‘The Uncrossing’ by Melissa Eastlake

4 solid stars:

'The Uncrossing' is as much about magic as it is a slow-burn YA romance.  Author Melissa Eastlake drops readers in the middle of a set of families who have been working together for generations, each person specializing in a different type of magic.  Eastlake has skillfully brought to life a unique and complex system of magic and an enchanting re-imagined New York City.  She employs an enjoyable blend of fantasy with real-world subway transit and social media.

Luke and Jeremy are young men caught a web of magic spun generations prior.  Though their families are allies, there are many secrets between them.  As they slowly fall for each other, these secrets are unraveled lead to an old curse involving them all.

I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'The Uncrossing' will be available at booksellers on October 2nd, 2017.

‘Coiled’ by H.L. Burke

4 enchanting stars!

'Coiled’ is a well-written retelling of the story of Eros and Psyche.  In this case, there are a set of twin Princesses and a set of twin Princes with a mirror curse cast upon each set.  Their fathers, the two Kings, are friends, and like all fairytale Kings, they set out to unite their kingdoms via marriage of their children.

The mirror curses are such that Princess Laidra becomes more and more ugly on the outside as she uses her gift to heal people and show them kindness.  Her sister has the inverse, the other half of the curse.  Princess Ellea’s outward beauty grows each time she is mean or nasty.  While the girls’ curse is tied to their personalities and choices they actively make, the boys’ curse allows them less control.  Each Prince has a human form and a serpent form.  One Prince remains human unless someone lays eyes on him, and the other remains a serpent until someone lays eyes on him. 

As a result of their curses (and some rather nasty parenting), Prince Volen and Princess Ellea are paraded in front of their kingdoms as the beautiful and human heirs to the throne.  They easily maintain these positions by having guards constantly watch Prince Volen and for Princess Ellea to continue to be nasty in order to keep up her beauty.

Princess Laidra could actively choose not to help people, and her warts and scars would disappear over time, but that’s not who she is.  Prince Calen has no such choice; even his own mother must wear a blindfold while in his presence, or else he turns into a mindless serpent.

As the Kings plan for Volen and Ellea’s marriage to unite their kingdoms and plot to resolve the curses set upon their children, chaos, romance, and intervention from mythological Greek Gods ensue.  Enjoy!

I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.