Ever Shade

A dark twist on faeries. For Shade, a chance meeting with a powerful Teleen faery warrior who wields electrical currents and blue fires along his skin, has her joining him on a treacherous mission for the good Seelie Faerie Court across the land of Faerie. Magic and malice abound and nothing is what it really seems to be. The evil Unseelie Queen and her treacherous allies are around every corner as Shade makes her way across the breathtaking landscapes of the world of Faerie, which exists alongside the mundane human world. Shade discovers her own uncharted magic and meets some of the most powerful warriors in Faerie while battling evil dryads, conniving Teleen guards and challenges on her life with every step in a world where nothing can be taken for granted
from goodreads.com

Beth says 2 Stars...
Every reader has their pet peeves (or at least I do) and sometimes a book seems to know just how to hit them.  Ever Shade did just that for me.  What irritated me the most was the language, in both the dialogue and the narration.  The language contintually switched levels of formality, from highly stilted to standard modern conversation.  I wouldn't have minded if there was a reason for it, but I couldn't find one.  Because this book dealt with high faeries and a teenager, having super formal and modern speach together in one set of dialogue would make sense.  However, it doesn't make sense to combine them in the same character and even the same sentence.  Similar things happened in the descriptions and the other text of the novel.  Perhaps my intense dislike is unwarranted, but I don't think I'm the only person who this sort of writing annoys.  The story itself was decent, however, I felt like few things were fully explained.  Maybe it's because there are more books in this series, but I really wish the culture of Faerie and its inhabitants had been explained a bit more.  Several intersting things had just a quick line or two of discussion that wasn't enough to understand anything.

I found Shade fairly irritating.  Within the first chapter she makes a series of questionable decisions and begins getting involved in events she doesn't understand.  She just forges ahead without really attempting to gather information about what's happening.  Beyond that, I didn't find her particularly interesting.  I just couldn't gather strong feelings about both her and her epic quest, except that the quest would be interesting to follow with a different person in the focus.  The other characters were equally blah.  There was a real lack of characterization in general, but especially with the members of the company who should have been significantly more flushed out.  If asked immediately after finishing the book to name all the individuals who traveled with Shade, I couldn't do it.  Again, there was a lot of potential for neat subplots and showing different sides of Faerie that was completely squandered.

As much as I love a good story about the Fey, I would pass on this one.  Maybe the series gets better, but I'm honestly not going to continue.
book from Publisher

Tithe

Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms — a struggle that could very well mean her death.

from bn.com

Nathan says 5 stars...
This was the first dark faerie book I ever read. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn't the hardcore, fast-paced, edgy, and eerie world that Tithe opened me to. However unexpected it was, I loved it. Kaye is independent and fierce, and honestly, I didn't think I could relate to her at first, but as the tough act peeled away, I found a deep connection with the character. The world Black paints is bleak and sometimes even disturbing, so be warned that this isn't for the younger crowd. The writing is wrought with beautiful and elegant description. The story is magnetic and dramatic. All of the characters are fantastic, and many are morally ambiguous, which only adds to the intrigue. I flew through this book and wanted more once it was done. I can't say much more except that Tithe is dark, sensual, and enthralling. It was a pleasure to read, and it made me a lifelong reader of all things Holly Black.

Wicked Lovely

Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries. Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty—especially if they learn of her Sight—and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens. Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries. Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer. Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention. But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost—regardless of her plans or desires. Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

from harperteen.com

Nathan says 5 stars...

In celebration of the imminent release of Fragile Eternity (fanboy yell) today I'm reviewing Wicked Lovely by the immensely lovely Melissa Marr. When I first read this book, I was flabbergasted. It was so raw, fresh, and vibrant that I knew that anything Marr ever wrote, I would read. She created a realm that perfectly melded the grit of life with the fantasy of faery. The mix of internal and external drama was superb, and her characters were some of the most original I've read in a long time. Marr defied not only the convention of traditional faery tales, but also traditional YA form. Aislinn isn't content to fall for the shiny prince who sweeps in from a magical realm; she wants her own life, and for that Marr deserves an immense amount of respect as a story teller. The story is filled with tension, and leads to a satisfiying conclusion. There really isn't much to say but READ IT, and do it quickly because Fragile Eternity is out soon.