n the realm of Faerie, the time has come for Roiben's coronation. Uneasy in the midst of the malevolent Unseelie Court, pixie Kaye is sure of only one thing -- her love for Roiben. But when Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to Roiben, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest. Now Kaye can't see or speak to Roiben unless she can find the one thing she knows doesn't exist: a faerie who can tell a lie.

Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the truth -- that she is a changeling left in place of the human daughter stolen long ago. Her mother's shock and horror sends Kaye back to the world of Faerie to find her human counterpart and return her to Ironside. But once back in the faerie courts, Kaye finds herself a pawn in the games of Silarial, queen of the Seelie Court. Silarial wants Roiben's throne, and she will use Kaye, and any means necessary, to get it. In this game of wits and weapons, can a pixie outplay a queen?

Holly Black spins a seductive tale at once achingly real and chillingly enchanted, set in a dangerous world where pleasure mingles with pain and nothing is exactly as it appears.

People who enjoy modern fantasy, worlds within worlds, and mild romance.

The character development in Roiben in this book. He changed (as he rightly should have) in this book for his circumstances. This was a huge improvement over the last book.

How the author loving took that character development, and threw it in the trash. By the end of the book, Roiben reverts to his usual two-dimensional self. Also, I didn't like how she made all the romance between Kaye and Roiben so undecided. One second she loves him the next she stabs him in the back. One second he would die for her, and then his is making out with the enemy. Make up your mind.

Throw it at the wall. The end was really abrupt and unfulfilling.

Holly Black

The amount of cunning in it. Although I didn't like much else, at least the author was clever.

It isn't compelling. Call it what you will, no character development, dull plot, inconsistancy; it just didn't have that spark that makes books good. It didn't have the connection between readers and characters. It didn't make you want to be part of the world.

Like the other book in this series, I would recommend it for young audiences.

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Created Aug 14, 2016 at 7:21pm • Submit your own review...