I went into this book with a little trepidation. Despite normally not doing so, I had managed to stumble across a few of the other Goddreads reviews before I started, and they weren't all glowing. Pacing seemed to be a major concern from a number of reviewers and lack of plot driven excitement.

Well, I'm happy to say that while the story as a whole was slow, I didn't find it dull. When working with trilogies or series it can be difficult to get the world building and plot driver levels correct to keep your readers engaged and provide the information they need.

Megan managed to introduce a large cast of characters, each with complex backgrounds in a way that didn't overwhelm the reader, provided teaser information and whetted the appetite for books 2 and 3.

Complexity of characters was lacking in some of the later introduced characters, but I'm sure they'll be explored in more detail in the next book/s. The main cast had quite a lot of time to unfold their natures to the reader and do so in a manner that I don't really trust yet, but I feel that was the intention.

It feels to me that Megan will portray a character in a certain way to start, only to have that original idea smashed by some later revelation. This is quite ingenious as it allows for character growth that the reader experiences too.

I loved the Irish history and legends that coursed through this book and long to delve further into the Sidhe and Fianna.

The biggest blow to this book was the love triangle. I am hoping it is redeemed later in the trilogy, but I'm not holding my breath.

**Note: I was provided an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley in return for an honest review**

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyscape for an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry for such a late review, but I was determined to clean out my NetGalley shelf. I requested this book years ago when I was on my YA binge. I've grown since then and have to say this book was pretty interesting and didn't make me want to slug a teenager, so in truth it was pretty good. There was an interesting storyline of a young woman trying to save herself and her family, all the while some supernatural stuff was going on. A bit deep in the Celtic mythology for me, so I will admit ignorance. But this was a pretty long book with not a whole lot going on. It's a bit depressing as our MC is constantly struggling. So if you are interested in a bit of supernatural mythology and are ready for a long ride, then check this out. As there are 2 more books in this series (that I of course requested). I might have to see if the story picks up. The reviews sure make it look that way on GoodReads.

**I received the novel in 2015 and was not able to finish reading**

I read through one chapter. It was well written and interesting.

Unfortunately, this one just wasn't a good fit for me. I love the premise, but I didn't click with the story, so I won't be reviewing it.

The book starts off with a glossary of terms and a pronunciation guide. A cautious optimism spread through my cynical, cold little heart. This book promised me exotic sounding deities from Irish Mythology, druids, sidhe/fairies, runes, epic, legendary warriors etc. I was sold.

The only things I know of Ireland and its folklore have been gleaned from Lucky Charms commercials and repeat viewings of Leprechaun 5: In the Hood. So needless to say, I was excited to start this book. And then that initial joy slowly died in my throat.

We meet our heroine Grace Knox. A prudent young girl on the cusp of her debut into 19th century New York Society, Grace makes for an inoffensive, if not justifiably dour main character. When not playing martyr and caring for her ill mother, mad grandmother, and drunk brother, she daydreams of romance and a White Knight with shining armor. Apparently there was a BOGO sale because she winds up with not one but two White Knights to deliver her from her own personal, poverty-stricken hell of bill collectors and tattered frocks. White Knight #1 just so happens to be Diarmid Ua Duibhne, newly awakened legendary warrior from centuries past, but you wouldn't know it from the way he flirts like a teenage boy straight out of high school.

This insufferable love triangle was alluded to in the book’s blurb. Love triangles make for trite, distracting sub-plots, but they seem impossible to escape from in the YA genre. What was not mentioned in this book's blurb was that eventually this love triangle mutates and metastasizes into a love quadrilateral and then inexplicably, a love pentagon. Excellent.

But still I dutifully read on. You see I was promised epic battles and magic and legendary warriors and the blood of Britons flowing freely down the Emerald Isle. And so I waited. And waited. And waited some more. It got to the point where at the beginning of every chapter I would hold an imaginary conversation with myself that went something like this:

Why hello there, Mr. Chapter 15. Is anything exciting and plot-advancing going to happen here? Oh, I see. Grace and her friends are going to go to the fair. Oh, okay. Maybe something exciting will happen next chapter.

Why hello there, Mr. Chapter 20. Are there gonna be any epic battles here? I mean surely you couldn't have a group called Finn's Warriors and have them never do battle. That would just be silly. Oh, I see. Grace and White Knight #1 whom she totally doesn't have feelings for are going to have a totally illuminating, truly riveting conversation whilst going for a stroll. Guess, I'll have to wait for the next chapter for exciting things to happen.

And so on and so forth. I was disappointed to say the least. There are hints of things to come. Prophecies. Spooky nightmares. Rituals and summonings. But it all leads to a whole lotta nothing. And still I kept reading to the bitter, anti-climatic ending.

Every aspect of this book that could have elevated it above and beyond its fellow YA ilk is woefully underdeveloped and mismanaged. There are some tantalizing opportunities for social commentary that are wholly glossed over. White Knight #2, Patrick Devlin, is a second-generation Irish transplant who still feels strong ties to Ireland and aims to fund a rebellion to liberate it from British rule. Patrick, like so many failed freedom fighters before and after him, naively believes that throwing enough money at a problem and throwing around words like Freedom with a capital "F" will make for a successful revolution. His gung-ho, self-professed role as Ireland's savior is magnified by his liminal status. He's not quite a New Yorker,but he's not really Irish either. And so he over-compensates. He obsessively collects Irish relics and antiques. He gives Grace books by Irish poets filled not with love sonnets but with rousing war songs of rebellion.

Grace, who also has Irish blood, couldn't care less. She's a New Yorker now through and through. In fact, she seems unfazed by signs outside storefronts that read "Irish Need Not Apply." There is a sometimes unsteady relationship between the children of immigrants and their adopted motherlands. The interplay between maintaining cultural identity versus assimilating would have been a great topic to explore in further depth. But is this topic ever really explored? Nope. Let's have Grace and Diarmid do some more of their little awkward dance of hate-hate-kiss-kiss-guilt-longing-kiss-kiss-slap.

There comes a point in the reading of this book where the reader notices that the page count keeps decreasing, yet the number of plot issues that need resolving keeps increasing. Odd. "How ever will Megan Chance wrap all this up?" The reader asks. Turns out she can't. Because this shit is a trilogy. So if you really wanna know how this story really ends you're going to have double down and then triple down to ever see a return on your investment. Spare me. The first book of a series should set the tone for the rest of the series. If this first book is any indication of the quality of the next two books, then I expect them to be plodding, mostly plot-less soap operas with teenagers in petticoats and wholly unworthy of my time and probably yours too.