Reviewed by http://bibliophile-bestiary.blogspot.com/

I was drawn to this book because I really thought the cover art was beautiful and the plot seemed interesting. After reading it, it really makes me go back and forth if I liked it or not.

Donna is the main character, the daughter of two very famous alchemists. But the thing is we do not learn anything interesting about alchemy or her past until well back the middle of the book. It was very slow revealing things, and not in the "drawn you out dramaticlly" kind of way. More in the "wow this is getting boring, can you get to the point?" kind of way.

The story is interesting, and the characters have potential, but I think the author could have pulled out more information in this book, really made you want to find out more, instead of having a weak start.

It was an OK book, and I think the series has promise if the author can get to the point faster. 3 out of 5 stars.

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I have had this book forever to read and was excited to finally get around to reading it. This ended up being a well done YA paranormal book featuring fey. The writing is a bit awkward at the beginning, but Mahoney finds her pace as the story continues. I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

When Donna was seven years old she survived a horrific fey attack that left her dad dead and her mother insane. Donna's nearly fatal injuries were fixed by an alchemist group that Donna's parents were part of. As a result Donna has scrolling metal curling up her hands and arms. The only thing that keeps the teenage Donna sane at high school is her best friend Navin. Then Navin is kidnapped by dark elves and Donna needs help to rescue him. Donna ends up turning to the mysterious half-fey Xan for help; both help in rescuing Navin and help in figuring what these dark fey want with her.

The plot for this book is fairly simple, but I enjoyed the characters and how Mahoney blends alchemy and fey elements together.

All of the characters are surprisingly interesting and likable. The story starts out a bit awkward sounding but once Mahoney got into the story she really found her stride and the story flowed much more naturally and was engaging. I really enjoyed the character of Donna and also really enjoyed Navin and Xan...so far there is no love triangle (which is awesome because I hate love triangles).

Things really got interesting when Donna and Xan journeyed into the dark fey realm; we just get the barest glimpse of that realm in this book but I really want to see more of it.

Overall this was a quick read that I found to be surprisingly engaging and enjoyable. The characters are likable and there is a lot of mystery surrounding the dark fey. I would recommend to those who enjoy YA reads involving fey. I plan on reading the rest of the series because I am really curious about the fey realm and how Donna is tied into it.

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I found Donna boring,predictable.The story flat and uninteresting.

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17 year old Donna Underwood has secrets...lots of secrets...that she keeps even from her best friend, Navin Sharma until he follows her one day and discovers things he shouldn't. Then she is forced to reveal almost everything and once the dam is broken, she finds herself blabbing to Xan Grayson too. Xan is a half-fairy ex-college student who has sparked her interest especially when he removes his shirt. (You'll find out why when you read the book!)

This wasn't your typical teenage Fae story since Donna is an orphan "adopted" by the Order of the Dragon when her parents (members) were killed. She had led a life of secrecy and an interesting incident precipitated her being home schooled...at the Order, of course. Donna has issues with the Order and hasn't really decided if they are the good guys or the bad. When Navin is kidnapped by the dark elves, Donna has to decide who she trusts and prepare to rescue him with Xan's help of course.

I liked Donna's solution but fear that it is going to come back to bite her in the ass in the next installment. I will continue reading this series as I want to know WTH Simon Gaunt is up to and why Quentin isn't aware of his machinations (they are lovers after all.) Oh and it will be interesting to see exactly what Donna can do with those funky iron tattoos!

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