I was a bit underwhelmed by this one at first. Two brothers on the run from what they call Grendels, which basically are the creepiest and scariest elves I've ever read about. Cal, our main character, is half elf, which makes him valuable and is why, as a young teen, he was stolen and held captive by these creepy elves for two years.

He *somehow* escaped (he and his brother are both unable to find out how), and the two have been running and/or hiding ever since.

They are somewhat comfortably hidden in New York City - hidden, that is, until the employees at the bar where Cal works are murdered and Cal is once again actively being hunted.

Cal is an intriguing character, and the freaky twist (Cal is possessed by a male banshee who is now hunting Cal's brother) catapults this one into the pretty exciting category of supernatural books. Enjoy! ( )

http://rivkat.livejournal.com/224951.... ( )

I enjoyed this book, but it does have some issues. I rated it 4 stars which is a bit high, but its better than 3.5. Perhaps 3.75 would be more accurate, but it isn't an option.

The story is the start of a series that can be called dark fantasy, paranormal, or urban fantasy. The basic premise is that magic and fantasy/horror beasties are real and walk the streets of the modern day real world. I like the sub-genre a lot, though some are better than others.

I don't mind sex and romance if its worked into the story, but I prefer stories that are not just glorified romances (with a few exceptions). This book has no sex, and very little romance, it focuses on 2 brothers and is more dude-lit than chick-lit.

Cal is the younger brother and he is half human and half elf. In this book elves are nasty, evil, mindless killing machines, not the elegant aristocrats of recent books and films. Perhaps an echo to the older representation, when people believed in the supernatural. There are other changes to how fantasy creatures are portrayed, but that is poetic license.

Niko is the older brother with the badass ninja vibe. He is all human and has spent his whole life looking after and protecting his brother Cal. Their mother is a low life gypsy, who would rather sell them than care for them, and is dead when the book opens.

Cal's monster family has been chasing him for years, they want to carry him off to their realm which is in another dimension. In fact they succeeded when Cal was 14. He was gone in our world 2 days, but aged 2 years in theirs. Cal has no memory of what went on, so neither brother knows what they want with Cal.

The book is about their efforts to hide from the elves, to live as normal a life as possible while lying low, and the connections they make (friends and allies) in their latest home (NYC). There are many other fantasy creatures who make a cameo, and help or hinder the brothers.

The writing is pretty good for a first book, though there are some rough patches. A few transitions that are bad, and a couple of sentences are so awkward you are brought to a halt. Minor stuff.

A larger irritant is the tone and attitude of the POV Cal. He is about 20 when the book opens, but due to the missing 2 years is only matured to 18. He is sarcastic which is OK, but his constant use of cliches is not. It becomes annoying, his cheesy smart-mouthed dialog and thoughts. It would have been a killer if it was used for the whole book.

Luckily there is a twist and the POV's tone changes (won't give away more) half way through the book. I liked the twist and the change in tone. I also liked how Cal matured after it.

The other aspect of the book that was really strong was the close brotherly relationship between Cal and Niko. I enjoyed that and it was very well done.

I will keep reading this series and expect it to get better and really earn the 4 stars. ( )

Reminicent of The Dresden Files, but not as good. Still quite a good sci-fi book, mostly because it took your normal sci-fi characters and plotlines and turned them on their head a bit. Elves, trolls, vampires, boggarts, banshees... All characters you've probably heard of before if you've read any sci-fi, but all portrayed in a different, interesting way in this story. Not to mention the way the plot with Cal and the Darkling played out - you don't usually see the protagonist's story take that direction.

Pretty well written, especially for a debut novel, and with a story that keeps you interested throughout, I would definitely recommend this one to sci-fi fans. Also, it creeped me out. And it wasn't the evils or the troll with the hands... as creepy as they were - it was "Alice". Maybe it's just because mirrors make me a little nervous, but the introduction of the Darkling - when he was still just the Darkling (you'd understand if you read it, and I don't want to give it away) was very creepy to me.

Overall a good fast read. I liked it. And something fun to hold me over until the next Dresden Files book comes out. ( )

A very fun and quick read. The brothers really made this novel stand out. Amazing characters that you just can't wait to hear more about. ( )