Creepy Hollow #2: Labyrinth by Rachel Morgan
Source: Purchase
4/5 stars

Ooh!! Creepy Hollow round two is just as good as round one!! The action in Labyrinth picks up right where Guardian left off; none of those annoying time lapse things going on here. Violet has officially decided she likes Nate and might have “forgotten” to erase his memory. For Nate’s part, he knows he likes Violet and is anxious to begin the search for his biological mother. Both are certain that once they find Angelica (Nate’s bio mom) all their questions will be answered and the mysteries solved. All kinds of warm fuzzy stuff can come from this, right?

In order to find Angelica, Violet has to use her super-cool find anyone anywhere power and it leads she and Nate to a place they should never, ever venture into, the Underground. The things that go bump in the night live in the Underground and just as soon as they arrive Violet discovers she and Nate have no means of an easy, magical escape. The pair has no choice but to maneuver through the Underground which is a massive labyrinth until they either find Angelica or a way out. The story wouldn’t be good if there weren’t obstacles and boy are there obstacles to the tune of a giant tidal wave, a troll, and one seriously b**tchy bio mom.

While Labyrinth answers some of the questions posed in Guardian it also brings with it a whole host of new questions. In this way, Labyrinth was a bit more frustrating than Guardian but no less good. Here’s what we’re left with at the end of Labyrinth:

1)Is Angelica good, evil, or just cranky and tired of being trapped in the Underground?
2)Why does Angelica want Violet’s already-dead parents dead?
3)Why is Ryn, Violet’s greatest training competitor and enemy at a nightclub in the Underground?
4)Where did Nate go when he and Violet get separated in the Underground?
5)What is the strange eye-shaped tattoo that has appeared on Nate’s lower back?

To be continued dear reader, in Creepy Hollow #3, Traitor. ( )

***Spoilers if you haven't read the first book****

Seems like there have been some loose lips in the fae realm. The kiss that was supposed to be kept secret has been blabbed about and Violet's cheeks are turning red. She's visiting Nate on the sly, breaking all the rules of her Guardian training, but hey, if no one finds out about it, she's not hurting anyone. Personally, I'd love to have one of those little stylus' she uses to draw on the wall and make a doorway to a different world. How cool would that be? Anyway, the one thing Vi has never thought about is romance, but now, she can't stop thinking about Nate and with too much time on her hands....let's just say she pops in on him without thinking about what time it is or what he might be doing. She's very much drawn to his bare chest.

Anyway, after Nate puts his shirt on, he and Vi decide rather than to separate that they should look for Nate's mother. Vi has a great gift for finding people. She just has to touch something that belonged to them and she can focus on where they are. So they go snooping. And what do they find???? A lot of action and trouble and a bit of a cliffie! There was a ton of action in this one with a look into Vi's world through Nate's eyes. They encounter some bad things in Vi's world and some interesting characters in some very interesting and questionable places.

This second installment of the Creepy Hollow series is just as good if not better than the first. We already know the characters and they are establishing a relationship, bonded by dangerous situations and a common goal, finding Nate's mother. The world is unfolding slowly but at just the right pace. It's on a need to know basis, as Nate and Vi experience it, we do too. Again, I say, I really love these novellas. Such a quick juicy read and I know that come May, I'll have another installment to read. It's a great way to build the anticipation for the story and yet not make us wait forever for the second novel. Sometimes, you just want a little story. This is it. And next month, there will be more! Rachel Morgan is a fantastic writer and storyteller. ( )