I really have to say, this is truly a case where you should not judge a book by its cover. Despite the cheesy, fluffy looking cover and title, this is a good read. The author has created a very reasonable fantasy setting that isn't the same old "elves hate dwarves" type environment. The elven heroine is remarkably "human" -- plucky, intelligent, capable of getting herself out of (well, and into) trouble without fainting into the arms of a male or drawing on some snooty obscure elven heritage in the process. This is not a romance novel of any sort; while it is not Lord of the Rings, it is certainly an enjoyable fantasy novel with a very strong female protagonist. My only negative is that the ending wrapped up a little more quickly than I would have liked, but certainly left the option open for future adventures with our heroine. Highly recommended.

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I think that if you've read a lot of fantasy and expect a third person narrator and more formal speech, then this may not be the book for you, but I personally found it a refreshing change.

The book is told from the first person point of view, but unlike a lot of urban fantasies where the heroine is often alone, Raine is usually surrounded by her friends and family as she tries to work out her problems. I liked the cast of characters and there was interesting development in the character of Piaras, a promising young spellsinger she knows.

The other thing I liked was a different spin on goblins. While we always hear about tall, pale elves like Legolas (and we have those here), the goblins here are tall, grey-blue, with angular faces, sensitivity to light, and fangs. Raine's two love interests are an elf and a goblin. Usually I can guess in the beginning of the book who the heroine ends up with, but I found myself liking both of them. Mychael Eiliesor seems like the good guy with lots of power, and Tamnais Nathrach seemed like the scoundrel (also with lots of power) who could be good. And they were friends with each other for once. The romance was very light and flirty in this book, so I don't know if anything serious is going to happen. Anyway, we'll see. I just hope the love triangle doesn't go on too long, that can be annoying in a series.

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This is the beginning of a wonderful swords/sorcerers series. I picked it up at a train station bookstore when I was stranded on a business trip and desperate for any escapist reading. It turned out to be a pretty good read. Enough that I went looking for the next installment. Then it kept getting better with books 2 and 3, which flesh out the main characters nicely while featuring even more fast-paced catastrophe and intrigue. The heroine is a magnet for magical troubles who somehow manages to stay just one step away from disaster. The story is packed full of all the classic fantasy characters: mages and elves, goblins and demons, pirates, knights and bards. With lots of nifty bladed weapons thrown in. Yet it's got a sort of modern, ironic tone. Raine would actually be a great character no matter what kind of costume drama or urban fantasy you dropped her into. Kickass but still sweet and funny. She comes from a long line of dashing pirates and charming conmen, but she knows the real thieves are often politicians and bureaucrats. Despite her magical abilities and demon-bashing skills, you could easily imagine meeting up with her for a beer at the corner pub.

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I really enjoyed this book. It is the first in a series about Raine Benares. She is an elf who has moderate magical powers and has been working as a seeker. This is only the second book of this genre and at first I did not think that I would like it. This story is fun, exciting, and not too over the top.

The only thing I did not like about the story is the ending. I thought it ended to soon and it left me wanting more.

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The was a very enjoyable read. I liked the world and the cast of characters. Raine is a good heroine who is resourceful and smart. I liked her sense of humor too. Will definitely continue on to book 2!
(Ignore the cover- it is a bit cheesy)

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This isn't my usual genre, so at first I wasn't sure about this book. It took me awhile to get used all the names and who has what powers. But, once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. Raine is a great, strong female character. There are lots of unanswered questions left, so I can't wait to read book two.

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I am going to be honest, I am not sure I should even be writing a review for this since I only got 70 pages into the book...but I guess that says something about the book, right? I was excited to read this book; it was supposed to be a fantasy with an urban fantasy flavor to it and sounded right up my alley...well it wasn't.

The book drops you right into the middle of the action, but I just couldn't get into it. The action scenes weren't all that well done. The characters did not interest me in the least. Right off the bat there were three characters, including Raine, but I didn't like any of them. I also didn't enjoy the writing style, what I read did not have a tight plot and didn't present an interesting world.

Truth be told each page, starting with the first one, was a struggle for me to read. I just wasn't in the mood to fight the struggle for another 300+ pages. So I set it aside, then never picked it up again.

This was a series I wanted to love, but just couldn't. It reminded me a bit of Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra, but was not nearly as engaging. This may be one of those books that grows significantly better as you get into it, or possibly has characters that are more engaging as the series continues. But, I just did not like it even a little bit...and I have too many books to read to spend time on ones I don't like; especially when the book is supposed to be a light and fluffy fun read (as I hoped this one would be).

Overall, I just couldn't get into it, struggled through each page. The writing style, the characters, the world, I just didn't like any of it. I won't be picking up any more books by Shearin. If you want a good fantasy with that urban fantasy mystery and flare I would recommend The Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara over this one; that one's very well written and an overall great series.

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This took a long time to get into. I'm not really sure why since the action started on page one and really didn't let up until the last page. I guess it was the whole elf/goblin as good guy/bad buy scenario. It kind of reminded me of Laurell K. Hamilton's Meredith Gentry series where one Fae court is constantly fighting the other for dominance. Here the goblin King, Sathnik, is evil and his exiled brother Chigaru may not be. It is unclear until the end what side he bats for.

Raine Benares stumbles on an artifact that manipulates her own magic and attracts the wrong kind of attention. When Raine walks into a trap to save her young friend Piaras, all hell breaks loose. Court guards from both sides join the conflict and soon Raine is clueless as to what is going on behind the scenes (so to speak).

There are two possible love interests for Raine - Tam and Mychael - both goblins of the good variety. As all good urban fantasies go, nothing overt and no HEA yet...but as this is only book one in the series, there's always hope.

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One of my favorite series, I really loved the non-stop action and the romantic tension. I have read all of the books in this series and continue to look forward to the next installment.

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I have read this series out of order. Is a good series.Have enjoyed the two I ahve read so far.

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Pretty good, not a keeper. More background on Raine would have been nice.

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