I need to stop trying to read urban fantasy, it's clearly not my thing. This one wasn't helped by being (as blazoned on the cover) a prequel, and therefore trying to set up All The Things. Both the LA street gangs and the fae courts felt stereotyped to me, and much of the plot seemed repetitive: Our Heroine is kidnapped by one of the groups vying to use her; refuses to believe in magic even as she's using it to heal elves; is left alone to recuperate and decides to have a quick rest before escaping; is woken hours later by more drama; takes advantage of chaos to escape; is immediately captured again by either the same or a different group; rinse and repeat until she's met all the players and we can have the big showdown.

Also along the way she falls in love with one of her kidnappers and by the way she's fifteen and apparently this is very romantic.

But as I say, it may be enjoyed more by people who enjoy urban fantasy. ( )

I enjoyed this book but clearly there is more to come. At the end I was left hanging as to what would become of the main character with mo assurance as to whether any of the sequels would include her. I may feel better about this book if I find any of the sequels. ( )

Started reading this, realised it was about violent drug gangs and therefore bound to be filled with people being miserable, murders etc. Kidnapping plotline flagged up a few pages in was the last straw for me. I have zero interest in books about gangs.
See other reviewers saying the kidnapping turns into a romance. I am so glad I gave up. ( )

Not a good book, but no worse than most fantasy out there. A homeless teenager discovers that she has a magical talent for healing. Unfortunately, this makes her a valuable prize to the gangs of her city--and the fae that control them. Unimaginative in every possible way.
Available at Baen's free library here. But really, if you're looking for elves and healing in the big city, just read John M Ford's [b:The Last Hot Time|268439|The Last Hot Time|John M. Ford|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173289688s/268439.jpg|260231]. ( )

A fascinating prequel to the series Ellen Guon co-authored with Mercedes Lacke; this book gives the story of a minor, but powerful, character in the Bedlam’s Bard series: the human mage Kayla. Kayla is unaware of the existence of magic and is completely unprepared for her magical response to an attack injuring her foster brother. A response that makes Kayla a very desired commodity to a variety of dangerous factions. ( )