The people I thought I could trust have betrayed me and the one person I should absolutely not trust; is taking me deeper and deeper into his world.
Ryder’s secrets are dangerous and devastating.
With each touch and word, he pulls my heart closer to himself and at the same time he is trying to keep me at arm’s length. The dance he and I have begun, is getting more complicated as our worlds are being shaken from all sides, and the visions of the future are frightening, and nothing like I had ever pictured for myself or those I care for.
This time, destiny is taunting me.
I had always thought that I controlled my destiny. Now, my rights are being taken from me by powerful people and leaving me with alternatives that range between bad and awful.
This time, the choices I have to make can decide the fate of both worlds.
Everything is unraveling, and nothing will ever be the same again.
We see a completely different side to Syn's character, there's so much more depth and as the synopsis says, things are changing vastly for both Syn and Adam. Syn's character is just as tough and bad ass as ever, she's not happy with the change and despite knowing it's futile she attempts to fight it with everything she has, luckily Ryder's there to help show her the way to embracing her true Fae self. Fucking Faery *grins*. While I admired Syn for trying to hold the frayed pieces of her life together, I also wanted to shake some sense into her because clearly there was no way to avoid or halt the change, and yet she constantly tried to act like it wasn't happening because she was far too stubborn to just admit it was a lost cause. I suppose, in the beginning, Ryder didn't help matters treating her like some dog he owned, I mean dude there's possessiveness and then there's just plain douchebaginess. In book one we see Syn as someone who feels deeply but keeps it buried, however in book two her emotions are a lot closer to the surface, and I really did feel for her because having your entire world and pretty much your existence turned upside down, is enough to make anyone snap and become an emotional wreck. I could understand her belief of the unfairness of it all, because don't we all wish for the good old days long past?
What I was unprepared for was Syn losing the tough and hard as nails persona, the amount of times she not only cries alone but in front of Ryder is shocking, to say the least. I mean this is not the same Synthia McKenna we saw in Fighting Destiny, but then again I suppose allowances must be made when one's life is irrevocably altered. I was further unprepared for the change in her relationship with Ryder, although pleasantly surprised to say the least. In book one it was about having the upper hand and looking at the relationship as purely sexual, however in book two we are confronted with the depth of feelings they harbor for one another. So much so it gives one delightful tingles, delicious shivers and intense heartache. When the lines become blurred between sex and more, Syn and Ryder find themselves lost and yet neither is prepared to lay themselves bare. I guess we all have our insecurities.
“I’m Syn, and you’re Ryder. You’re my fucking Fairy, and you’re wrong,” I purred throatily.
“How’s that?” he inquired, sinking further inside of me.
“You’re my fucking Fairy happy meal,” I smiled, and pulled at his soul.
“You are my Fairy, and I am yours.
“You gonna scale the walls and be my Prince Charming?” I asked, raising a delicate brow in question.
“No Pet, I’ll be your Prince Fucking Charming,” he smiled wickedly and disappeared.
Amelia gives us Ryder's POV a lot more in this book, and I'm really grateful for that because it helped me understand a lot better. The extent of his feelings for Syn, the ever present beast living within and the the complexity of the situation back in Faery. Poor Ryder was just doing whatever he could to save his land and people, and dear old Syn simply get's caught in the crossfire. I found it hard to resist Ryder's charms, much more so than in the first book, and yet he still managed to infuriate me with his constant defiance to admitting what he felt for Syn and what she in turn meant to him. There were many unanswered questions lingering from the first book, and we have a few of them answered such as who Ryder is and what really went down with Adrian, among other things. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Amelia would toss in a curveball that completely threw me and had me tapping away at my Kindle.
“I can fight for both, and she’s more than a pet, Ristan. I’m finding it hard to stay away from her at all. She’s like a drug in my veins.”
“You,” he said, falling to his knees in front of me. “I’d want you, Synthia, to do with as I wished for the rest of my life. You would be mine, completely.
“You won’t be a monster, and if you do change into one—you will still be mine. Personally, I like a woman with horns and a sexy little tail.”
Adrian, oh boy. I know what you're thinking, not him again. But you see before I said I wasn't too sure how I felt about him, and seeing him a lot more in book two I actually kind of feel sorry for him. Allow me to explain, he does care for Syn in his own weird little way but see I think he's in love with the idea of her and what they had, not Syn herself per se. Do you see? This of course also leads back to Adam and his 'feelings', which I'm saying no more on because if you really want to know read the book. Last, but not least, I mentioned the ever present panty combusting Fae posse *swoon*. I really want them to get a book each, the more we see and hear of them the more I want to get inside their heads. And hey let's not forget Ristan, the loveable and comical demon totally needs his own little story.
Wow this must be one of my longest reviews, but I'm not gonna apologize because I know you all love it really. Besides I'm just about done, I just need to vent about how unhappy I am with the cliffhanger ending *glares at Amelia*, I mean bloody hell woman are you trying to kill us?! Just when I thought there was a way out, that it wouldn't end well but Ryder would save the day, it all went to shit. I guess if Ryder did make it that would make it too predictable, but dammit Syn's taken a bloody oath and I am freaking out! After the little revelation of what Ryder's beast did to make sure Syn was there's indisputably, I was able to start breathing normally again and the BOOM! Amelia blows it all to dust. And now her readers are lost in a sea of grief, frustration, apprehension and pure unadulterated need!
So although I'm majorly pissed with the ending, my rating stands 5 unbelievably engrossing stars. Book junkies, worms, nerds and loyal minions if you have not yet read Amelia Hutchins Fae Chronicles, you seriously need to wake the heck up and get reading, because to say you're missing out is a freaking understatement. Come and get lost in a world of magic, love, lust, adventure, danger and drama. Where nothing is as it seems, secrets are revealed and encounter a love unlike any other. Warning, side effects may include: screaming, crying, swooning, melting and sexual heat overload. Proceed with caution and a spare pair of underwear.