Review: Fantasy is just as good!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 30, 2013
**SPOILER FREE**I will not bang out the plot of this story since other reviewers have already done so. I am going to just give some opinion and references.1) This is not a romance. This is straight up fantasy with some romantic elements. The reason I bring this up is because this popped up on my Amazon recommendations and I do not normally read straight up fantasy. So, if you were brought here by your recommendations, be aware. However, this is not a bad thing! This is a great book.2) This is marketed as new adult but, after I read it, I would say it falls somewhere between YA and NA...sort of "high"-maturity YA or "low"-maturity NA...MEANING that there are adult themes in this book: violence, sexual tension, sex references, lewd language, nudity, etc. But it is mostly alluded to or referenced without much detail. And there are no sex scenes.3) If I would make a comparison to another popular series, it would be to Harry Potter in the sense that this story is about four young adults coming together in bonds of love, loss, friendship, strength, and their own individual supernatural powers and how those intertwine and relate to the group as a whole. The story takes place in a university for mysticals, again a nod to Hogwarts. But that is where the similarities end however. Again, we ARE dealing with adult themes, meaning the characters are older (in college age) and a completely different plot.4) The blurb for this book talks of a revolution. This is only touched on a very minor way throughout and then at the end. This first book basically lays groundwork. It is strictly character development and laying the foundation/set-up for the rest of the series.I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am a romance person, meaning I stick to the romance genre. I read everything from YA to erotica; historical to sci-fi. So this was a very nice change of pace. I do however, foresee some type of romantic interlude on the rise in future books between some of the main characters...although maybe that's just my romance-obsession talking.This is the first book in a series. THERE IS A CLIFFHANGER - so for those who dislike them, maybe wait until the other books come out to give this a try.I would highly recommend this book and series to anyone who enjoys fantasy fiction, romance, and/or paranormal.