Darklight by Lesley Livingston

4 stars -- I like it

In the same vein of Need and Captivate, Darklight, the sequel to Wondrous Strange (which I rated 3 stars), is about fairies (or Faeries in this case), a seemingly difficult love, and various Faerie kings and queens. The Wondrous Strange books have beautiful covers as well--really ethereal. It doesn't hurt that the model on their cover is drop-dead gorgeous and seems to fit the description of Kelley well enough. It's one of my pet peeves when the model on the cover doesn't look anything like the character described in the book.

But despite the many similarities (including release dates), and the fact that I apparently liked Need more than Wondrous Strange, after reading the second books, I feel that the Wondrous Strange series is the stronger one. I remembered the first book much better than I did Need, which is definitely a good sign in and of itself.

In Darklight, Kelley (Faerie princess, just like Zara) remains in the mortal world while Sonny, her boyfriend and a changling, hunts down the Wild Hunt in the Faerie world. Most of the story revolves around how much they miss each other, though there eventually Auberon, Kelley's Faerie father, grows ill, and he calls for Kelley's help. Considering that he was the bad guy (sort of) in the first book, no one is surprised when Kelley doesn't exactly leap at the chance to help him. Sonny, on the other hand, was raised by Auberon, so he does take the leap.

I feel like the majority of this book was a set up for the next book, or possibly the rest of the series. There's a number of dilemmas (ie, Auberon being sick, the two lovers unable to meet), good guys turn out to be bad guys, bad guys turn into good guys, and one major showdown occurs that doesn't really impact the long-term storyline except as a big reveal about Sonny's secret identity. None of the dilemmas that were already in place nor the new ones that arise are actually resolved.

But despite the fact that the book is just a long-winded set-up, it was still fun to read and the story is engaging. I also prefer the way the author sticks with fairy lore (Titania, Auberon, Mahb, and even Puck are featured in the stories, as well as the Wild Hunt, the fairy courts, and a plethora of other fairy creatures from common folklore) rather than inventing her own. And while she does make the individual creatures her own (sirens, Leprachauns, kelpies, etc.), she doesn't invent an entirely new world for readers to adjust to.

So overall a decent YA read with all the necessary elements. I'd love to hear what you think about the Need novels as compared to the Wondrous Strange series.

Captivate by Carrie Jones

3.5 stars -- I like it.

The sequel to Need, Captivate picks up shortly after Need left off. The author and publisher did very well carrying the themes through. The covers fit together well, and they're both beautiful and haunting. The storyline follows well (as far as I can recall). There are enough clues in Captivate for me to recall what the first book was about without having it regurgitated in its entirety.

I have to admit, I don't really remember the first book at all. I rated it 4 stars, so I must have liked it fairly well, but it didn't stick in my head as anything amazing.

Thus, I don't know if how the characters acted in this book fits well with what happened in the first book, but they fit well for this book. This book feels a bit more "needy" than the first book. More gasping teen hormones than I recalled, but since I didn't recall Nick, the love interest, at all...

All of that to say: take this review as being about a stand-alone novel rather than a sequel, even though it is a sequel and you should definitely read the first book if you're going to read this one.

Captivate has a somewhat unusual plot line. There are fairies and were-things (not merely werewolves, though Nick is that), and in this book we've added some Norse mythology and mythological creatures. Surprisingly, there are no vampires, though they could appear in future books, I'm sure.

Zara, the main character, a half-fairy/half-human hybrid and, conveniently, daughter of the local fairy king, has trapped (with the help of her boyfriend and friends) the local fairy population in a glamour-hidden house (the plot of Need there).

Now Zara, Nick, and her friends patrol the area for pixies that come into the area and drag them to the house to be trapped as well. Except... with the fairy king weak and incapacitated in the house, new fairy kings will try to take over. And that's what this book is about.

I have to say I was quite disappointed by the happenings in this book, though I still liked the storyline well enough and it was a fun read (probably more fun if you can remember the first book). I think the third book will probably make me feel better about this book and its ending, although with the unflattering description of pixies, I'm not sure I could ever like one... although, as happens in fiction, all things are reversible given the right magic.

I don't want to give too much away, because (although you'll figure things out quickly enough if you read the book) I don't want to give so much away that you don't have to read the books at all.

This is a typical YA fantasy book, so if that's your thing, I say go ahead and pick up this series. It's on par with Twilight as far as depth, although it never reaches the same emotional level (which, admittedly, is the main draw to Twilight, but you can still read this for a fun, quick, fantasy escape).