Review: For Action Fans - Not Romance Fans
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 30, 2013
This is  more of a friendship, coming of age/power book and will disappoint those looking for more romance but will thrill those who likedPride's Run (A Wolf's Pride novel, book 1)by Cat Kalen and the politics ofX-Men.  This story ends on a cliff hanger.Characters:  Lily a shifter/vampire who is the main character and is smart, funny and independent.  Dominic is the shifter prodigy that is Lily's mate and who is a gorgeous hunk of Wolf.  He dies fairly early, which is a disaster in my opinion, since Lily moves on fairly quickly. Ezra is the bad boy vampire whose character had SO MUCH potential and it wasn't used, which was really disappointing. Jack and  Pearl were the other rulers and Antonio was a powerful, mysterious elder that talked cryptically and seemed to be the only one who knew what was going on.  Lily Ezra, Jack and Pearl were the Prodigies, the soon-to-be Kings and Queens, of the Mystical WorldWriting Style: Well, I was really impressed at first, but as the story became more YA and less romantic, I started to get bored.  This is for the action minded with little to no romance.  While I was drawn in on the very first page as the main character Lilly is in a sex ed class putting a condom on a banana, by 53% I was bored and wondering if I should skip ahead.  I loved Lily's telepathic relationship with her mate Dominic and found her touch/feely relationship with her co-rulers to be just creepy since it never became more and two of them were mated to others.  I really thought she and Ezra would become a couple and take advantage of his super sexual nature, but no.  While the story line seems YA, there are references to sex, lots of one-night stands for both Lily and Ezra (only not with each other) and innuendo and talk of 3somes and bi-sexual relationships that seems rather mature for a YA.Plot:  Mysticals and Commoners trying to live together, even having a treating but really living in fear and having small factions that attacked and made life risky.  Lily's mate was killed in one of these attacks and the threat remained at a high level until the culprits could be brought to justice.  In the meantime, Lily had to catch up on political courses and learn to be royalty, something the others had been groomed for since birth. Lots of people die, including the ones you love, even so, it is hard not to get attached and morn with the characters.  Bodies are pelted by bullets and a lot of killing takes place.Romance: Sweet romance between Lilly and her first Mate Dominic who I LOVED and was devastated when he was killed (not a spoiler!), but that is how Lilly became Queen and a force to be reckoned with.  Ezra has sexual appeal from the very first page and it is a surprise when he and Lilly never get together.  While not at all graphic, it is sweet and romantic for the YA group and a little lacking for the older reader.Sex and Violence Rating:  PG17 - non descriptive Sex but a lot of sex talk and body parts "innocently" fondled, some profanity including the F-word, GD, JC,  Killings3 Stars - It was really action packed but not enough romance.  I Won't be getting the sequel