“Donna is a freak. An outcast. Branded with iron tattoos that cover her hands and arms, she is cursed with a magically- enhanced strength that she does everything she can to hide. But now, the dark exiles of Faerie are coming and Donna must choose between saving her best friend – or betraying one of the world's greatest secrets.”I've been following Karen's short stories and blog for a while now and I was eagerly awaiting her debut novel. I love seeing somebody who I admire become published and their talent being recognised. So it was with quite a bit enthusiasm that I found this book with it's shiny golden pages on the shelf at Waterstones.
I loved the start of this book, a girl's journal explaining her nightmares that recall the night her father died whilst saving her life. The mood that this brief scene creates is dark and heavy. It perfectly paints a picture of dream like terror balanced with memories, leaving the reader to try and choose which parts are genuine recollections and which are fabricated, due to the trauma that Donna experienced as a young girl. In some ways this mood is evident throughout scenes in the book, and it is this atmospheric style that made me read the book quickly over a couple of days.
In this style I loved the threat of the Wood Elves. I enjoyed the fact that the “villain” of the piece was one species of Faerie. I think when books contain Faeries it can be tempting to get overwhelmed by the amount of mythology to choose from and to pick many different varieties, whether friend or foe. I liked the simplicity that this book provided by picking only one type of creature to represent that world. The Wood Elves were almost made of nature themselves, and there was a certain rough quality to them that I really enjoyed. They seemed to be made of the forest itself, and as an extension, the feeling whenever our characters entered the forest was one of claustrophobia and paranoia. Then again, it's not really paranoia if they really are watching you.
I liked the character of Donna, I felt like when she was in everyday situations, for instance feeling left out at a party or remembering being excluded at school, she was very likeable. These qualities in a person could have seemed cheesy and clichéd, but Mahoney made them seem new and utterly realistic. It wasn't melodramatic suffering, it was real and unglamorous. Though I didn't feel as much of a connection with the character when she grew stronger and was able to fight almost single handedly to save her friend and mentor. It may be a reflection of me as a reader that I found the main character to have greater depth when she was suffering and acting out, as opposed to when she was able to defend herself sensibly and almost strategically.
A part of the book that I couldn't get used to was the character of Xan. He was attractive, he was rich, he was a little pretentious, he had a big insight into the world which Donna was absorbed in, making him a perfect confidant for her to lust after. He was perfect. I desperately wanted him to be evil. I don't enjoy stories as much when the characters get the things they want easily and without struggle, I don't like it when things work out for them. I guess I'm slightly sadistic, but I need my characters to have what they want torn away from them and really have to work to get it back again. Or I want them to realise they were wanting the wrong thing all along. It just doesn't feel right when things are wrapped up nicely.
I also didn't quite understand her relationship with her best friend Navin. There was too much chemistry between them for it to be purely platonic, they had so much closeness and affection that it would have been very satisfying to see some sort of love story form between them, particularly if it was unrequited. I love me some UST. : ) I still feel that this is possible, but I would have loved to have had some tension between them, instead of Donna loving the fact that she had a great friend, with whom she can share anything and yet lusting after the pretentious pretty boy in the corner.
In general I loved the mood of this book, and the background it was set in, it was gritty and I enjoyed it. My opinion of it was hindered by the love story unfortunately.
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