HEIR OF THE DOG by Hailey Edwards

Rating: A-
Synopsis:
Faerie teeters on the brink of war and the mortal realm swells with fae refugees desperate to escape the bloodshed. As a half-blooded fae, Marshal Thierry Thackeray has a stake in the outcome of both realms and isn’t afraid to knock a few heads together if it keeps the peace.

When her father goes missing, the only hope of negotiating a truce between the light and dark fae vanishes with him. Eager to avoid another Thousand Years War, the Faerie High Court reaches out to the one person they believe can track him down—the daughter who shares his curse.

My thoughts on the book:
Let me start off this review by saying that this synopsis is incredibly misleading and doesn't really do the novel justice. This book is much more exciting than the synopsis makes it sound. There are so many twists and turns, it's hard to keep up, and the characters are well-developed, realistic, and extremely complex. The pacing is fast, and I can almost guarantee that you'll finish this book in one sitting. Once you're done with the novel, you'll be left staring at the last page wondering what hit you and when you can get your next fix. 

I really love Thierry as a main character. She's strong, yet vulnerable. She admits her pain, but she doesn't let her hurt and anger control her. She looks out for the people in her life, even if they've wronged her. Her reluctance to accept her fae heritage is her only drawback, in my opinion, but after what happened to her as a child, who can blame her? I'm not a huge Shaw fan, as far as love interests go. I really loved him in the first novel/novella, but now that I know what he did, I don't like him for Thierry anymore. Hopefully she's strong enough to let him go. I'm good with them being friends, but I just really think that romance authors have bad habits of letting scorned women return to their betrayers for the sake of "everlasting love" or whatever. I hope that Edwards is brave enough not to do that in these books. The new man in Thierry's life is much more interesting, and while he's dishonest, too, I feel like he has better reasons. Also, his faults are much less than Shaw's, in my opinion. The wrongs he did were already put in motion before he even knew Thierry. I hope she gives him a chance. Personal feelings about the characters aside, every character *feels* like a real person, and that's hard to come by in books. 

Edwards has this way of writing that makes you feel like the narrator (Thierry - 1st person POV) is talking to you and that you're old friends. Because of that, I'm much more invested in Thierry's outcome than I am some character who doesn't feel as familiar to me. Also, Edwards can create amazing fantasy worlds that the reader becomes completely engrossed in. I felt like I was in Faerie, for the most part, and I really enjoyed that. My one complaint is that some things didn't quite fit or make sense. some of the behaviors or faeries just are not completely, 100% clear. That could be due to the fact that I was reading late at night, or a couple of small parts of the world could need a bit more fleshing out. I'm not sure which, to be honest.  I do love the mixing of all of the different Celtic mythologies, though. The plot itself is a rollercoaster ride, and I was on the edge of my seat for the entire book. There is enough mystery, action, and adventure to keep even the most reluctant reader engaged. The ending ties things up nicely and paves the way for the next book in the series. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy reads. Edwards is a strong voice in the Adult Paranormal Romance genre. I've absolutely loved every single book I've read by her, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. 

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