<b>INTERESTING PREMISE, BUT SOMEWHAT LACKING</b>

I love a good paranormal, urban fantasy book and I have a particular love for all things Fae at the moment, so this book seemed like the perfect fit for me. And while it was interesting and certain parts were really enjoyable, there were some things that felt lacking.

<blockquote><i><b>"Even Death needs love.</b></i></blockquote>

<b>THE THINGS I LIKED </b>

<u>Olivia</u>: The slightly clumsy, yet lovable and vivacious main character is sort of a cliché. But sometimes, a character with those traits comes along that just hits the cliché right in the butt and makes you love it all over again. Olivia, this book's female MC, is one of those. (Lou from Me Before You is another!)

<u>Premise</u>: Death has taken over Fae and forced all its inhabitants to flee to Earth, where they have to live in hiding amongst ordinary humans. Now, if that isn't an interesting premise, I don't know what is!

<b>THE THINGS I DISLIKED</b>

<u>Background</u>: While the premise was interesting, I was really needing some elaboration and some more background information - what actually happened in Fae? What are the talismans? Where did Death come from? These are just some of the questions I am left with and that I had hoped this book would answer.

<u>Damsel in distress</u>: Yes, I really liked Olivia's spark! But she had this annoying propensity for fainting/blacking out when things got rough. Twice she did that at the height of a battle. That's a cliché I don't thing I'll ever like.

Unearthed by Cecy Robson, a fun read that is reminiscent of Karen Chance. A Pixie who is hunted by Death simply for being a fae, found by the one death who is willing to help her...

A new series from an author who has a huge following and yes it’s another urban fantasy one but this time we get the Fae and the Grim Reaper ! Perhaps you are not surprised as the artwork does somewhat give away that nugget of information but there certainly are numerous surprises in this book. For a start our protagonist is Olivia a Pixie turned paralegal and she’s really quite a skilful multitasker . Add in the fact that the Fae are now living on Earth hiding amongst humans and then there’s the really odd thing and that’s all the numerous forms of death that are out to devour the souls of the surviving Fae !
This has a lot to recommend it and I think when it comes to Olivia you will either love her or hate her as she’s kind of a bouncy wee thing but can also seem incredibly well if brutal shallow. Awful things happen here that are quickly glossed over leaving Olivia with an impressive mission to actually train to take out the Alpha of the Death Hounds Honestly I wasn’t terribly sure exactly how training could help her but with Death by her side ( yep he’s a big, apparently gorgeous hunk of manhood) Olivia actually does get a handle on what was previously a dormant power. Unfortunately this didn’t really make an awful lot of sense to me as I’m still unsure exactly why Olivia has the power she does but hey ho let’s just go with the flow because, magic !
I liked that Olivia has interesting friends and I really enjoyed the back story of Death aka Ryker. What I didn’t like was the fade to black moments ( very Prisoner of Azkaban ) when Olivia was in grave danger and then bam we’ve moved on and she’s safe and yes it gets explained but bum it was aggravating. I think that’s partly why I’m rating this a four because I was actually enjoying the set up and the action so I felt terribly cheated. This does get wrapped up so don’t fear that there’s a huge cliffhanger because there isn’t but it’s left in a way that the author can expand this world and perhaps give Death and Olivia a much happier ending.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Unearthed by Cecy Robson was a fantastical ride start to finish. Olivia is pixie paralegal and Death is a lawyer (how fitting is that?). Olivia is cute & sassy and of course, Death is broody & sexy. This was such a unique spin on the Fae and the Grim Reaper. It kept me turning the pages well into the night. I absolutely love Ms. Robson’s Weird Girls and I can tell I am going to love this series as well!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Cecy Robson enraptures us with another amazing and creative series. I can't wait for more.

Death had come to the land of Fae. The Cù-Sìth no longer ferry the dead to their eternal rest. They have been killing indiscriminately and glutting themselves on the souls.   The fae hide from the Cù-Sìth in plain sight with the help of enchanted amulets and other objects which protect them from being seen by these hounds of death but if you were to lose your charm, the howls you hear will be your only warning as death hunts you.

Pixie Olivia Finn crossed from Fae to Earth when she was a child. Her father sacrificed himself for his family, but Olivia's mother and sisters were also hunted and consumed by the Cù-Sìth.  Like many of the Fae, Olivia is alone on Earth, and her a pixie without magic, or at least that's what she thought.  Olivia spends her day blending in with the humans while she goes about her job at the law office of MacGregor and Santonelli, or as best as one can when one is barely five feet with rainbow colored hair.  She also spends her day trying to ignore junior attorney, Ryker Scott. Ryker might be nice on the eyes, but Olivia still avoids him at all costs considering that his choice of clients even for a criminal defense firm leaves something to be desired.

Yet one fateful night when she loses her necklace and the hounds are baying for Olivia, she learns that she isn't the only one hiding.   Ryker Scott is more than just a lawyer.  He is the Ankou, the King of Death, the Fae's Grim Reaper. He also knows why Olivia is able to survive the Cù-Sìth. While Ryker is Death, this little pixie is Life.

Now that the Cù-Sìth are hunting Olivia, Ryker is determined to teach her how to draw out and command her abilities and use them to destroy the Cù-Sìth and free the souls they have trapped.   The fae are pinning all their hopes on Olivia to save them from their worse nightmares and free the souls of all their loved ones.  No pressure, right.

The time Olivia and Ryker spend together helps to focus Olivia's abilities but she will need more than a few weeks if she is going to go up against all the Cù-Sìth. And the old saying of opposites attract is certainly true since Ryker and Olivia are starting to forget the simple fact that Life and Death are antithetical.

Unearthed is just the beginning of the series but it is full of action and tension.  There are also so many unusual and fascinating characters. While I loved Olivia and Ryker and their dynamic, we also have Jane, the 800 year old druid; Bill, the gargoyle; Stevie, the pubescent dragon and even Olivia's human boss, Marco.  I enjoyed our interactions with each of these characters. I just love a story with a rich secondary cast of characters that help flesh out our hero and heroine.    There is also so much action going on that I had to re-read some scenes because I was reading so fast trying to see what happens.

I am so excited to see what happens next and what other characters we will be introduced to in the future.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

I’ve been a fan of Cecy Robson’s books since her first Weird Girls novel and am always happy to pick up her next paranormal! This time it was Unearthed which was a different kind of story entirely from her Weird Girls series as there’s fae and Death!

The story was off to a good start. Our heroine is a pixie without magic, Olivia, who lost her family during the wars in faerie where Death basically came and took everyone out. She, along with a few other fae managed to escape and live cloaked in protection spells in the mortal realm. Until the night when gremlins attacked, taking away their protective charms and bringing Death to their door, and somehow through it all, Olivia survived yet again.

Olivia once had no powers, but somehow fought off Death and lived to tell the tale. It’s then that her magical fae friends realize Olivia has a very special kind of gift, one that will need harnessing from her slightly enemy coworker, Ryker. Except Ryker isn’t just your average jerk either. He’s Death too. But not the same one that Olivia fought. That’s actually one thing that kept tripping me up in this one, it seems there are version of Death throughout the realm and they sort of coexist. Some are good, like Ryker and some are evil, like the one Olivia had to deal with.

Despite there being a good premise for this story, I found that I couldn’t always stay focused. There were things that were just not really boring me, but not enticing me to want to read more either. It’s complicated to say the least. I liked the book, but at the same time I felt like it was dragging and wasn’t really dying to know what happens next, but still curious. It definitely falls into one of those rare absolute middle of the road ratings. It’s not a perfect read, but it’s not bad either.

What I did like was how Olivia constantly challenged and baffled Ryker. They are Life and Death basically. Pink and bubbly versus dark and brooding. It’s a total opposite clashing kind of thing, and naturally, you know romance will eventually kindle between these two because it’s just one of those things you know will come along eventually. I was quite pleased that it did take longer to come around, yet was built up with little moments. The little moments are definitely among my favorite when it comes to slow=burn romances!

I still can’t quite pin down why this read wasn’t an absolute delight and five star read for me. Maybe it was the newness? It’s hard to say. There were times I felt overwhelmed by Olivia’s bubbly personality, but as she points out, she’s a pixie, so it’s fitting to say the least. Maybe in part it was also the pacing. It was a little slower than I would’ve liked in my usual paranormal reads and there was a bit too much downtime without enough interest and sparks flying in between.

Unearthed was still a worthy read, just not entirely my kind of read. At this point, I don’t know if I would continue this series, but I can say I will continue to read Cecy’s books as they release, should they be of interest. This one just wasn’t entirely my kind of read, but it was still a rather enjoyable read.


Overall Rating 3/5 stars


Unearthed releases September 24, 2019

A nice surprise in some ways, but kind of underwhelming in others.

Recommended: For plane rides and beach days
Because you won't care to re-read it, or to hold on to it once you finish it.

Main issues:
1. moments where Olivia is in peril, then it cuts to black and starts the next chapter with her waking up, totally fine. This is what really killed it for me, the third time it happened.

2. moments that seem to have been written to deliberately be shocking or rebellious, but felt forced and unecessary (old people getting handsy, acting like wearing pink and being a badass is some crazy impossible revelation)

The first chapter was nearly enough to make me put it down, when Bill the Secret Gargoyle loses his human facade because a woman in the office forces her tongue down his throat. 1. ew, and 2. THAT'S how this is going to work? I like sex and all, but having the key to their secrecy be undone by sexy stuff is... underwhelming at best.

A common enough story line with some unique details. Well written, with moments of very realistic humor, but overall, eh. It's enough to keep you reading when you need something chill to do, or to kill some time, but not really worth picking up outside those circumstances. It's a familiar enough story, and others do it better.

Thanks to NetGalley & Cecy Robson for a free ARC in exchange for a review! Full review on site.

Olivia had to flee faerie when she was small, but the king of the death hounds had fled as well. Little by little, most of Olivia's family were taken by the hounds, and she was left alone. Living with her best friend Dahlia, and working as a paralegal in a successful law firm, she just tried to lay low and live life. Until that was no longer an option.

So apparently Death is a real person...like what the fuck. I really don't mean that in a negative way, but I guess it just makes the story... very interesting .

Anyway, If you enjoy stories about Fae and magic this is most definitely for you. The story was quick-paced, and the heroine had a very sassy character. The author did a great job of being descriptive but at the same time allowing the reader to be engaged and build and world scale. I liked the stark contrast between the concepts of life and death, even if the death part is a real fucking person.

Well here was a fun story; unique and original. I loved that this story was about Death and a Fay and all that that implies. I loved the Hell Hounds and the unique take on Fay lore. I loved the main characters of Death and Olivia and I liked the world in which the author created.

The mix of real world and mythology was fun to read and I enjoyed the chances the author took in the story. There were a few too many secondary characters for me to keep track of so I focused only on the main ones. The characters are not detailed as much as I would have liked but I did enjoy the dialogue between Death (he as another name, but come on I love to call him Death) and Olivia. I think they balance each other well.

This is more of an action/adventure paranormal story rather than a romance (that might be saved for book two), but there are some really great moments between all the fast paced twists and turns. I think that this is a great book for those who like action, supernatural and more story line based reads rather than detail character driven stories. I hope there is some more romance in the next book (if there even is one). I received an ARC via NetGalley and am leaving an honest review.

#NetGalley #Uneathed

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the world-building in this one. The magical characters were fascinating.

The problem i had with it is that i could not connect with the main character, Olivia. She seemed very shallow and immature.

What's the deal with the slut-shaming?

It's possible that it could be an original story thing and the in the next book I'll like her more, though.

I really hope so because the action scenes and the world-building are really well done.

I cannot wait to share Unearthed with the world. From the characters to non-stop action fans of Cecy Robson are going to love it.

This is the first in a new series and the series is going to be amazing!! I adored the book and cannot wait for the next in the series! I love Olivia and Ryker, I also adore Jane, Stevie and Marco! So many great characters in this book and a great storyline!! I'd highly recommend it!!

As a child Olivia and her family originally fled from the Faerie due to being hunted by death. Upon crossing into Earth, she lost her pixie magic. Years later, Olivia is a pixie paralegal working for a successful law firm with perhaps some sketchy clients and otherworld co-workers. To hide from death, most magical creatures on Earthside carry talismans that keep their magic signature distorted from death. There is an accident at work one day and death and their hounds come knocking...

If you enjoy stories about Fae and magic this is definitely for you! This was a quick-paced story with lots of action. The main character was sassy and it kept me entertained- I really wanted to know where Olivia ended up. This book had the makings of a fun paranormal romance, however, I was left wishing it was a little steamier between Olivia and her love interest.

The author did a great job of being descriptive but at the same time allowing the reader to be engaged and build and worldscape. I liked the stark contrast between the concepts of life and death. The author did a great job of not laying out everything for us- there is lots of room for character growth and connection which lead to great components of a dynamic story later on. I hope there is a next installment! I would rate this 3 out of 5.

Netgalley provided me with a free advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Unearthed wasn't at all what I was expecting. Reading the synopsis, I thought this was going to be an angsty paranormal fantasy where our protagonist is trying to stay away from Death until she has no other choice but to face him and, maybe, end up trusting him in the process. What I got, instead, was some office drama with sprinkles of paranormal, bland, stereotypical characters and unnecessary action scenes.

What irked me the most was the endless slut-shaming. Of course, the office had to have its sluts, with their short skirts and bleached hair, who were throwing themselves at the bad boys and when they weren't getting their way, they had to throw a tantrum afterward. Why do we keep up with these awful tropes, I have no idea.

Also, the main characters were supposed to be lawyers and paralegals in their late twenties, but their dialogue and overall behavior depicted neither of those things. They were mostly acting and talking like teenagers.

All in all, I didn’t enjoy this book because the issues I had with it made my reading experience really unpleasant.

I received an e-arc from NetGalley for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

I love a good urban fantasy novel so I really enjoyed "Unearthed". Olivia is Fae but hasn't shown any powers up to now. She works in a law office with other paranormal beings as well as humans. Many years ago hell hounds killed her family so her primary objective is to make sure they don't know where she is and to hopefully revenge her family's deaths someday. To hide from death, each paranormal needs to wear a talisman at all times. Once the talisman is broken they revert to their true selves, be they dragons, gremlins, trolls, etc... and Death comes for them. Olivia gets along well with everyone except for the new lawyer Ryker. There's something about him that irritates her. Great action-packed urban fantasy, characters, and romance! I can't wait to read the next book in what I hope is a series!

Fae kind lives in the mortal world and one of them, a pixie named Olivia, is hiding from Death. As it turns out Olivia has to kill Death... who works in her office.

The book is filled with action scenes from the very start and the pace doesn't slow down at all: it's fights upon characters having to flee to fights over and over again. This focus on action works to the character's advantage as neither one of them have much substance to them. They are all quite flat, unfortunately.

There were so many characters that I got lost at times. Some characters were just introduced to not be mentioned again after that chapter which seemed a bit like the author had words/characters to fill. It was very confusing. One plus, though, was that everyone had normal sounding names (yes even the Irish villain) which I liked as I could connect more to the world. Of course would supernatural creatures pick modern, human names for their children if they are to blend in with the humans. Makes perfect sense.

All in all, I did not really enjoy the story but I'm sure there are readers who'll thoroughly enjoy Robson's book.

Thank you Victory Editing for approving me for the ARC. I'll post this review to my Goodreads on August 7th 2019.