I also didn’t appreciate how he was rewarded with the affections of a woman who previously despised him just because he thought about doing a selfless act (that he didn’t follow through with). He does have a nice moment at the end but I don’t feel like it’s enough to redeem him. I assume we’re supposed to like the character of Adrian and I normally identify with the marginalized dork types but his woe-is-me attitude and his refusal to take responsibility for any of his immaturity just became more and more annoying as the book went on. For me, I think it was a combination of subtle (but damaging) sexism thrown in without any good reason whatsoever, unlikable characters that the author clearly wants you to like and a complete lack of urgency despite the main characters being told numerous times what grave peril they’re in. Unfortunately, by the time I was 1/4 through the book, I could see everything unraveling and falling apart. It had witty dialogue, an eccentric female protagonist, and a promising plot involving one of my favourite supernatural creatures faeries. Within the first few pages, I had a really good feeling that I was going to end up loving this book. This book started out with a lot of potential. The unnecessary sexual remarks about the female characters (and only the female characters) scattered throughout the book did nothing to help me warm up to the writing or the story. I think the worst part about it for me was knowing it had so much unrealised potential all the components for a great story were there but none of it came together the way it should have.

Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed. I had heard nothing but praise for this author and his work and the synopsis for the book looked promising, so I went in with high hopes, fully expecting to enjoy this one. I recently finished reading The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint.

“I’m not so scared of the dark–even as a kid I never was–but tonight the shadows seem all wrong.” – Charles de Lint