Book Review: The Angel Stone - Juliet Dark

Title: The Angel Stone (Fairwick Chronicles #3)

Author: Juliet Dark

Release Date: September 3rd 2013

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Age Group: Adult

Source: NetGalley

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For Callie McFay, a half-witch/half-fey professor of folklore and Gothic literature, the fight to save the enchanted town of Fairwick, New York, is far from over. After a hostile takeover by the Grove—a sinister group of witches and their cohorts—many of the local fey have been banished or killed, including Callie’s one true love. And in place of the spirit of tolerance and harmony, the new administration at Fairwick College has fostered an air of danger and distrust.

With her unique magical abilities, Callie is the only one who can rescue her friends from exile and restore order to the school—a task that requires her to find the Angel Stone, a legendary talisman of immense power. Propelled on an extraordinary quest back to seventeenth-century Scotland, Callie risks her life to obtain the stone. Yet when she encounters a sexy incarnation of her lost love, she finds the greater risk is to her heart. As the fate of Fairwick hangs in the balance, Callie must make a wrenching choice: reclaim a chance for eternal passion or save everything she holds dear.

I have a thing with last books in a series: I avoid them. For as long as possible, I save myself from the grief of having to say goodbye to characters I'd invested my heart into for the length of more than one book. Before today, I've only finished two series, but now I can add the Fairwick Chronicles to that list.

After having her hand forced to cast off her fey friends back to the fairy world, Callie is doing her best to act as guardian over her students at Fairwick College against the new administration that consisted of nephilim and trolls, all while being haunted by the memories of her demon lover and his reincarnations. When she learns of a way to banish these enemies and get her friends back, she dives headfirst into her mission, not knowing that ultimately, she will have to choose between what is right and what she wants.

The Angel Stone kept the Gothic atmosphere and dark humor present in the first two books, but what made this the best book in the trilogy, at least for me, was just how amped up the pace was. New magical creatures were introduced and the real identities of more Fairwick residents were revealed, adding color and variety to the already huge cast of characters. 

As The Angel Stone sucked me in, though, its imperfections started to be seen. The pace slowed down when Callie started looking for the stone, and that really disappointed me because that's the lead-up to the climax—it should have been intense and gripping! Instead, I got bored with Callie's lengthy monologues on her sadness, confusion, and longing.

I admit, what kept me reading this entire series was my curiosity as to how Callie's paranormal love life would play out, and I'd wanted to tell her more than once to damn everyone and everything and just be happy, so The Angel Stone's ending sure made my heart leap. Despite the problems I had, this is a worthy conclusion to this beautifully dark trilogy that I will surely revisit in the future.

MY FAVORITE PART was 

"Damn it, McFay, where'd ya get the light saber?"

=))

RATING:

Book Review: The Water Witch - Juliet Dark

Title: The Water Witch (Fairwick Chronicles #2)

Author: Juliet Dark

Release Date: February 12th 2013

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Source: NetGalley

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After casting out a dark spirit, Callie McFay, a professor of gothic literature, has at last restored a semblance of calm to her rambling Victorian house. But in the nearby thicket of the Honeysuckle Forest, and in the currents of the rushing Undine River, more trouble is stirring...

The enchanted town of Fairwick’s dazzling mix of mythical creatures has come under siege from the Grove: a sinister group of witches determined to banish the fey back to their ancestral land. With factions turning on one another, all are cruelly forced to take sides. Callie’s grandmother, a prominent Grove member, demands her granddaughter’s compliance, but half-witch/half-fey Callie can hardly betray her friends and colleagues at the college.

To stave off disaster, Callie enlists Duncan Laird, an alluring seductive academic who cultivates her vast magical potential, but to what end? Deeply conflicted, Callie struggles to save her beloved Fairwick, dangerously pushing her extraordinary powers to the limit—risking all, even the needs of her own passionate heart.

Since I already had nothing but praises for The Demon Lover, I didn't think this sequel could surpass that by a big margin. Well, I'm happy to say I stand corrected, because The Water Witch was everything the first book was, and so much more.

Cailleach McFay was trying to live normally after she had banished Liam, her incubus lover, but she couldn't deny that she missed him, and that she blamed herself for not being able to love him - the only requirement for Liam to become human. But being doorkeeper to the last passageway to Faerie was keeping Callie busy, what with a crazy undine who wants to kill her, and her grandmother's witchy friends set to close the door.

The Water Witch was a really great sequel. It kept the first book's winning attributes while working on the bad ones. It still teemed with magical creatures, expanding on the ones we met in The Demon Lover and introducing new ones, all of which were critical to the plot. The descriptions still flowed so smoothly and lyrically, especially as we learned more about Faerie (because Callie finally went there!) and its history. 

What made this better than the first book, though, was the fast pace. In less than three chapters, Callie already had a huge problem, and as the story progressed, her list of things to solve and face just got longer. She had to unlock her full power which her parents "warded" so her power-hungry grandmother wouldn't know about it, she had to learn how to keep the last door to Faerie open, and also deal with her conflicting feelings for Liam.

With a plot tighter than the first book's, The Water Witch was a fast read for me because I couldn't stop turning to the next page; I read 60% in one sitting! Although the foreshadowing was a bit too much because I'd guessed what I suppose was the big shocker, the ending was heartbreaking (again) and an absolutely perfect set-up for the third book, The Angel Stone!

MY FAVORITE PART was the shocking and excruciating ending.

RATING:

(cover and blurb from Goodreads.com)

Book Review: The Demon Lover - Juliet Dark

Title: The Demon Lover (Fairwick Chronicles #1)

Author: Juliet Dark

Release Date: December 27th 2011

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Pages: 448 (paperback)

Source: NetGalley

Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of her having written the bestselling book The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she’s found herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.

But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: Her incubus is not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the demon, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this supernatural lover from her heart.

I've always had an interest towards incubi and succubi - yes, whatever that may say about me - so I don't know why it's only now that I read fiction about them. But I'm thankful that The Demon Lover is my first foray into it, because it sated my interest for the subject matter and more.

Cailleach (pronounced Kay-lex) McFay hadn't planned on staying in Fairwick - the town held nothing but the opposite of the city life she wanted - but one look at the Honeysuckle House, which stood almost dead yet still beautiful, was enough to change her mind. Unfortunately, the house and a job at the local college weren't the only new things in Callie's life - she also had a new suitor in the mist that was visiting her every night.

I read the synopsis and all before I requested this from NetGalley, and I knew that this wasn't YA (although the stunning cover would pass for a YA novel) so I really don't know why I was surprised when I got to the first steamy scene - I'm not being a prude here, though, because I have read books of this nature before. Anyway, those scenes were so lyrically-written, they actually didn't seem like the scenes they were. Think of the difference between having sex - there, I said it - and making love.

Moving on. I think it's safe to say that this book was character-driven. One different decision from Callie and the story would have taken an entirely different path. Probably one that wouldn't have broken my heart. Anyway, Callie - strong and independent - was a very likable character.  

But perhaps what made this a page-turner was the mystery. If only it were just about the incubus, the story would've progressed and ended faster, but no; I was surprised to encounter a whole assortment of paranormal and magical creatures, and they were all well-developed instead of being there just for the benefit of the plot.

Overall, The Demon Lover was a really good urban fantasy read. It was one of those rare books that made me question the line between right and wrong. Although definitely not for children, it should be good for those 16 years old and up, or just anyone looking for a great, unpredictable read. I'll definitely check out the sequel, The Water Witch.

MY FAVORITE PARTS were these heartbreaking lines: 

"Why?" I screamed.

"I couldn't let you destroy yourself for me."

 Just kill me now.

RATING:

(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)