Originally I bought this book because I thought it was part of Malan's Dhulyn and Parno series (though I'm not sure what convinced me of that), but found out pretty quickly it was its own stand alone fantasy. This is almost my dream come true set-up, but the problem is that its a set-up I've seen quite often in the last decade in young adult fiction. The 'hidden faerie royalty' plot has been beaten to death it sometimes feels like.

In all honesty I enjoyed the human-Max better than later as he regained his memories of being the Guardian Prince, Dawntreader. Its not that he changed for the worse personality-wise, but more I couldn't connect with him as much. Cassandra was hot and cold for me, but a lot of that had to do with a past history with Max that isn't fully explored. She did her job, she did it well, but she resented it a lot of the time, having wished to avoid Max as much as possible. I liked Max and Cassandra's interactions in the beginning, as he tried to convince himself she was the crazy one, she tried to convince him he needed to listen regardless and they both tried to fight their attraction.

I had trouble staying focused while reading the book, my mind kept wandering and I kept wanting to just stop reading, but once I start a book I finish it. Its not that the world wasn't interesting or I wasn't interested in the final battle between the Basilisk Prince (the bad guy) and Max, I just didn't have enough interest. The characters didn't feel real to me, so I didn't feel the suspense or shock that the author was trying to convey at times.

I much prefer the Dhulyn and Parno series by Malan. As a first novel I think this had a lot of potential, but fell flat where the characters were concerned, so that kept this from being a book I could really enjoy. ( )

I moved through this one pretty quickly once I got started. It's nice to read a fantasy novel without the expectation that it's going to be a trilogy (or more) and it did end on a solid note. The characters were interesting enough, and it was a great bad guy. However, there were lots of unanswered questions; it didn't seem like they were unanswered deliberately, but more that the author sort of forgot to tie up those threads (particularly things that happened earlier in the book). Also, the usage of made-up words for certain terms got a little old and seemed unnecessary--if it's armor, just call it armor, even if it is magical in your world. ( )

An urban fantasy that successfully wandes into the realm of faerie. It makes you think. Are you happy with who you are? Would you give up the bad things in your past if it meant possibly being someone you won't like? The ending is highly satisfying. An excellent read.

Although this book had interesting characters and a well developed world, I felt bogged down by too much description and introspection that felt repetitive. I wanted to stay with the characters to see how things turned out in the end, but was not surprised by the ending and didn't feel the need to run out and buy the next book. The 360 pages in this book felt longer. ( )

The premise of the book will be familiar to more experienced fantasy readers. History professor Max Ravenhill discovers he's not who he thinks he is. He's not even human. He's an exile from the lands of the Fae, guardian of the Talismans that can select the next High Prince and end the cycle of death and corruption. Now, as Max's exile comes to an end, the Basilisk Prince is determined to capture him and use the Talismans to make himself High Prince.

It took me a few chapters to get into the book. Malan jumps right into the action with a fairly brutal (off-screen) massacre, and it also took me a while to grasp the fantasy side of her worldbuilding. It wasn't until a few chapters into the book, when Max and his protector Cassandra left our world and returned home, that I started to wrap my brain around everything.

With that said, I enjoyed the book a great deal by the end. Max and Cassandra were fun, and it was interesting to see the relationship between the guardian (who knows what's going on) and Max (whose memories have been altered, so he doesn't even know Cassandra at first). Malan even gives us glimpses of "humanity" from the Basilisk Prince, and I always like conflicted characters.

While some elements of the story felt familiar, others were intriguingly original. I enjoyed Malan's take on enchanted weapons and armor, and the creative ways they can be used. Her revelation about the Hounds (hunting beasts, from the original Hunt) was fascinating enough I wanted her to spend more time on it.

Actually, that was my biggest frustration. Some of Malan's most fascinating ideas seemed to get skimmed over. I wanted to learn more about the Naturals and the Solitaries, the other "races" of Max's realm. I wanted to understand guidebeasts better. And if the biggest complaint about a book is, "I wanted more," I think that's a pretty positive thing. ( )