Wow. It's been awhile since I've ready any Lackey--I found the Valdemar? stuff too simplistic and the characters
one dimensional, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Even with the obligatory romance that every writer seems to think YA needs. (I must have been the only teenager that thought life was too interesting to bother with boys. It colors my thinking). She has stayed away from the (dramatic music) love triangle, although I almost thought it was in the works at one point.

There was some talk of this being a mashup of the Mockingjay series, but I don't really get that feeling. I found that series VERY depressing. Joy is a good person who enjoys life and the people around her. She's humble, intelligent and has a great sense of self while remaining a teenaged character rather than an adult stuffed into a teenaged body (as some YA characters are).

Joy is a bit a a Mary Sue when it comes to magic, but not enough to ruin the story so far. As an indicator of how much I liked it, I purchased the Kindle & audiobooks for #2 and pre-ordered #3 in Kindle. Looking forward to how things shake out.

I just read over some reviews. A LOT of folks didn't like it, but I did appreciate one comment: "What it is is a paranormal/mythological/post-apocalyptic/dystopian mashup. "

EDIT - I forgot to mention the audiobook, I went between it and the Kindle version. The narration was well done. I could picture what I was seeing and I liked the author's variances from character to character. ( )

Dystopia

Overall the book was a slow starter but once you got into the book it pulled you in. Honestly, I loved the book and will look forward to the rest of the series once I get it.

The book itself is refreshing from the standpoint of a lead character who's not "OMG I HAVE POWERS" or someone who uses sexuality/dumb luck to beat everyone. I can't really say much more because I don't want to ruin the book, I feel you'll like it. ALso, don't let the cover fool you, the dragons are.....only mentioned in passing but she (the lead) is a hunter.
( )

Excellent Mercedes Lackey! Unique story about defense of civilization after a break in the human and non-human worlds. ( )

I love audiobooks. TV has become my least favorite form of entertainment. But sometimes when listening to science fiction and fantasy, I find myself confused when the author creates names for things (I find it helps to be able to see and hear these new words and names).

This was true in the case of this really good book by Mercedes Lackey. This is nothing against the narrator, Amy Landon, she did a great job.

This book is a nonstop adventure filled with new ideas, experiences. Hard to put down once you get started.

A magical read.

They came after the Diseray. Some were terrors ripped from our collective imaginations, remnants of every mythology across the world. And some were like nothing anyone had ever dreamed up, even in their worst nightmares.

Monsters.

Long ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were ripped open, and it's taken centuries to bring back civilization in the wake. Now, the luckiest Cits live in enclosed communities, behind walls that keep them safe from the hideous monsters fighting to break through. Others are not so lucky.

To Joyeaux Charmand, who has been a Hunter in her tight-knit mountain community since she was a child, every Cit without magic deserves her protection from dangerous Othersiders. Then she is called to Apex City, where the best Hunters are kept to protect the most important people.

Joy soon realizes that the city's powerful leaders care more about luring Cits into a false sense of security than protecting them. More and more monsters are getting through the barriers, and the close calls are becoming too frequent to ignore. Yet the Cits have no sense of how much danger they're in - to them, Joy and her corps of fellow Hunters are just action stars they watch on TV.

When an act of sabotage against Joy takes an unbearable toll, Joy uncovers a terrifying conspiracy. There is something much worse than the usual monsters infiltrating Apex. And it may be too late to stop them. ( )