innovation was a plus. I really wanted to like this book and was so disappointed that I couldn't bring myself to enjoy reading it. Usually a 350-some-odd-page book will take me about 3-4 hours to read tops, so about a night or two worth of reading. This book dragged on for a good four days and often put me to sleep early. If I'm really into a book I will push through the exhaustion and read into the wee hours of the night. I could not do that with this book, even though I desperately wanted to. I mean the characters weren't bad or anything and the romance had potential, but the story dragged and there was not enough action by a long shot. Score- 6 (for premise)

Characters: Thorn was a solid character, I really did like her, but I felt like the others were not fleshed out enough, especially Thaddeus (Thadd). He showed up at random intervals during the story and Thorn seemed way more focused on her cheating ex-husband, Lucas. The other characters like Jacey and Rupert didn't do all that much and then there was the random kid, Ciana who showed up and didn't do much but serve as a bad plot device. The same things could have happened without her. Audric might be the only one who got any fleshing out other than Thorn and that was probably only because he shared a secret with her. Score- 4

Blush Factor- What blush factor? No really, it kept going on about how Thorn was "in heat", but nothing ever happened. Yes, she suffered with her intense sexual desire, but again nothing happened. There was no romance, no chemistry between any of the characters. If Hunter hadn't told me that Audric and Rupert were a couple there was no way in Hell I could have guessed it for myself. I was promised a nice romance sequence between Thorn and Thadd and I got nothing. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Mushy-gushy fans, don't waste your time. Score- 2

Structure: I loved the idea of the post-apocalpytic society ruled by Seraphs. It was lovely that the world nearly ended after a series of horrific plagues. And people getting branded for cursing? Beautiful. Eternal winter/mini ice age? Gorgeous. So where was the story to go along with this imaginative new world? I'm still looking for it, I'm afraid. One of the main problems is that there were a zillion things going on at the same time. There was the thread with Lucas and the one with Ciana and then there was something going on with a weird amethyst at the same time. For a moderately short book, way too much. I got lost and confused, I mean that might have had something to do with the fact that I was skimming, but I skim a lot of books and still manage to keep up with the plot. Score- 5

Plot: This was so promising. I read the back of the book and got excited. I do give Hunter credit for doing her research, as most of the factual basis, including the names of the Seraphim, were spot on. The story though was lacking at a fundamental level. She stretched it in too many directions instead of focusing on one main plot line. I wanted to follow Thorn on her adventures, and potential budding romance with Thadd, instead I was reading about things I didn't care about. It's nice that the people have a picnic on a day that the sun chooses to shine, but how the Hell does that relate to the story? If she had focused her plot and honed in on the important details, it would have been a much more solid novel. Score- 4

 Vervain says: "Neomages have a special glow about them so Thorn has to use amulets to dampen her glow and blend into the human world."





In summation: I was disappointed.

Vengeance Born (Light Blade #1)- Kylie Griffin

Annika is a half-breed demon (Na'Chi) and in her world this puts her lower than even the lowest caste of demon (Na'Reish). She is abused and punished for her lineage and spends most of her time hiding and treating injured prisoners in the dungeons. Through her mortal blood she inherited an unparalleled gift  for healing, which she hides because on the flip side it also allows her to kill. Annika thinks she will spend the rest of her life in her miserable existence until one day she discovers that the newest prisoner is a Light Blade, a warrior of the mortals' Goddess, named Kalan. They make a pact: Annika will help Kalan safely out of Na'Reish territory and Kalan will protect Annika once they reach the human realm. The two embark on a perilous journey that they will only survive if they can learn to trust each other.

Overall Merit: I enjoyed several aspects of this book and for the most part it was a very solid read. Griffin does a good job with the characters at the beginning, but their strength seems to fade as the book goes on. I thought the structure and characteristics of Na'Reish society were interesting and I would have liked more of a background. There weren't any radically new ideas in the book, but Griffin took a pre-established story and wove it into a world of her own making. Some aspects definitely seemed a little too cliched, but I mean while there wasn't anything stunning in the book, it was a quick read and I didn't have any major issues with it. I'd say it's worth checking out if you want a pretty standard romantic fantasy. Score- 8

Characters: I'm all for character change, but this felt way too fast. Over the course of maybe a week Annika goes from being fearful for her life to trusting Kalan absolutely. I mean this is a pretty common issue in novels where romance is present, but I just felt like their relationship was very rushed. Annika is interesting and I liked the way her Na'Chi characteristics presented (color changing eyes, body markings, etc.), but I felt that as she got closer to Kalan her personality got watered down. Kalan was hmm I wouldn't call him an alpha or a beta, maybe somewhere in between? I'm having a difficult time deciding because his personality wasn't very strong in either direction. He needed some serious fleshing out and I felt like he made a lot of threats, but didn't actually do anything. Score- 6

Blush Factor: Ok, if you read this genre you know the deal. This was a basic fantasy smut novel. The sex scenes didn't overpower the rest of the book, but they were definitely a presence. There was the whole "Oh Annika's a virgin, let's take it slow" (but not really). Pretty standard sequence here. If this is your thing then enjoy. I really don't have a whole lot to say or rant about. Score- 7

Structure: For this category, I feel like all the pieces were there, but Griffin didn't utilize them to their full potential. I very much enjoyed learning about Na'Chi and Na'Reish abilities, but I felt kind of jilted because they weren't spelled out enough for me. Yes, I got the body markings and some of the abilities, but I felt like I was missing something. The main problem was that Griffin didn't keep Annika's powers consistent, or maybe she didn't explain them very well. For example, apparently Annika is super strong, but I wanted to know how strong. Like can she lift two men? Five? Laying out the parameters for supernatural powers is essential because otherwise it leaves the reader wondering whether or not they could have used said powers to get out of a difficult situation. Same goes for the Light Blades. I know they're talented with weapons, but is that it? I've said this before and I'll say it again: A reader can't possibly know what's going on in a writer's head. So writers, please spell it out for us. Score- 5

Plot: This gets kudos because it actually existed. Finally, someone remembers to include a plot along with the other elements of a story! I liked that it wasn't just Annika's story, but that we also got to see a side plot weaving in at the same time. I think this really helped the book along because it gave more substance to the story whereas if it had just been about Annika and Kalan, it would have pretty much only had the romance to go on and that would definitely not have been enough. Score- 8

Vervain says: "Annika's eyes change color depending on her mood."

The Trouble With Spells (Of Witches and Warlocks #1)- Lacey Weatherford

Portia thinks she is a normal teenager until she reaches her sixteenth birthday and is informed point blank by her grandmother that she is in fact a witch. She also discovers that high school bad boy Vance Mangum is a member of her coven and that they are inexplicably linked. The two begin a passionate relationship, which is soon threatened when Vance's dark past threatens to catch up with him. Portia must harness her budding powers to protect the one she loves and keep him from falling to the same darkness that consumed his father.

First an apology: This book is going to take the brunt of my ranting about YA Paranormal, even though it was not inherently that terrible. I've pretty much had it up to my ears with this genre and I need to yell about it or I'm going to end up snapping at Vervain and losing an eye in the process.


Overall Merit: This book was definitely a mushy teen romance, so if that's your thing then go for it. I mean it wasn't terrible, my feelings are just very lukewarm. There was nothing new done in this book, all the same motifs were rehashed in exactly the same way they've been before. To add to the lukewarm factor, Portia and Vance were not all that interesting and Vance had a major Edward Cullen complex going on (brooding, stalkerish, etc.). If you have nothing else to do then go for it, I guess. It won't make your eyes bleed or anything, but it's pretty bland and lacks the novelty and characters to keep the trite story afloat. Score- 5/6

Characters: In Vance, Weatherford promised me a bad boy. However, she spent a ton of time telling me how he was so badass instead of showing me. Riding a motorcycle and wearing a leather jacket does not make someone a badass. Portia was nothing special. Yea, she had a weird mental connection with Vance that was never properly explained, and yea she turned out to be super powerful, but making the protagonist powerful is not a substitute for giving her a personality! They weren't horrible characters, but again, nothing worth taking note of. Score- 6

Blush Factor: Ok this might actually be the thing to make me go completely mental. Why is it that in EVERY SINGLE FREAKING YA PARANORMAL there's some ridiculous scenario in which the girl wants to have sex and the guy makes up some lame-ass excuse as to why he won't have sex with her. Unless you make it clear that the guy is very religious or that he'll spontaneously combust if he has intercourse out of wedlock, I'M NOT BUYING IT! First off, it makes it seem like teenage girls are all super horny and want to screw and that teenage boys are all saints who want to respect the girl and wait for marriage. I'm sorry, but we do not live in Jane Austen Land! This is 2012 and the average age a girl loses her virginity is SEVENTEEN. Would it kill an author to have the girl be the one to say no? Making the female protagonist into a little nympho is NOT ORIGINAL! Score- 4

Structure: Ok, why the Hell sixteen? I'm getting so, so, so sick of that being the magical age. What's wrong with seventeen? Eighteen? I feel like sixteen works because it makes it socially acceptable for the female to be in a serious relationship (which is wasted if you refuse to make it a proper relationship to begin with). Nothing new here, standard, I'm magically in love with you after 24 hours, when can we get married and spend eternity together? Also, Weatherford definitely should have put more effort into the magic system. It seemed very slapped together almost laissez faire and would have helped the book instead of hindering it if it had been more solid. Score- 5

Plot: Eh. This was sketchy. So much effort was focused on the irritating romance that the plot sort of fell by the wayside and resurfaced when it was convenient. I did not like the ending, I thought it was predictable and kind of stupid. The problem with this genre is that the conflicts seem to have such easy resolutions that it's laughable. This category was a little bit pathetic and I didn't buy it for the most part. Weatherford should have focused on making a stronger story, rather than relying on the mediocre romance to keep the novel going. Score- 4

 Vervain says: "The weird thing about the magic in this book was that it was very self-determined. For example, when Portia wanted to design a spell for protection she pretty much got to make up the entire thing, which didn't ring entirely true."

Katie's Hellion (Rhyn Trilogy #1)- Lizzy Ford

Katie is having a terrible day. First she gets pulled over for driving two miles over the speed limit, and then she gets in trouble for not taking care of a son that she knows she doesn't have. According to everyone around her, she has amnesia due to a rape, but Katie knows that this can't possibly be the case. Her suspicions are confirmed when it turns out her "son", Toby is actually an eons old angel and a mysterious man named Gabriel shows up at her house claiming to be something called a 'Death Dealer'. Apparently, Katie's blood is special and it has something in it that makes her immune to immortals and therefore an immortal's mate. However, she isn't just an immortal's mate, she's an ancient's mate (which is like a step above an immortal's mate). By all rights, she should go to the eldest Ancient, but instead she is claimed by the outcast half-breed, Rhyn who rescues her from the depths of Hell.

Overall Merit: The problem with this book was that there were way too many things going on at the same time. Since the books were short, I read the whole trilogy, but the problem was consistent throughout. There were a million things going on and it was difficult to keep a firm grasp on the storyline. The characters were strong, which is always a plus, but I felt like the story was going in like twenty different directions at the same time and I found myself confused by what was going on and where the plot was going. I think that the other book by Ford that I scored (Damian's Oracle) was a much stronger book. Score- 6

Check out the trailer:

Characters: Rhyn is interesting. He is definitely a typical bad boy stereotype, but centuries in Hell have made him bitter and at times cruel. He was my favorite character if only because Katie wasn't nearly as solid. Her character tended to waver at times and I didn't get a good sense of who she really was. I do rather detest the annoying sister. I feel like this is an oft used character who is remarkably irritating. True, she can act as a foil for the heroine, but more often than not, she overstays her welcome and starts to get in the way of an enjoyable reading experience. There is a good reason everyone hates their siblings at one point or another. I already hate my siblings, I don't need to hate someone else's too. Score- 6

Blush Factor: To be honest, there wasn't a ton of romance in this book, that didn't come until the later books in the trilogy. I mean you know who's going to end up together from the start and I was a bit disappointed that Rhyn and Katie never really resolved their feelings for each other until later on. Even the end result of their romance was disappointing (by the third book). Not my favorite part, I liked the romance much better in Damian's Oracle. It wasn't horrible, it was kind of just nonexistent. Score- 6

Structure: Nothing new here in terms of writing style. I think Ford's problem is that she tried to cram a ton of information into a small amount of pages without giving the reader a chance to let it all sink in. She could have made the book a lot longer and structured it better so that all the plot lines had a chance to naturally converge. Instead, the writing seemed hurried as if she wanted to get a crazy amount of story down without developing the world or the conflict well enough. Score- 5

Plot: As I've said several times--way too much going on at once. I was incredibly confused. Ford needed to pick one or two subplots max instead of having twenty going on all at once. Also, I kept reading and reading waiting for Katie and Rhyn to get together, but she dragged it out horribly so that by the time I got to the end of the book I basically didn't even care anymore. This book had potential, but I wasn't seeing the necessary execution. Damian's Oracle takes place under a similar premise, in a similar world so go for that instead of this one. Score- 6

Vervain says: "There are seven Ancients, but most of them are dead."

Demons at Deadnight (Divinicus Nex Chronicles #1)- A&E Kirk

Aurora has always seen demons, but it didn't become  a real problem until recently when she moved back to Gossamer Falls. Now her sightings have grown more frequent and far more lethal--something nasty definitely wants her dead. And why do the demons keep calling her 'Nex'?
In walk her old childhood friends: The Hex Boys. They are secretive and notorious for their destructive capabilities. However, they are the only ones strong enough to protect her from the demons. Aurora and the Hex Boys will have to work together to figure out why she is being targeted before it's too late.

Overall Merit: I don't understand why young adult authors always feel the need to harp on how unattractive the female protagonist thinks she is. I mean I get that it's a device to help the reader identify with the character, but I find it annoying. If you must comment, do it once, not a million times. Also, who decided that tall on a girl was unattractive? I've read a lot of books recently where the girl complains, "Oh, I'm so tall, that must mean I'm awkward and ugly." Umm no? Sorry, back to the important stuff. Anyway, so this book was meh, for lack of a better word. I didn't hate it, but the protagonist was annoying and Kirk( A&E are two separate people, but I'm going to refer to them collectively) tried to make the Hex Boys funny, but more often than not I found myself cringing instead of laughing. The plot was not as focused as it could have been and I felt like the characters didn't pick up on things that should have been obvious. Not horrible, but not great either. Score- 7

Check out the trailer:

Characters: Like I said before, Aurora was annoying. She was awkward and whiny and not a character I enjoyed following very much. The Hex Boys were funny at times and I did like them to a certain extent, but sometimes their personalities blended and I had a difficult time telling them apart--that's the danger of having a lot of characters with a similar function. Also, I didn't buy a lot of the drama it was too overblown and some of the boys came off as caricatures more than characters. As a rule of thumb if there are a lot of supporting characters you have to commit to making them just as real and unique as the protagonists or risk confusing the reader. Also, one character who irritated me to high Heaven was Gloria (you'll meet her if you read this book), she was an obnoxious little twit and I thought Kirk would have done better to eliminate her. One thing I did like was that the families were in the picture and Kirk did a good job with this (you know blackmailing siblings, "I'll tell mom", all that good stuff). Score- 6

Blush Factor: This was again nothing that interesting, I did appreciate that it wasn't the wham-bam instantaneous romance that usually happens in YA, but I didn't feel a ton of chemistry between Ayden and Aurora. Sure he was hot, but all the Hex Boys were so that didn't do all that much for me. It was a slow build up and well I don't know if I could even consider romance a legitimate part of this book. Score-7

Structure: Nothing new here. Aurora's perspective throughout with a few side glimpses into the antagonists. The main issue here was that there wasn't a clearly defined villain, which bothered me. I wanted to know exactly who was out to get Aurora, not just a vague idea. Also, there was a group called the Divinicus, but I didn't understand the underlying structure and hierarchy, which is always a problem. Writers tend to forget that while they know everything about their world, a reader does not. Score- 7

Plot: There was a plot, but it was patchy and not well connected. I felt like there were a lot of little things going on at the same time, but the underlying thread to link them together was frayed. Again, there wasn't any major innovation here and to be honest the story was hum drum predictable and somewhat cliched. Also, I'm going out on a limb and saying that it sounded suspiciously like the anime Pretear. Score- 5

In summation: I'm going to suggest that you don't bother with this book, unless you're like me, and need an inexpensive ebook, and have WAY too much time on your hands.

Vervain says: "The Divinicus Nex is supposedly a person with the power to sense and locate demons. Aurora is the first female Divinicus."

A Fistful of Sky (LaZelle #1)- Nina Kiriki Hoffman

In the LaZelle family, each of the members goes through a brutal "transition" and if they survive they awaken with powerful magic. The magic varies for everyone based somewhat on personality type and the rest on chance. However, it is also known that "late-bloomers" tend to end up with a  less desirable gift: the gift of curses. This wouldn't be an issue, but it is also true that if the magic goes unused for too long, it will inevitably consume the wielder. Gypsum LaZelle is nineteen years old and completely "magic-less" in contrast to her powerful siblings and therefore resigned to a mundane existence. Then, one day when her family is out of town she becomes gravely ill and wakes up with a new gift--one that will make her wish she had remained normal.

Overal Merit: I LOVED the concept of this book, so much so that when I found it on goodreads.com, I bought it for my e-reader so I could start immediately. I actually could not tear myself away from it and finished it in about three hours. Gypsum is a great character and her siblings are awesome. However, per usual, I had my gripes. What started out as a fantastic predicament took a turn for the weird. I have no issue with weird, in fact, I adore weird, but this was too weird. The ending also threw me and I wasn't satisfied when it came to a close. The end is bizarre, but that's ok. If you want a new take on magic, read it anyway. Score- 8.5

Characters: Gypsum was fascinating and probably the only heavy female character I've seen who wasn't languishing in self-pity about her weight. She was so real and human that for all her flaws she was still lovable. The supporting characters didn't disappoint either and I loved how it was near impossible to define the antagonist. Strong personalities all around for Gypsum's siblings and her "curse child", Altria. Some of the concepts Hoffman tackled within personalities were heavy usages of Jungian archetypes so if that doesn't sit well with you, you have been warned. Score-9

Blush Factor: This was disappointing as it promised to be present, but wasn't really there. Hoffman teased with a potential relationship, but it fizzled out into nothing of interest. This was probably the weakest point of the novel and Hoffman would have done well to exclude it completely. Score- 4

Structure: The structure was fairly linear and told from Gypsum's perspective. I followed it easily and had no complaints. Nothing innovative was done here. One major gripe I had was that Hoffman brushed on the subject of creatures from alternate worlds, but she never went into any detail, which left me somewhat confused. Also, she didn't define the limits on Gypsum's power, which also annoyed me because I wanted more definition as to what she actually could and could not do. The score would have been higher if Hoffman did a better job of covering her bases in terms of technicalities. Score- 5

Plot: I was completely enthralled by the plot until I got to the ending, which was a bit too forced and philosophical for my taste. I'll not say more than that because of spoilers. The concept was phenomenal and a refreshing addition to the world of magic-weilders. In spite of the flaws, I was able to suspend my disbelief more than usual because of the great cast of characters. Score-7

In summation: if you are looking for something with an excellent plot and great characters and are willing to turn a blind eye to some technical issues and a strange ending, then go for it.

Vervain says: "Gypsum is a crystalline stone that symbolizes stability in the midst of chaotic change as well as growth and improvement."

The Infernals- John Connolly

I'm going to be perfectly honest--or at least as honest as an Unseelie can be--this book made me laugh. For all it's faults I could not bring myself to dislike the work. While this is a sequel to The Gates (which I highly suggest reading first), I'll give you a brief overview of the events. In the last book, The Great Malevolence gained power and tried to take over Earth, using his agent Mrs. Abernathy (or rather, a powerful demon using the form of a woman who in life was Mrs. Abernathy). The Great Malevolence was defeated by a young boy named Samuel, his dog Boswell, and Nurd (Scourge of the Five Deities). Now we return to the current story where The Great Malevolence is cowering in the bowels of Hell and Mrs. Abernathy is in utter disgrace for her failure to take over Earth. She knows that the only way for her to get back in the good graces of The Great Malevolence is to capture Samuel and drag him down to Hell, a task in which she succeeds (with the second part at least). So through a series of events involving the Hadron Collider, Nurd and a car stolen from Earth, and several evil dwarves who would prefer to be called elves, we traverse the wasteland of Hell.

Overall Merit: The saving grace of this book, if you pardon my irony, was the humor. Connolly did a wonderful job inserting witty quips whenever I felt myself falling into a lull. Unfortunately, the plot isn't anything so novel and neither is the image of Hell, but if anything this book gets a decent score on pure chuckle power. The only true negative is the occasional use of scientific terminology that gives me a headache, but it's easy enough to ignore those footnotes for the most part. Score-8

Characters: No one really stood out as anything super special, although I couldn't help but love Nurd, he was by far my favorite character in the two books. The main protagonist, Samuel, was kind of non-descript. The best I could do for him would be to  call him a slightly nerdy, awkward kid, which I could use to describe basically 80% of characters in young adult fiction. Mrs. Abernathy, the main antagonist was funny too in a quirky sort of way, and she was actually difficult to dislike to the point that I found myself liking her better than Samuel at times. Score-6/7

Blush Factor: N/A

Structure: The story had a linear plot, which switched between three or four main perspectives. It was easy to follow and the only thing that was kind of distracting was the constant usage of footnotes. Score- 7

Plot: Nothing new here. It was a typical protagonist gets put in a sticky situation, gets help along the way, and vanquishes evil. The end. The strong points were really the supporting characters (Nurd) and Mrs. Abernathy. Everything else was rather trite. Score-6

Song in the Silence (The Tale of Lanen Kaelar)- Elizabeth Kerner

Dragons have been done to death. Point blank, this story didn't bring anything new to the table, but it was a nice fluffy romantic fantasy. Lanen is a twenty-four year old horse farmer's daughter with a tendency to forget her expected femininity. This of course is not helped by her towering height, which is mentioned a few times too many in the novel. When Lanen's step-father dies, leaving her alone with the farm and the horses, she decides that it is time for her to go out into the world and fulfill her dream of meeting a real dragon. She packs up her things and heads to the nearest port city in order to secure a position on board one of the few ships to the Dragon Isle.

A quick note about scoring if it isn't clear enough in my commentary: 1-5 avoid
6-9 if you have time
10-13 definitely read
This can mainly be applied to the Overall Merit category.

Overall Merit: This was a sweet love story, albeit a slightly creepy one. As far as plot is concerned, it was relatively predictable, but still enjoyable to read. I did like the characters and found them easy to care about, even if they weren't the most complex souls out there. Overall, I'd recommend this book for any romantic (not erotic) fantasy fans out there. Score-8.5

Characters: Lanen is a feisty female heroine with a longing for adventure (then again I feel like every book with a female protagonist has one of these). I did like her and her voice was strong, you can really get a feel for the character. The only thing I didn't like about her was that she seemed incapable of getting out of trouble on her own. Sure she fought her captors and gave a few black eyes and bruises, but she never seemed to be able to get out of a situation without additional assistance. The main male protagonist, Akor, is an interesting character in theory (he is a dragon), however, his actual personality was a bit bland. As far as antagonists were concerned, Marik was kind of pathetic and at times you almost felt bad for him. The other main antagonist of the series doesn't really show up all that much in this book so I'll save him for another review. To sum it up, the characters were solid, but didn't bring anything new to the world of fantasy. Score- 8

Blush Factor: There wasn't really any smut in this book and while the romance was sweet, it did get to be a bit too gushy at times. Not to mention a good portion of the time it felt very contrived (interspecies conflict) and left me wondering just how Kerner was going to pull it off in a believable manner. Score-8

Structure: The one thing I didn't love about the structure was that it kept switching perspectives and at times it almost felt like too many characters were getting a say in the story and a good amount of the time I found myself skimming when I was on a perspective that I didn't really care about. Score- 6

Plot: I liked the plot--if I didn't I wouldn't have finished the trilogy. It was an interesting concept if not the most interesting of worlds. It was simple and not all that difficult to follow, I would have liked it better if it was a little bit less predictable. True, there was a somewhat complex subplot going on with demons and dark sorcery, but again it's been done.  Score-7

For summation, read this book if you have time and enjoy a simple, rather sappy romantic fantasy.