Constance Burris

The youth of the Vista Apartments haven't exactly had perfect childhoods--it's not the best of neighborhoods--but they do the best they can for themselves. And all of them have been warned to avoid their neighbor, "Crazy" Jade. Voodoo priestess? Witch doctor? Witch? Depends on which person you ask. But there is definitely something about her that makes that warning one that everyone should heed for there are dire consequences for any to stumble too far into her path.

What an interesting read! The intersecting lives of everyone involved in this story make for a very interesting introduction to the world in which this all takes place--lots of background on everyone comes organically from learning how they connect together. And even though the main plot of the story builds to where a reader might think it would go, there are some unexpected twists at the end that definitely surprised me.

For those how have read [b:Coal: Book One of the Everleaf Series|25798596|Coal Book One of the Everleaf Series|Constance Burris|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435312633s/25798596.jpg|45416240] (which I definitely recommend), this also serves as a nice prequel. While it's not set in the same place and time, it provides some important backstory...and I'll just leave it at that. Personally, I would like to know what happens to some of the characters that we leave here...maybe they will show up again in the Everleaf series...

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.]… (mais)

After helping Elizabeth escape the fey realm, Coal finds that he's stuck in the human world. Worse than that, he's been arrested and placed in detention for being a party to Elizabeth's kidnapping. The government agent who arrested him is willing to let him go, but he has a condition. He wants Coal to give up Chalcedony as Elizabeth's kidnapper. It turns out taking a human to the fey realm without their consent violates a long-standing treaty between the humans and the fey. But although Coal already betrayed Chaledony by bringing Elizabeth home, he's wary of saying anything more.

All Coal really wants is to return to the fey realm. It's all he's known and he considers it to be his home. But getting back there isn't as easy as it might seem. And Coal will need to enlist some unlikely allies in his quest. Along the way, though, he learns the truth about his past and it turns everything on its head.

Things aren't all great in the fey realm, either. Chalcedony enlists Queen Tasla to help confront Queen Isis for allowing free traffic through her door. One of the jobs of the queens is to ensure their doors are properly guarded. To do otherwise is ground for other queens to forcibly remove you from power. And it looks like Chalcedony and Tasla will need to do just that. But Isis isn't going to go down without a fight.

With Coal's shocking truths revealed in the human world and war brewing in the fey realm, this book is a game changer for everyone involved.

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I really enjoyed Coal when I read it a while ago. There's a uniqueness to the world of this story. It eschews many of the YA fantasy tropes, and it does so quite well. I never once thought to myself "Oh, yep, there's that thing we keep seeing in every new YA book." The author brings a a refreshing voice and a vibrant set of characters to life on the page.

There's also a great balance of action and character development in this book. Readers learn more about the history of this world, but you don't have to wade through chapter after chapter of exposition to get it. And, as a special treat, we find out what happened to everyone at the end of Black Beauty--and there are some definite major twists that came out of that.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next book!

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.]… (mais)

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author via Diverse Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.]

I do think it's rare right now to find a young adult fantasy that stands out as unique, with an original story and perspective. Which is why I was excited the entire time I was reading Coal. The world that Constance Burris has created has some originality to it (though we don't get a heavy dose of backstory, there's enough to point a picture, and it drew me in), and the characters here are compelling, especially for a young adult novel. Spoiler: Romance doesn't save the day. Spoiler: Coal isn't just automatically superior to everything and everyone because he's the protagonist. Spoiler: Tough choices must be made, and the consequences for those decisions are real. We can't have everything, and sometimes we just have to understand what we value, do what's right, and make the right decisions.

Recommended for fans of fantasy and young adult, especially those who are looking for something different than what's out there...… (mais)

Do you ever casually walk along when all of a sudden *BAM* a theme jumps out of the bushes and wallops you on the head? That's pretty much what happens 3/4 through this book.

Somehow, a free version of the ebook found its way onto my tablet. Not to make blanket assumptions, but "free ebook" doesn't usually inspire confidence in the quality of its material. This presumptuous attitude of mine definitely colored my reading of the first part of Coal, until said themes burst from the shrubbery to enact their sneak attack. Thoroughly bamboozled, I wandered through the conclusion and decided it wasn't really for me.

So yes. If the synopsis intrigues you, go for it. Beware of lurking themes. Perhaps don't read at 6 am on the airplane.… (mais)