Phoebe is drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new girl at school. Soon the two become as close as sisters . . . until Mallory’s magnetic older brother, Ryland, arrives. Ryland has an immediate hold on Phoebe — but it turns into something dangerous, as she begins to question her feelings about her best friend and, worse, about herself. Soon Phoebe discovers the shocking, fantastical truth about Ryland and Mallory, and about an age-old debt she’s meant to pay. Will she be strong enough to save herself from the curse?
The story and the whole concept was too old-fashioned, or should I say weird. The pace was much too draggy, when the plot was only based on a story/fairy tale that could have been 3 pages at most. The conversations of the fey children with the fairy queen were monotonous and slightly robotic, written in an amateurish style. I find that these conversations were rather annoying and unnecessary as it breaks the reader's focus on the story line. I did not enjoy this book very much, and I skipped several pages at once while reading, but it wasn't all bad. The good parts are the story from which the Rothschild ancestor came in touch with the fey and the bargain, and the fact that although Mallory was a changeling, she had real concerns and cares for her human mother. On a side note, the book cover is gorgeous!
Rating:
