Book Review: Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey

Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: January 17, 2012
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Format: eARC
Pages: 287
Source: Netgalley

For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.

The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife. . . Eloise's aunt Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Now Eloise must become the rescuer. Together with her best friends Jo and Devin, she must forge alliances with other Fae, including a gorgeous protector named Lucas, and Strahan's mysterious son, Eldric-who may or may not betray them.

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I was not as enchanted by this book as I hoped to be. I hate to say it, but this book was far from spectacular.

There were a lot of parts where the book felt rushed. At first I thought that the author just wasn't including much detail in the story, but as I read on I realized that there was details that, as a reader, I really didn't care about. I think they were used to "set the mood", though it felt sort of like the author was just saying, "This happened, then this, and then that," and then describing what the clouds looked like and the precise color of the grass. But sometimes when something important happened, it would be wrapped up in a sentence and I'd have to go back and re-read the sentence just to realize what happened.

As a book about the Fae, I expected this to have a very vivid, very unique world that sucks me in and sweeps me away. The was not the case, unfortunately. I just couldn't see it all, couldn't picture it all. The world building got kind of confusing for me at times, and there was not enough depth for my liking, especially considering this is a standalone novel.

The characters were all right. I didn't really get to know them much. I understood their personalities, but they felt flat. The same goes for the romances. There was one case of extreme instaluv.And I mean extreme. She was ready to say "I love you" before she even learned his name. The other relationship was slower and slightly more believable, but I still didn't feel it. They didn't know anything about one another, really. They hardly even spoke. Thank the frackin heavens, though, there was no love triangle. I would have loved more of Devin, though. He was funny and nerdy, which, ya know, is awesomesauce. And Isadora. I loved her! She was fierce and sassy and only about 2 inches tall.

I didn't see the point in the alternating perspectives. Jo's part seemed all together unnecessary. I have a feeling I would have connected to this book much easier and even enjoyed it a lot more if we would have just stayed in Eloise's mind.

Obviously, I wasn't particularly impressed with this book, but it was definitely a quick read that was really fast-paced. The pacing was definitely what made this book so easy to read. Because even though I didn't exactly understand what was going on at times, it was still interesting and engaging, and fly-throughable. It was also very light. It's good if you are looking for a quick read that leaves you with no attachments to the characters or the world. I'd suggest it if you need something simple for a school assignment or for traveling. I'd say this is a book to get from the library.