I dipped into this as something light to read. I love reading different takes on the Fair Folk, so this seemed like a good choice.
One of the best parts of this book is the world building that is subtly going on behind the scenes. You are plunged into the middle of the action as the exiled Queen Sentina and her bodyguard find a way to travel from their place of exile to the human realm at Christmas time. As the plot unfolds, small details of the world and its inhabitants leak out, so you find yourself gradually immersed in the background rather than suddenly having a lot of detail dumped on you.
I also liked the portrayal of the nature of the supernatural beings. I grew up thinking fairies were not safe, and this story echoes that impression. The Fair Folk are portrayed as scheming, difficult and indifferent to mortals and it’s incredibly entertaining, especially when they end up in our realm. The characters were shown to be unfamiliar with mortals and their culture and the clash was incredibly well shown.
I enjoyed the pace of the story, as it rattled through the entertaining scenes. There was some sex, which I thought was quite well handled. I don’t read much erotica, but I was glad to see that the sex was part of the plot, rather than the plot being an excuse for the sex. I suspect that sex will be a greater part of the plot in any subsequent stories.
This was a relatively short story. However, at the end of the story they advertised a trilogy that seemed to be focused on the same characters. I shall look out for it with interest.
