I had this book on my 'to-read-list' for a while now. It sounded great. A new book, a new series by a new author....I admit, it was at first 'a freebie' kind of deal, but once i started i could not stop.
Yes, it is Young Adult,; yes I am an adult; and yes i love to read YA .
The storyline is interesting, a strong female character; 2 male characters, enemies, fae, humans, different realms. These are not full sized books or novels but are rather considered novelettes. I went from 1.1 to 1.2 to 1.3 to 1.4 in less than 24 hours. They are a very enjoyable read. ( )

Just added to improve my recommendations

The full review is on my blog: http://teacherwritebookaholicohmy.blo...

Okay, let me come clean: I read the first part of this book for free on Amazon (but I learned afterwards that it is free on Smashwords too). And from then on, I was hooked.

If I could summarize this book into two words it would be: Refreshingly original. I love the world that Rachel Morgan created. I love the fact that I could identify with each character in their different stages of life. I love the romantic tension building between the two main characters Violet and Nate.

What didn't I like about the novel . . . That it was so short! Okay, another confession: The book wasn't that short, I just read it in a day. It got me so hooked that i was reading it at the table with my family surrounding me talking about stuff.

Yep, I'm addicted to the series! Completely and whole-heartedly.

Now onto the dissection!

Characters: I love all the different characters, especially Violet. She is the strong female protagonist with a history that it slowly unfolds itself. I just love all of the layers this protagonist have and how she carefully unveils it throughout the book. It's kinda like what Shrek said about the onions.

I also like Nate and Ryn. They are both loveable in their own way. Even though Violet has her reasons to hate both of them, I like them equally.

The only thing that I didn't like was that there seemed to be too many side characters. I kept confusing like Scarlett and some of the other characters. I know what the author was trying to do (give everybody their own identity and purpose) but it got a bit confusing near the end to remember all of those names.

Additionally, I love the bonus material that gave us readers a chance to see what really happened from Nate and Ryn's point of view. It also verified what I thought what happened with Nate. So yeah. Liked that little treat she gave us.

Dialogue: Realistic and funny to watch the culture references Violet didn't get but I did (I'll let the author explain it in her novel what I meant). I kept laughing at her awkwardness with Nate and her lack of American culture. It was great and witty at times too.

Overall, I enjoyed it.

Plot: Okay, I have another confession: I kinda knew what was going to happen with Nate and Violet. The author gave me a helpful foreshadow with them, and I knew what was going to happen. I won't let y'all know and ruin it but to me, it was a bit obvious after the conversation they had, what Nate was going to do.

You'll have to read the book to see what I'm talking about. :)

Other then that, I was hanging on the edge of my seat to find out what was going on with the characters.

Setting: I love the fae setting, I think it's called Creepy Hollow. I like how she built her fae world and her human world. Actually, I'm a bit jealous of how well developed it is since I'm currently building my own world. She makes it look so easy and effortlessly, when I know the opposite is true.

Definitely believe I'm taking notes on how thoroughly she built her world, and what I need to think about in developing my own.

Ending: It was bittersweet. I loved how she resolved all the character conflicts except one which I think will be resolved in the next book. I just wish there was more of it. And I wish a certain romantic conflict would be resolved before the next book, but overall, no lose ends to be wary of.

She tied the major plot conflicts with a nice bow, and left some undone for the next novel.

Overall: I would recommend the first part of the book (which is 100 hundred percent FREE) to anyone who wants to read an adventurous paranormal romance/paranormal fantasy. I'll leave the link on the bottom along with the cover (which I think outshines the original cover by a long shot).

I bought the full book after reading the first part, and probably tomorrow, I'll buy and read the second book. I look forward to it!

Anyway, I would definitely recommend this book to family and friends who love the fae world and couldn't get enough of it from Aprilynne Pike! ( )

I am so glad that Rachel contacted me to read her book! I was originally sold on the title, I mean... Faeries.. yes please, but then the series is called Creepy Hollow... um, even more YES! I even mentioned it to my husband, and he said the title was suiting to something I would read. (And isn't the cover pretty? not too much detail but bright and fun, right?) Anyway enough of my rambling... the book....

I started reading it at 2 am when I couldn't sleep and could not put it down! I was amazed at the story telling; it was fast paced, entertaining, witty, and even swoon-worthy at times. Rachel's characters were fun to follow and Violet, the main character, is sarcastic and strong and is a force to be reckoned with -- everything I love in a female lead.

The synopsis gives you a pretty good example of the first half of the book, but the second half gets much more intense as characters develop and the plot gets more depth. The story-line has many layers and while it can be a little challenging to keep up with all the various characters that are involved, they are a pleasure to read about (even if they are evil and annoying). The descriptions of the settings and action scenes were more than I could have hoped for, they were so detailed I felt like I could be watching a movie. I was super impressed.

I think that my only struggle with reading this book was Violet's internal struggle through the first half; she is strong and top of her class, and begins to take a lot of risks that don't seem like her...it was difficult for me to understand these drastic changes in character personalities. I mean, yea there was a boy involved, but sometimes this got a bit annoying. A bit of insta-love, but overall in the plot it works, the beginning when we don't know the characters all that well yet was a bit weird.

Overall, I am a huge fan and can't wait to read more. ( )

Creepy Hollow #1: Guardian by Rachel Morgan
Source: Purchase
4/5 stars

I have often shied away from reading novellas because there generally just isn’t enough time for the author to completely develop characters and/or the plot. I am certainly glad I didn’t realize (until after I clicked purchase) the Creepy Hollow series is actually a series of novellas otherwise I would have missed out on a (OK four) fun and entertaining read by Rachel Morgan.

Violet Fairdale is a young faerie who is in her last months of training to become a guardian. Violet is an orphan whose family has always served as guardians; guardians are members of an elite group of faeries whose job it is to protect unknowing humans from dark faerie attacks. Humans can’t see fairies and they certainly can’t travel to Creepy Hollow so how is it that Violet finds herself in a heap of trouble after one of her “assignments” not only sees her but hitchhikes his way into Creepy Hollow? Balls!!

Violet and Nate (her hitchhiking human) now have to get Nate back to the world of humans so Violet can go before the Council to receive her punishment for breaking some of her people’s most important laws. Here’s the rub: before Violet and Nate can get anywhere near Nate’s home they are both whacked on the head, kidnapped, and Violet’s magic is bound so she can’t work to save them. Balls again! The kidnappers want two things: 1) Nate’s biological mother whom he has never met and; 2) the name of the faerie with the special ability of being able to locate anyone anywhere.

I found this short read to be quite satisfying as Morgan does a great job of setting up her plot and developing her characters in a very short amount of time. I like Violet! She has purple streaks in her hair (awesome), uses the work wonky (one of my faves!), and takes her skills and her assignments very seriously. Here’s what Violet must do:
1)Get herself and Nate to safety
2)Figure out why a faerie would want a human woman
3)Continue to bury the secret of her super-special skill and
4)Try not to think too hard about how cute Nate is

For Nate, he has to admit that not only does he want to know who his biological mother is but also accept that he is going to need help discovering her identity. The only problem with his plan is the fact that Violet has been tasked with erasing Nate’s memory. To be continued . . . ( )