Book Review Thursdays: Labyrinth by Rachel Morgan

Labyrinth by Rachel Morgan

Creepy Hollow Book Two                                             
Genre: YA Paranormal
Published: April 1, 2012
Source: Bought at Smashwords
First heard of: Through Rachel.
Purchase: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Smashwords
Extras: Book Trailer
Summary:

Guardian trainee Violet Fairdale has officially been suspended for bringing a human into the fae realm. No assignments, no training, and goodbye to that position at the top of the class. While this sucks, it at least allows her time to secretly keep visiting Nate, the human boy who caused her suspension in the first place. It’s not the wisest move to continue breaking Guild Law, but no one’s going to find out. And Nate is worth the risk, isn’t he?

To prevent herself from going into assignment withdrawal, Vi throws herself into investigating Nate’s real mother, Angelica, a woman who seems to be mysteriously connected to the world of the fae. Nate’s never given her much thought, but that was before an insane faerie abducted him in order to blackmail Angelica out of hiding. Now Nate wants answers, and Vi’s got the perfect ability to help him.

Review

Violet is back. She has decided to not make Nate forget her and sees him in secret. Suspended she decides to help Nate fiind his biological mother. But things get very complicated. From a disk with a strange griffin on it, to what it means. Vi finds that Nate is more than he seems and their relationship gets more complicated as Vi considers if she can do what her heart finds impossible and her mind thinks is logical. Leave Nate. As they continue the search for Angelica, adventure and peril quickly persues them. Will their search for Nate's mother be successful? Can they live long enough to really try? And what will it be like when Nate and Vi force themselves into Nate's true parentage? The story will draw you in with a surprising twist ending.

I'm still a fan of the Creepy Hollow Series after reading book two. But unfortunately it's not as good as book one. In book one it was one thing after another flowing perfectly and keeping your attention in all the right places. Where Labyrinth falls is in the fact that several spots are lagging and they're points where things happen without proper explanation. Like Nate suddenly disappearing and reappearing in a different place without explanation and both he and Vi getting away with hardly any of the patrons taking notice of them despite it being populated by beings of a less lawful nature. Parts with expectation of villains were disappointing and book one (Guardian) definitely utilized the villains better and made you aching for a reappearance. The biggest villain this one and what ensues left me hoping mostly that she and Vi and Nate didn't meet again. But partly because I felt there could've been a much better and less pathethic female villain/deceptor. While these issues didn't make me stop reading. They did disappoint me in what I had expected after reading book one. However there are great things about this novellette and they're why I'll be reading the next one in May ASAP.

Labyrinth follows the new love life of Nate and Vi. Both have clear feelings for each other and between expressing it and Vi trying to be less 'hands on.' They start the search for Nate's mother and both find out unexpected details. The further they go the more intense and dangerous it gets. When they land somewhere Vi's magic can't get them out of they have to hoof it to find their way out. Along the way they meet all kinds of creatures and individuals. And one individual who sees them could mean the end of everything they worked so hard to protect. What I enjoyed about Labyrinth was watching Nate and Vi's relationship blossom and follow them on their journey to find out about Angelica. Also the tormoil Vi faces about keeping Nate and secret adds some good angst and deep emotions. Getting to the end of Labyrinth meant an end to another page turning work by Rachel Morgan. Despite my criticism I still love this series and wait anxiously for the next book to arrive.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I gave it four stars on Goodreads

Author: Rachel Morgan