Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Language: Hell, damn and ass were used frequently.  Stronger language, including the “F word”, were also used.  Sucks was used often.  Bastard made an appearance and exclamations of deity were also used.

Violence: The death of a child is ordered.  He was “ripped away and hurled across aisle toward opposite stall.”  Devlin needs blood to live.  He is an assassin who kills at his sister’s bidding.  There is blood letting on Ani and her blood is used for experiments.  There are deaths “too perverse to speak of”.  Ani is ordered to kill people.  A girl is killed and it is said she is “bloodied but no longer screaming.”  There is talk of revenge and wanting blood.  A fire poker is speared into the leg, knives stabbed into body, blood spurting.  Blood is shared to seal bonding.

Sexual Content: There is kissing throughout.  Ani feeds on emotions and physical touch.  References to sex and sexual things are made throughout.  For example “so you’re going to be celibate or something,”  “keep your clothes on”, “gyrating hips”, “no sex until I’m sure I won’t kill them.”  There is implied sex between Ani and Devlin.  There is talk about taking clothes off, unbuttoning jeans and so forth.

Adult Themes: Ani grows up without a mother and many different people help and take care of her.  Dark and evil powers reign.  There is drinking of wine.  The sexual innuendo is strong throughout the book and hints at a male-male relationship.

Synopsis

Ani is half human, half faery.  She is driven by her hungers; a need to feed on emotions and physical touch.  She struggles with fitting in as she is caught between two worlds.  Devlin is the creative product of two faery sisters, Order and Chaos.  He is an assassin doing the bidding of faery High Queen.  He secretly saved Ani as a child instead of killing her knowing that his choice could mean his death.  Now as Devlin and Ani connect, they find the need to join forces to combat those who are against them in the  faery world.

I probably would have understood this book and its characters better if I would have read the previous 3 books in this series first.  I don’t think this is a stand alone book, but written well enough that I got the main ideas.  I think my favorite thing in this book was Ani’s “steed”.  A genderless shape-shifting thing that serves and defends its rider.  It communicates with thoughts in Ani’s head and they become as one.  First it is a car, fast and sleek.  Then it is a horse to ride or a dragon to defend.  It’s awesome.  I want a steed!  I liked several ideas in this book.  I always enjoy a strong main female character.  I liked that Ani came into her own and found a place that fit her perfectly even though it wasn’t the “normal” or expected one.  I also liked that Devlin was able to rise above the bad ideas and behaviors he was taught and follow his conscious to be better, kinder.

Having said all that, I need to say that this book was so hard for me to read.  I felt like the book was ruled by lust and sexual undertones.  The foul language was plentiful.  I am so surprised that the recommended reading group is 9th-12th grade.  If this were a movie, it would be rated R.  Rated R movies are for ages 18 and up and that is exactly where I would place this book.