Salem’s always held sinister secrets. No one understands this better than a sixteen-year-old girl who dies on Halloween night and is reborn a Seer.
The Seer can’t imagine anything worse than being an invisible teenager with enormous black wings. Until she finds out she’s been sacrificed to watch over Locke’s new flame.
Locke Cavanaugh is a Druid, and part of the Order, a clandestine organization entrusted with keeping its members cloaked in the Ordinary world. Physically scarred from the accident that took his girlfriends life, Locke is searching for the OtherWorldly magic that damaged him, because only those without blemish can rule the Order. And once at the helm of the Order he has every intention of finding those responsible for her death.
On the West Coast, Keleigh Flaherty witnesses her parents’ murder by beasts that should only exist in nightmares. She is whisked off to the safety of Salem, where she learns how potent and dangerous her concealed Vate talents are. Keleigh wants to be Ordinary, but when her mother reaches out from the OtherWorld, and implores her to find a forgotten relic she’ll have to use all her ExtraOrdinary powers to locate it.
As Locke and Keleigh join forces, they unravel the Order’s involvement in the witch hysteria and murmurs of a Celtic prophecy. While Locke’s affection for Keleigh blooms, The Seer is torn between her duty to protect Keleigh, and her desire to stop Locke from making the ultimate sacrifice in order to earn Keleigh’s love . . .
But if they don’t find the witches bottle before the ShiningOnes do, someone stalking Keleigh from the shadows will take her instead and plunge all worlds into chaos.
I want to start by saying that after reading this book (which I did a while ago but had to wait for the blog tour to post my review), I knew this could be one of those books where people would either understand it and fall madly in love with it - or they'd just get confused and give up. I've seen both and can understand both sides. Fortunately for me, I fell madly in love with it.
This book is chock full of history, mythology and plot. Add to that it's written from the point of view of the Seer and not necessarily one of the main characters the book focuses on (Keleigh/Locke), you have the potential to be overwhelmed. I think I can safely say this book is not meant to be read quickly or skimmed through - it's intended for those that can sit down and fully immerse themselves in the rich details written on page upon page. If you have that sort of time, then you definitely won't regret it.
There was an amazing cast of characters starring in this book. Keleigh is the sort of girl that just tries to blend in with everyone else, when she truly stands out no matter what she does. Locke is a wild spirit that I honestly can't pin down with just a few words because he is truly everywhere with his personality and emotions. Both Keleigh and Locke's best friends are amazing supporting characters, full of charm and loyalty. Over all of the characters though, I think the Seer was the one that struck me as one of the most intriguing. Perhaps it was because the book was from her POV mostly, but her personality and wit really added another level to the story. It was strange to read the story from a secondary character's perspective, but it also added something unique to the story that I don't think would have been present had the POV from the story been from someone else. And even though the story is told from her POV, the Seer is still something of a mystery that keeps the element of intrigue that isn't necessarily quenched by the end of the story - making it impossible not to want to read more about her.
All's Fair In Vanities War has everything that I could ask for in a great read and I cannot wait to read more. If after reading my review, you're not in the least timid by this book... then I would wholly recommend checking it out.
Rating: ★★★★★
Source: Author
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Title: All's Fair In Vanities War
Author: Elizabeth Marx
Series: The Seer's Seven Deadly Fairy Tales
Publisher: Self-Published
Format: Kindle Edition
Release Date: October 24, 2011
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