Review: An Unexpected Delight
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 26, 2013
This review is also available at: http://www.not-so-literary-heiresses.com/2013/06/review-oath-of-servitude-by-ce-wilson.html4.5 StarsTo be honest, I was never really interested with pixies, fairies and little people in general. I don't think I've ever read any YA, NA or Adult books about them either so when the author offered to send me a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review I thought, why not? There's a first time for everything. I also really liked the book's blurb. Even if you take out the fact that the heroine is a pixi, I think I would still read it. I had no idea what to expect from this book but the premise of two people lost and afraid of their own version of darkness has a certain mystery for me and I wanted to find out what the characters are afraid of and how they will help each other through it.I'm glad that this book served as my first taste of the fairy/faery/pixi genre because I found it absolutely delightful! I thank the author for giving me the chance to get to know the characters and the world she created.Cailin, a misunderstood pixi among her clan, is sent to live with a human family as punishment for wanting and striving to be different. The family in question is Owen, who is a dear friend of Cailin's father, and his son Teague whose perfect life was shattered due to an accident that left him handicapped.I loved Cailin and Teague. I not only like them together but I like them individually as well. They are beautiful but flawed and they are both dealing with their own issues and insecurities. I'm so used to a "plain jane" female lead dealing with insecurities about herself while the male lead is almost perfect, and unreachable. I like the fact that Teague was far from swoon worthy at the beginning of the book. In fact, he was alcoholic and verbally abusive. They did not fall in love/lust at first sight and for me that is refreshing, if not believable and more realistic. The author's buildup of their relationship was paced really well that by the time they've started falling for each other you would think it's totally natural for a one foot pixi and a giant human to be together.Cailin is spunky, brave and a bit stubborn. She wants to stand out and be her own person in a society that does not accept individuality. I may not like some of the decisions she made but it is understandable. She would do anything for her family. Teague lived a charmed life until the faithful day of the accident. He became bitter and resentful of what happened and isolated himself from friends and loved ones. He turned to alcohol as a way to escape the darkness that is now his life.I like how she treated Teague like a normal person and not someone she pitied because he is handicapped. For a person who's already wallowing in self pity, the last thing Teague needed was someone making him feel more pathetic.In addition to two strong main characters, I found the world of pixies fascinating and intriguing. There's a lot of characters to get to know and not everyone is a good pixi. There's also a lot of mystery surrounding the friendship of Teague's Dad and Cailin's Father.As much as I love the book, there were a few bumps that kept me from giving it 5 Stars. I had no problems with the narrative and I actually liked the multiple POV but I think the book needs to be edited a bit more as I found a few of typographical and grammatical errors here and there.The book ends with a cliff hanger and it left me with a few unanswered questions. I recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and slow paced love stories. This book was an unexpected surprise, it was original and the characters refreshing. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.