I am becoming a big fan of this series. The characters are frustratingly realistic- which is a good thing. I kind of hate the way the main character goes about things, but I can also understand her reasons and motivation- therefore frustratingly realistic. My only complaint is how predictable the plot is, in this book and the previous one in the series. I don't mind it sooo much, because even though I have a good idea what will happen I don't know exactly how or why it will happen, so I still get to go on the journey. But it's still a little annoying. I wasn't going to continue with this series as I found the first one very derivative, but then Kellie got and recommended the next two, so I figured I'd give it a go. It's been a few years so I'd forgotten he plot of the first book, but this had enough reminders without spending ages rehashing it. Eugenie is a shaman, with a human mother and shaman step-father who taught her her trade in banishing demons. Her real father was the Storm King, a despotic ruler of one of the faerie lands. In the last book she came into her power and was tricked into becoming queen of the Thorn land, by Dorian, the Oak King, with whom she had a brief fling. Her boyfriend Kiyo is half human, half fox shape-shifter, and also a vet, and his ex, another faerie queen, is about to have their baby, which Eugenie is all hung up about because of a prophecy saying that the Storm King's grandson will destroy the world - so she doesn't dare think about having children. Meanwhile her 15 year old half-sister Jasmine is determined to be the one to deliver the prophesied child ruler, and all sorts of gentry males have been trying to get E pregnant so they can be the father of the future ruler. So E is zipping back and forth between her two worlds trying to do her usual job, as well as look after her faerie lands which have become a desert, since that's what she likes, so everyone's over-heating and starving, and she also discovers that young gentry women have been going missing.That's as much as I can say (mainly to remind myself before I read the next one) without spoilers.It was pretty good, if predictable, I liked that E uses a mix of physical, magical and intellectual skills to get out of trouble, although she still has to be rescued by men too often for my tastes. There's the obligatory love triangle, which clearly is going to drag on through the series, but overall I enjoyed it and look forward to the next one.
