I've been sorely tempted by Ms. Black's works in the past, but never actually managed to get to one of them considering my staggering To-Read list (and the one on goodreads is just the tip of the iceberg). But I was seeing this book everywhere since it came out. Everyone was talking about it. Everyone was promoting it. So I decided to see for myself. Let's see if this is worth all the hype. Let's see if it really is as good as people have been going on and on that it is.....and it is. Let's dive right in.
Jude, the twin sister Taryn, and their older half sister Vivienne were snatched from their home at a young age by Vivi's faerie father, the Red Cap Madoc. Madoc adopts Jude and Taryn and takes them into his home, raising them and caring for them, and giving them some semblance of a family. But Jude and Taryn are humans in a faerie world, where everything is riddles and tricks and the two of them are deeply unwelcome. Most especially by Prince Cardon, youngest son of the High King, whose seems to make it his goal in life to punish Jude for existing. But Jude soon gets hopelessly wrapped up in faerie politics and it's going to be up to her to secure the future of her home.
This book was a wonderful roller coaster full of witty characters, a good protagonist, twists and turns, beauty and brutality. Now more than ever I'm kicking myself for not looking into the works of Holly Black earlier then I might not have doubted so much. I mean dang, I had a great time with this. It's no surprise that Black knows her stuff about Celtic lore and stories of the fae, and the way she captures the magnificence and the danger is just expertly done. The faerie world lives and breathes with its own rules and dangers. It just feels so alive and so perfectly at ends with out own world (which we do occasionally see).
Jude, as the main character, could have gone into Mary Sue territory, but cleverly avoids it by being vulnerable and not always winning. That's Jude's frustration. She both wants to be a part of Faerie but also wants to beat it. She's not looking to blend in and survive, she wants to thrive and succeed. She wants to impress her foster father, she wants to stick it to Carden, she wants to be acknowledged...and the fact that she's mortal and easily bested by their powers is frustrating beyond belief. But she has an edge...she can lie. Faeries cannot. And boy does she use it to her advantage. You can look at a lot of things that Jude does in this book and see her as a terrible person, but she's relatable and sympathetic and has good intentions enough that you don't hold the things she does against her. She's marvelously complex.
The creatures and other characters make for an exquisite cast that is just a ton of fun and interesting to boot. Madoc who loves bloodshed but makes for a truly kind father figure, Locke who loves to see things in motion, Prince Dain who takes an interest in Jude and runs the mysterious Court of Shadows, Vivi who loves the human world and wants only to escape back and take her sisters with her, they're all really cool. The only one I had any problem with was the cruel prince himself, Carden, and that's mostly because...I saw through him. Before I even picked up the book, I saw it. Now, that's not a bad thing, exactly. It just wasn't the big reveal it probably wanted to be.
That being said, there are plenty of big reveals in this book that I didn't see coming at all. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor twice from this little baby. Good plot twists are getting harder to find and the fact that this book did it twice speaks to the level of talent this woman has. Kudos.
Final Verdict
This book was totally worth the hype. Great characters, a fast and intriguing plot, tension, drama, just a fantastical and wonderful time that I'd say is totally worth your money at your local bookstore.
Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer
Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Powerless-Shelley-Miller/dp/1543482546/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519062043&sr=8-1&keywords=powerless+by+shelley+miller
Xlibris: https://www.xlibris.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001175242
Next Time: Out of the ashes, she will rise....
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