Reviewing: War of the Fae (Books 1~3) by Elle Casey

First things first, I've been super busy recently. I have a ton of school piling up, end of course tests to study for, etc., etc.

This means, as it always does, that I will posting a lot less. I already have been, but I'm about to practically fall off the face of the blogosphere.

However, I do have some things planned! Huzzah for plans!

I had never even heard of the War of the Fae quartet until it popped up on the YA list at 9 Novels. (Which is where I find most of the books I read. Seriously. Go check it out.). Unfortunately, only three books are listed on Goodreads. I read all of those three in one day and never got to the fourth. (And it's been a while, which is a little embarrassing).

Jayne Sparks, a potty-mouthed, rebellious seventeen-year-old and her best friend, shy and bookish Tony Green, have a pretty typical high school existence, until several seemingly unrelated incidents converge, causing a cascade of events that change their lives forever. Jayne and Tony, together with a group of runaway teens, are hijacked and sent into a forest, where nothing and no one are as they seem. Who will emerge triumphant? And what will they be when they do?

Follow Jayne Sparks, the (still) potty-mouthed seventeen-year-old and newly changed elemental fae and her friends - an incubus, a daemon, a green elf, a water sprite and a pixie - as they struggle to find their places in the Light Fae community of the Green Forest and prepare for the upcoming battle against the Dark Fae.

The animosity between Darkness & Light continues to grow, as do Jayne's supernatural, elemental abilities in the Green Forest. Long-lost friends arrive, new friends leave, passion burns, and mysteries abound. What is Light and what is Dark? Who can the Light Fae trust? Who will be left standing in the end and whose side will they be on? Nothing is ever as it seems, and all is fair in love and War of the Fae. 

It says that it's not meant for readers under the age of 15, but if you're familiar with the general partying, cursing, and violence then you should be more than okay.

Since I read all three books so jammed together, it would be nearly impossible to review them separately. ("No, they totally kissed in book one...right?") That would be a mess.

Characters:

As the synopsis states, Jayne Sparks and Tony Green are best friends. (Although I began to question that, but I'll talk about that later). The story starts with them being your average high school students-- Jayne being the "rebel" and Tony the "nerd." Their roles change very much throughout the series, so much that they can no longer have just one label. (Which is awesome).

And then you're introduced to a bunch of people who later become super important. There's Samantha, Spike, Becky, Chase, and (later) Tim. 

Each of them play an important role (but some of them start to fade, which is disappointing), and their charms turn into either bigger charms or become annoying. (I'm looking at you, Spike.). 

A whole bunch of other people come in at various times (it can get super confusing) but just focus on the main people. Trust me-- some people who get named don't show up more than once.

But Jayne. Dear, dear Jayne. The one you look out of the eyes of throughout the entire series (or just the first three books). At first, her humor was, well, hilarious. I was laughing a lot and thoroughly enjoying the book. And then book two happened. And book three. And... it got old. Her sense of humor is kind of immature and inappropriate. She makes fun of everything and everyone. Seriously. The more it happened the more ticked off I got. She has no respect, and that bothered me almost more than anything. 

(Tony's my favorite character. Go Tony.)

Also everything is super convenient. Seriously. For a group of clueless teens in a deadly forest, everyone survives very well. The characters deemed as "important" are not going to die. They're not even going to be in danger of dying (it may seem like they are, but nah).

Setting:

It is complex. It hits you kind of out of the blue, too. I mean, they get sent to a forest? And whoever dies just... dies? 

How kind.

There are a ton of names regarding places, too. It's nearly impossible to keep track of everything. 

But, yeah. 

Everything happens in a forest so there's not much to say.

The Magic:

Yes, we know, Harry.

The only thing that bothered me in this area is how very easily Jayne gets her powers. She stands in a forest and suddenly BAM. She is overflowing with magic that she can use with her mind alone.

This frustrated me so much, and the explanation the books offer never fully satisfied me. 

She should at least struggle to manifest her powers, not just have instant ability to control them. Wouldn't it be a little chaotic at first? Why didn't she panic? Why is she able to do everything on the first try? Why is everything so convenient? 

Hnghghh.

There are also a ton of magical powers. This also gets confusing and is a bit of an info-dump. "Oh, hello, yes, you are a magical being. Here are the names of all the other magical beings in existence. Remember them all because we will constantly use these names throughout the series and only explain what they actually are once or twice in the series."


Now, I feel like maybe I covered what the book is pretty much about and what goes on. (This has already become much longer than I meant for it to be.)