I’ve missed these characters so much. Charmed Vengeance is told in multiple points of view. We have Noli, Keveign, and V.



In Charmed Vengeance we get to go on an adventure. V has a things he has to do, but can’t have anything to do with Noli. Noli is trying to figure out how to live after being a part of the Faerie realm. And Keveign is doing his usual and drinking his life away. We also get to meet Jeff and Vix. I freaking love Vix. She’s bossy, and doesn’t take crap from anyone. Jeff drove me crazy with being so over protective of Noli.
There are twists and turns in all directions. You don’t know who you can trust, and what will happen from one day to the next. There always seems to be an obstacle, and our characters literally just miss each other in the same locations. There is a ton of action. I mean what can you expect when you travel with air pirates.



I don’t want to give much away and spoil anything for you, but this is a great sequel, and had me wanting to the next book right away. Things happen, questions are sort of answered, and some people are just awful. ( )

When her true love, Steven, is forced to break their magical bond, Noli Braddock decides to join her brother on the crew of the Vixen's Revenge.

With its gleaming brass, dark wood, and spotless clockwork gears, the Vixen's Revenge is a beautiful airship. But Noli discovers a dangerous secret beneath its polished exterior--the crew has been hired to steal dozens of priceless Otherworld artifacts. Desperate to keep her past Otherworld experiences hidden from the airship crew, Noli fears that if she doesn't risk telling her own secrets, the stolen artifacts will be used to destroy both of the worlds she loves.

Praise: "[Lazear's] imagination soars as high as her airship, and it will have readers hooked."--Kirkus Reviews

WARNING: If you haven't read the first book in this series yet, read no further as this review contains spoilers for book One. Plus, the first book is a very entertaining read. *Personal irritant - the large number of grammatical errors I discovered in the e-book version I read. There were missing words, incorrect words, punctuation mistakes, etc. It's almost as if the e-book version was simply not edited or proofread prior to release.

There's plenty of action in this book, but just as importantly this book shares some very important lessons that each of the main characters learn as they mature. Noli has finally returned to her mother's home in Los Angeles, after her stay at Findlay House, and experiences journeying through the Otherworld. Though her mother is unaware of the fact that Noli wasn't at Findlay House the entire time, she knows something is different about her daughter. She sees the physical changes in Noli, which lead her to believe that her daughter is now a 'lady.' The same changes that came from making a bargain with the Faery Queen, who spitefully turned Noli into a Sprite. While beautiful, Sprites are not known for their intelligence or focus, instead they enjoy parties, nice dresses, tea parties. In short, they are exactly what Noli was struggling against becoming, vacuous Society dolls.

Thanks to the quick thinking by James and V, Noli retains much of her original self, but she constantly struggles with the Sprite for control over her mind and body. Yet this new situation is actually good for Noli in some aspects, for she learns to share with the Sprite. In doing so she discovers there is more substance to the Sprite than she shows, she simply doesn't enjoy thinking, the same way Noli doesn't want to be shallow like the Sprite. She also learns some magical skills, which will be useful later.

Like Noli's lessons learned through her dealings with the Sprite, V also learns some important lessons of his own. He learns to rely upon James more often, which is good training for the when he takes back the earth court in the Otherworld, assuming he'll be successful when the time comes. But a very important lesson that James has learned and shares is good for all the readers as well, and that is to live in the moment, everyday, all the time.

Even Kevighn learns some lessons, the main one being that you can always go home. After letting the Faery Queen down, at least in her insane mind, Kevighn feels he has nothing of value left. He wallows in the mortal world, indulging in his personal vices, at least until something calls him back to the Otherworld. Once he returns, he returns all the way, going back to his roots, where he learns that family will take you in even when no one else will.

The lessons to be learned are demonstrated in fascinating ways, and sometimes it takes numerous attempts before they are taught to the writer's satisfaction. Most of the lessons involve exciting action, with edge of your seat thrills that keep you turning page after page. Each time you think it's safe to relax something new occurs, dragging you right back into the action. Certainly a sequel with legs, which can only lead me to believe that the next book in the series will be at least as good, and more than likely it will be better as Ms. Lazear continues to use her charismatic characters to explore her well developed world. ( )

Fantastic! Full review to come. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: Noli struggles with her sprite self and Steven’s break up, while Steven and James go questing for the queen.

Opening Sentence: “Welcome everyone to this special day.”

The Review:

Noli has finally become a lady (according to her mother) but from no help from the “school” Noli was sent to in the previous book. Nope, Noli has the sprite in her head to thank for all of the dainty sewing and mindless curtsies she has perfected in the past two months. But with her previous visit to the Otherworld still looming over her and Steven, home has not been the relief she expected. Especially when her grandfather stops by to visit and discovers her and her mother’s financial needs. Or when Steven is called away to Queen Tiana to finish the “task” he promised her. Or when the sprite takes over and Noli can’t remember what happened five minutes ago. In fact, the highlight of the summer would be her brother Jeff visiting for a day…until that visit turns into an offer as an engineer aboard his pirate ship the Vixen’s Revenge. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Noli takes the offer until she and Steven can be together again…except it may be more complicated than just fixing the engine fans for a couple weeks. Past promises and future love struggle against each other as the characters are pulled into the Otherworld’s brewing rebellion.

Once the story gets going (as in after the first 100 pages) this story has non-stop twists and turns, revelations and hidden agendas, and introducing a new set of characters you will love and hate. The plot became a bit muddled since the book is really three stories in one: Noli on board the pirate ship, Steven and James questing and Kevighn Silver’s life of exile. And really, the plots only became interesting after they became intertwined in each others’ stories. But enough was happening in Noli’s story that I kept reading. Really, just getting through the first 100 pages is worth it.

Noli’s character developed so much throughout this book. It isn’t often someone has another person (let alone fey) in their head. As Noli fights with the sprite in her head for control, it brings her brother to question her mental state: but also what happened in those two months Noli disappeared. As Jeff inches closer to the truth and the sprite controls more of their life, Noli struggles to manage her new life. I really enjoyed this new Noli, one who is more complex and less naive than before. And although the sprite could be ridiculously annoying, I grew to sympathize with her and by the end of the book, I was surprised how much I appreciated her too.

Once the plot gets rolling and the new characters are introduced, I could not put this book down. From the old and new characters to the mortal world and the Otherworld, the book really is a great read. There is no major cliffhanger, but there is a whisper of rebellion off in the distance. Who knows what the next installment will bring?

Notable Scene:

“Winky, why don’t you ensure Noli knows everything she needs to about the ship.” Vix picked up her coffee mug and shoved it in Jeff’s hands. “Jeff will wash up. I’ll take the helm.” She strode onto the bridge with as much poise as Queen Tiana.

“And that is our beloved ship’s captain.” The corners of Thad’s lips twitched as he leaned on the back legs of his chair, the unpatched eye gleaming.

Jeff shook his head, smiling to himself, as he began to wash up.

Noli brought him the stack of plates. “You sure know how to pick them.”

He laughed. “Oh, Noli, you have no idea.”

FTC Advisory: Flux provided me with a copy of Charmed Vengeance. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

This is the second book in the Aether Chronicles Series and is definitely not a book that can be read as a stand alone. Just to let you know, there will be spoilers if you haven't read the first book.

Noli is having a hard time in this second book. The sprite inside her is taking over for periods of time and she can't remember anything while the sprite is in possession of her body. To make matters worse, V. is forced to break the sigil she wears that gives her the protection of his house, essentially breaking their understanding that they will marry. But Noli isn't the type to faint and die from things like this. Noli is the type to fight and trust that things will get better and she and V. will get back together. And she isn't going to wait for it to happen. I love how Noli fights against the sprite who likes fancy dresses and pretty shiny things, a big hindrance while Noli works on a big shiny engine on Jeff's airship. Sometimes the sprite and Noli can share consciousness, but sometimes, Noli wakes up to the horror that the sprite has done. It's horrible only because the captain of "Jeff's ship" is Vix, a female women's rights activist who isn't prone to pretty things like fancy dresses and shiny things.

Jeff, Noli's brother, shows up at just the right time and is a great addition to the characters in this series. He is ultra protective of Noli as are all of his shipmates. He knows something happened to her and that sometimes she seems to disappear even now. He is very worried about her, and as he is in love with Vix and she him, they share their worries. We also find out that, though some of his actions are illegal, some of his illegal actions involve rescuing kidnapped children. And for that, I can certainly forgive him for being an airpirate!

V. is in this one again and YAY! for that. I love that everything seems to not work out too easily for V. He travels with James and we get to learn a little more about him. It's fun to see the two of them questing together. But what I love most is seeing how much V.'s mission is to get back to Noli.

The world is once again 1901 alternate United States. More or less the same, but steampunk and some of the states are altered. There is a war with Hawaii called the Pineapple Rebellion as they try to retain their independence from the United States. And the state of Deseret which is a fictional state and one of the author's own creation. There is child trafficking which, according to the author did happen (and continues) at the turn of the century. Airships, machines, and the Otherworld all intermingle. The Fae mingle with the human world without most of the human's knowing. However, the Otherworld and the Human world are co-dependent and without balance in one, there is no balance in the other. This was a theme that was explained in Innocent Darkness. It continues in this novel.

The story is very interconnected. Noli runs away from her mother and grandfather who want to take her to Boston for "The Season". She is on Jeff's airship, The Vixen's Revenge (there's a story in that name, I'm sure) but it's not Jeff's ship, he's just the pilot. The captain and owner is Vix, the woman Jeff is in love with and who Noli has to convince that she's not a "lady" but an engineer and feminist enough to be on board the ship. A problem for sure with the sprite inside of her. V. has to make good on the favor he promised his mother the Queen Tiana which becomes a quest. He drags James along who is, understandably, in sad shape. That quest becomes another quest and Queen Tiana, as well as fellow members of the Otherworld hinder them at every turn. And then it seems that the world has Noli and V. just missing each other at every port and turn. It was a cross country race despite the fact that they weren't trying to find each other. A shocking ending concludes this fast paced and breathless novel.

No second book syndrome here. Though it might take a page or two to get going, this novel is fast and action packed, full of adventuresome air pirates and questing faeries, nefarious otherworlders and our lovable Noli and V. and another couple to fall for Jeff and Vix! The ante has been upped in this series! Noli is still the key even if she wasn't sacrificed and I can't wait to read the next book in this series!!

I received a copy for a review from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review. The opinions expressed are my own.
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