C.N. Crawford

Arianna is half-Fae, half something else. She's been a prisoner for the last six years, fighting as a gladiator in the rings under London. Now she's being forced to join the Shadow Fae, an organization that polices the creatures of the world, which has undergone significant changes in settings and politics. She needs to steal the World Key from Ruadan, one of the knights known as the Wraith. He doesn't speak but he's been appointed as her mentor.
It's an entertaining book with interesting characters, some based on historic figures. The Shadow Institute is based at the Tower of London, though it has been revamped for the Fae. The story definitely hooked me. Arianna has secrets, but she's also weirdly endearing. I definitely will continue the series.… (meer)

1st reading: Well written from the standpoint of grammar, sentence structure, etc. Characters are fairly well developed.
However, the plot is a bit cliche. It's a mashup of the Selection (Bachelorette-type contest for a king or prince's hand) with an "I need a pretend wife" plot. The twist is twofold: the king is under a curse - he's fated to kill any woman he loves - and the heroine turns out to be a long lost member of the enemy band of Fae (the Unseelie) who cursed the king and his family. It didn't take me long to figure it out.
Regardless, I'm enjoying the banter, so I will continue with the next book to see how they manage to resolve the story.… (meer)