By Bethany Frenette
Hardcover, 368 pages
Expected publication: October 23rd 2012 by Hyperion
ISBN 1423146654 (ISBN13: 9781423146650)


Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!


Blurb

Audrey Whitticomb has nothing to fear. Her mother is the superhero Morning Star, the most deadly crime-fighter in the Twin Cities, so it’s hard for Audrey not to feel safe. That is, until she’s lured into the sweet night air by something human and not human—something with talons and teeth, and a wide, scarlet smile.

Now Audrey knows the truth: her mom doesn’t fight crime at night. She fights Harrowers—livid, merciless beings who were trapped Beneath eons ago. Yet some have managed to escape. And they want Audrey dead, just because of who she is: one of the Kin.

The Good

  1. Leon.  I really liked Leon, Audrey’s mother’s sidekick. I felt his interactions with Audrey were genuine and imperfect, which made them feel more believable. I wish more information was given about him, though. As interesting as he was, not a lot of back-story is given.

  2. The sarcasm.  Many characters in this book, particularly the narrator, are smart asses. Being a smart ass myself, I really appreciated this. It should also be noted, at least in the ARC copy of this book, the author isn’t afraid to cuss a little bit. She doesn’t make up fake cuss words to get her point across, she ponied up and used the REAL four letter words. Always appreciated.

  3. The Kin education.  To give the reader more information about the Kin without doing a real info-dump, Audrey receives “lessons” from her grandmother about the Kin’s origins and problems. This was a fine way to provide a back-story and made events and motives easier to understand.

  4. The baking scene.  Around the middle of the book is a cutesy little baking scene that I absolutely loved. Possibly a little cheesy but in the context of the story and characters involved it felt very real.

  5. The romance.  The little bit of romance that is sprinkled throughout the book isn’t perfect. People miss mouths when kissing. They fall down. They fight. They argue. It isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, which felt very true to life.

  6. The villain twist.  I honestly did not see the villain coming. I was thrown completely off the trail and, as a result, was taken aback when the evil is finally revealed.


The Bad

  1. Character development.  While we are given information and back stories for many of the characters, it often seems they need more depth. I could tell you about a lot of the characters in this book, but I would never be able to introduce you to any of them simply because they just don’t feel real enough to be actual people.


Favorite Quote

"That’s the spirit, Luce. If you can’t solve a problem, beat the shit out of it until it goes away."


Overall Rating

This book was cute and not what I was expecting. A little more character development would have made it better, though.