Review – The Last Prince of Darkness (Evernight Fae Book 1) by Angela M Hudson (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 288 pages
Publisher: Oakland Press
Release Date: July 27, 2020
ASIN: B085BMZNBC
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Evernight Fae series
Source: Borrowed eBook from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 4/5 stars
“When the troubled young Aerik is banished from the Kingdom of Aurelia, he must find a way to act human in their world. Growing up in the foster system among kids who tease him about his pointed ears, the unloved, unwanted young faerie accepts his miserable, lonely new life. Until he returns to the town of his childhood friend, Cami Dixon.
While their rekindled “acquaintanceship” is strained and downright cantankerous, Cami really is the only human who truly knows him. Which is why Aerik can’t just walk away.
But after Aerik suddenly vanishes, the sassy young Cami journeys alone to the island home of the fae, diving headfirst into her own tale of survival in unchartered lands. Was this hot but ultimately nasty faerie even worth all this suffering?Enduring a vast landscape and a culture she doesn’t understand, the unusual customs and the trickery of the folk will rob her of things she didn’t know could be sold.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, a cruel Queen reveals a plot that could end Aerik’s life, and now finding him becomes about more than just a desire to see him one last time.
Held captive by a tribe of sun-fearing nightfolk, Cami is certain the inside of a cage will be the last thing she ever sees. Only trouble is, Aerik lived his human life alone and unloved, only to come to a world where that will never change.
Who will he trust if she can’t escape to find him, and who would care enough to warn him that he’s about to die?”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Evernight Fae series. There are seven books in this series. I borrowed a copy of this ebook through Kindle Unlimited.
Thoughts: This was an intriguing start to a fae-based young adult paranormal series. I like the snarky tone to the story, although there are some issues with how the writing flows at points. I also struggled a bit with Cami’s motivation to put herself into a very dangerous situation to help someone who very obviously didn’t want her help.
The story starts by following Cami as a child; she accidentally finds a fae boy (Aerik) trapped in a faerie jar. They spend the summer together but Cami’s parents freak out when Cami starts talking about faeries and they end up convincing her that Aerik’s not real. Many years pass and then Cami bumps into Aerik at her local high school which triggers a whole series of events. Cami then ends up venturing into the dangerous fae realm to find Aerik.
I love fae based stories and enjoyed this one. As I said above, the writing is a bit disjointed at times but I was able to look past this and enjoy the unique setting. I really enjoyed how snarky Cami is and her strangely practical attitude in such weird circumstances. I was engaged in the story the whole time and enjoyed this quick read.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. I liked the characters and the intriguing fae world presented here. This is a pretty basic YA paranormal faerie themed story. However, Cami’s snarky attitude really makes this entertaining and sets it apart from other YA faerie novels. It is a fun and fluffy little read that was entertaining. My only complaint was that the writing was disjointed at times and came off as a bit amateurish, hopefully that will improve as the series continues. I plan on reading the next book in the series.
