Fae by CJ Abedi

Title: Fae (Book 1)
Author: CJ Abedi
Publisher: Diversion Books, 2013

The first thing that struck me when I started with Fae was that it’s going to appeal to your Twilight fans. The premise is simple: an ordinary girl gradually discovers that there’s far more to her past than meets the eye. Enter the new boy and their decidedly tsundere situation. Of course the new boy isn’t quite human, and there are greater forces at play … you get my drift.

Caroline is likeable from the get-go. She’s that ordinary girl next door. Thank goodness for that. She isn’t the class reject either. The school’s new quarterback, however, Devilyn Reilly, falls squarely into Edward Cullen territory. He’s tall, dark and just so g
oddamned perfect. And he’s a Dark Fae who’s doing his level best not to turn out like his evil father.

The attraction between the two is instant, since they’re puppets to a prophecy that Caroline is heir to the Light and, once wed to Devilyn, they’ll unify light and dark and end ages of enmity. Of course this has been foretold to tragic consequences, and Devilyn’s determined to prevent this from taking place while still looking out for his destined mate.

Meddling in all of this is Odin, of the Norse pantheon, which left me curious by the end of the story as to what the old guy was doing getting mixed up in Fae affairs. And where were the others, like Freya or Loki. Just curiosity on my part. The authors do a solid bit of world-building and pacing is generally strong.

So that’s pretty much the plot. We’ve got Light vs. Dark (check); destined mates instaluv (check) and a whole lot of high school hijinks ensue. If this is your thing, you will probably love Fae and overlook its rough edges.

But this has to be said. There *are* rough edges, and I’d be amiss if I didn’t point them out. Apart from the obvious fondness for the word “suddenly” (sorry, this is one of my pet hates), there were some *very* strange things going on with the dialogue’s punctuation. Once or twice I might’ve overlooked, but there were consistently bizarre quirks I’d expect from newish writers. I don’t know if this was just the version of the novel I was given to review, but nowhere did I see any notification that this was an ARC e-copy. So… A note to the publisher, if this was the final, and it can be fixed, please do.

This being said, this is a fun story, filled with magic, fair folk and hints of a greater mystery, and the series is off to a promising start.

Outcast by Adrienne Kress #review

Title: Outcast
Author: Adrienne Kress
Publisher: Diversion Books, 2013

First off, Adrienne Kress has taken a trope that’s been done to death in YA fiction and recast it in a way that’s both fresh and quirky. This is not [yawn] *yet* another angel book.

Riley, who lives in a typical small town in the American South is your average teen girl. She does okay at school and has all the regular issues you’d expect. Except that the small town where she lives isn’t exactly normal. Once a year, on the same day, “angels” come down to take a select few young people. What makes it worse is that there’s a pastor at the head of a new church dedicated to these angels who’s convinced the townsfolk that it’s not just okay that this is happening, but that it’s an honour for them to be chosen.

But Riley’s having none of this. During the previous “angelic” raid, her best friend Chris was taken, and Riley’s not quite over his disappearance. So, naturally, when an angel pitches up in her parents’ yard, ostensibly to take her too, she’s more than just a little bit peeved. As it turns out she’s pretty handy with a shotgun too, and she shoots the angel in the face.

From there on in, things get interesting. When Riley goes to investigate, she finds no dead angel on the lawn but a young, hot and rather naked guy who’s still alive and unharmed. She does the most sensible thing (of course) by trussing him up and holding him hostage in the garden shed. The mysterious young man – aptly named Gabe – has no recollection of any angelic doings. In fact, he claims to be a local. The only problem is, he remembers the town as it was during the 1950s. Between the two of them they have a year until the next angelic visitation to unravel the mystery of the so-called angels and why they’ve been snatching people.

Overall, Kress keeps the story going with a healthy balance between typical teen angst of budding romances and the bigger picture. At times I did feel that Riley lost sight of her goals and gets lost in everyday issues, but Kress brings in little nudges to progress the plot where necessary. Characters are well-realised, the dialogue is often laugh-out-loud funny, and Kress delivers on a satisfying tale despite the amount of down time. Riley, in particular, stands out as a strong female protagonist in a genre riddled with vapid heroines; Outcast has none of the fatal pitfalls that mar other well-known stories in this genre. The dead-tree version of this might be a bit on the pricy side, but definitely consider this for your Kindle or preferred electronic reading device.