Review: Prince of Air and Darkness

Prince of Air and Darkness by M.A. Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Phineas (Finn) Smith is a human at Mathers School of Magick, in his final year he has still to learn how to control his rare and unusual ability to tap into unlimited magick (I have to confess I found that out from the blurb as I don't think it was described like that in the novel). All known humans with his ability have died young, unable to control their power, ripped apart by the magic.

Unseelie Prince Roark Lyne, third son of Queen Mab, is Finn's room-mate and he always seems to be hanging around sneering at Finn and his fae friends. What's worse is that Finn is a target for supernatural creatures seeking magick and Roark is constantly rescuing Finn from attacks by creatures, using his power only makes matters worse for himself.

But as the peace between the Unseelie and Seelie courts starts to disintegrate Finn and his power could be a weapon for either court, can he learn to control it before it destroys him?

This is an intriguing mash-up of different genres. A magic school like Harry Potter (although it reminds me more of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series in feel) yet it has some quite graphic torture scenes, a YA m/m romance (even though Roark is over 200 years old), a fantasy involving the Kings and Queens of the faerie courts and college campus parties. As a result it's hard to pin this book down to a single genre.

I liked the way the reader is thrust straight into the action right from the start with Finn being tortured by Queen Mab to reveal how he uses the ley lines of magick power. Told in alternating POVs between Finn and Roark we see the simmering sexual tension right from the start.Finn is fighting to stay alive long enough to save his parents' farm, Roark is fighting to avoid being made Queen Mab's Winter Knight, a position which will destroy him from the inside as soon as his takes up the mantle.

Loved it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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