After reading the first few pages I had very high expectations for this book. The writing is superb, the character voice fluent...but the weak character motivations and rushed plot really spoiled what could have been an amazing story.

STORY: Cat Baker, lovely waitress and outcast witch, is forced to run for a position of power in the faerie realm against her will. All sorts of fun ensues, from being forced to team up with her ex, to running from vampires who want her dead. The premise was good enough, but the execution of the conflict was weak. The first half of the story whizzes past in a blur, leaving very little room for character development, and Cat, charming though her narrative voice is, is very inconsistent in presentation. This really hurt the plot; scenes were rushed, and her reasoning wasn't clarified, especially near the beginning. Then the second half of the book almost seems stagnant in comparison, with hardly anything driving the story, and the ending was so quick it was over before I blinked. This was a crying shame, as the world-building and magical laws were so good, I was very disappointed it wasn't used to full potential.

CHARACTERS: Cat definitely gives off a strong vibe, and I really enjoyed her style, however her actions just don't make sense. She's adamant not to go for the position of Titania, then two sentences later she changes her mind. She's determined not to forgive her ex, Lex, and yet does so with hardly any resistance. She's made out as this rebel witch who doesn't fully adhere to their pacifist morals, and yet she's decidedly weak. She wants revenge on her father, and yet her anger fizzles out. Rather than come across as a morally confused character, this just makes her look indecisive, weak and stupid. Again this really annoyed me because she's so well-written!

The supporting cast (Lex, Mac, Portia and Tybalt) are generally well done, though Lex's complexity is simplified way too much. His reasons later in the story, while meant to create conflict, were too weak, and it really broke my suspension of disbelief.

The villains are pretty flat and one dimensional. Cat's father is just a power-mad pawn, and even the real 'big bad' has such shallow motives. There were a couple of interesting plot points in the second half, though, but I felt these could have been played upon more. The total non-resolution at the end, however, ruined this. Even if the author intends to use it for a sequel, some ends do need tying here.

SETTING/ VOICE: I really liked the world of Faerie and how it contrasted to the modern world. The descriptions are well done and easy to follow for the most part. The world and magic mechanics too were good, although I was disappointed that the 'vampires' appeared when the author had such a choice (and knowledge) of other magical groups to use for villains. This seemed a quite cop-out.

Cat's voice is superb and I couldn't fault this aspect.

PRESENTATION: The cover is fairly well done and the formatting is consistent.

OVERALL: I really wanted to love this book. While it's got a fantastic voice, great setting and world-building elements, the rushed plot, weak motives and weak villains really drag it down. A more carefully thought out plot and stronger characters and I would've give this five stars. A good read if you just want a something to skim through, but if you want a cohesive story with more solid characters, try elsewhere.