Ever get a job that sucks? My name is Iza Black and my life IS the sucky job. I mean yeah, there are perks. Live-in maid service, free food and I get this purple, sparkly aura thing. But there are way more bad parts. So many people, so much pain. Sleep has divorced me completely and I'm living their nightmares now too. I'm not sure I'm strong enough for this, that I can do what needs to be done. But I have to. Because it's my job...because someone needs to. These people need violence to meet violence. Hugs don't always fix things in our world. Then there's Phobe. Frustrating, Phobe-the-jerk. How does he fit into this, you may ask? Keep reading and you'll find out.
Please be advised: **This book contains violence and other content which may be triggering to readers.**
Hello!! I want to thank you for perusing! First off, I didn't write Storage Diva--no idea who that is, lol. Second please know that any and ALL books that are upcoming or released that I write are on my website.
Thanks for reading my word vomit and I hope you're smiling at least once a day, it's good for you. A little monsters and mayhem is good for everyone too!
DNF 60% It is fine, I am just not interested enough in the story. Everything seems random and without a clear direction. I saw no promise of something great to come, so the wait felt pointless, thus I quit listening.
This author writes compelling characters and is imaginative, but the storytelling lacks focus. I feel like I am reading an endless series of one hour episodes filled with magical fireworks that are loosely connected with a background plot. The romance moves too slowly and there are far too many characters introduced. These guest stars are terrific - and I like them or hate them accordingly - but once their episode is over they get support cast bit pieces. Another cliffhanger ending and the scattershot approach to characters means I am just not invested in them emotionally despite the altruistic theme. Sorry, done.
Iza and Phobe’s story continues and they are so good together. They may be one of my all time favorite couples. Once again, they are in a situation where there is no break for them. Their fight goes on with too many enemies. Their love (and sanity, because let’s be honest beings constantly trying to kill and usurp you has GOT to make you crazy!) are tested over and over again.
I had a couple of small issues with grammar (i.e. commas in weird places) and Iza’s understanding of the world around her (why would she know about Count Chocula, but not how to work a microwave? She watches enough tv...). Those issues don’t take away from the story for me though. Iza and Phobe are still two very interesting characters. This book gives us a chance to dig a little deeper into their stories and oh, Iza, my heart... all the things learned.
Phobe is still fucking awesome. Just. Awesome.
Some new friends are introduced as well. All in all such a good journey. I can’t wait for the next one!!
Wow!! Just amazing. I think what I love the most about this series is that it does not portray feyries as beautiful creatures but it really looks at the dark side of fey and I love it. Not only that but Iza while a viciously dark h, she has a wonderful heart and she loves children of all kinds and I completely adored that.
Iza and Phobe are now my new favorite couple. He does not coddle her and considering everything she will be facing, he is exactly who she needs.
Ascension picks up where Elusion left off with Iza finally arriving at her destination. Iza does accept, albeit grudingly, her destiny and Ascends. This book has a completely different feel from Elusion, slower pace and more in-depth character & world building. It's more about healing and discovery than any dark subject matters.
Iza struggles with her role, even after she accepts it. She's afraid that she isn't what the Feyrie need and doesn't believe she'll be able to do what's needed for them. Despite doubting herself she's proven wrong time and again by her actions. Iza needs to believe in herself and focus on being the monster she is. She is exactly what the Feyries need to come back together as a people to heal and come out the other side stronger.
Phobe (swoon), is never far from Iza. Phobe is one of the few people surrounding Iza that doesn't want to coddle her. He knows she has a rough road ahead of her and that using kid gloves isn't going to do her any favors in the long run, nor make Iza happy. While Phobe is quite protective of Iza he lets her fight her own battles. He only steps in if he needs to or if she asks him to. I find this behavior refreshing. Phobe is confident in her abilities, he knows Iza is extremely powerful, and he lets her gain confidence by showing her how to be strong & stand on her own. I grow tired of reading book after book that no matter how strong or capable the female is the men/love interest is a hovering helicopter lover who wants to wrap her up in bubble wrap, and lock her in a tower while he plays hero. It's amazing to watch Phobe go from the callous and hard prisoner in Elusion, with no clue to what emotions feel like to someone that realizes how deeply he cares for Iza. Love is simply an inadequate term for what these two share.
The Feyries are confronted with a few potential enemies. There's her uncle Kaet, who is as dirty as they come and quite frankly a scheming coward, imo. The mysterious human organization who do experiments on beings that aren't human. Of course there is also potential danger from Feyries looking for power and money that wouldn't hesitate to try to take the Sidhe throne from Iza. Iza and Phobe meet all challengers head on. There are a couple insistences where an enemy was confronted, but instead of killing them immediately they were allowed to escape. That in itself is a unsatisfying plot device. You know that Iza or Phobe could have easily taken them out but didn't for one reason or another. They live to see another day and cause more and more problems.
While I do love this book there seems to be more grammatical errors in Ascension than in Elusion. Not enough to be annoying but enough for me to notice the difference. Another quick sweep through would clean it up.
I know others that found Ascension boring in comparison to Elusion. They were expecting the same darkness to carry over. I think the overall tone of healing and coming together was important for the series as a whole. It gave us time to further develop relationships with Iza and Phobe, as well as a host of new side characters. You get to see just how abused the Feyries have been as a people, and once again realize that everything you knew about the Fae world doesn't hold up in Zoe Parkers books. While I enjoyed seeing a softer side to Iza I do hope that her crazy monsterness returns in full force with the next installment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This wasn't really as good as the first one, as the plot was a bit meandering. However, Iza and Phobe are two of my new favourite characters ever and I love the world and the side characters, so it didn't bother me at all.
Between 3 & 4 Stars Elusion was a solid 4 and this was't just as epic as the first half of Elusion so it wouldn't be fair to stretch it to the 4....
Iza and I aren't without our problems, it's taken me to end of the this book (and a little backstory provided by some kind old man) to really get to grips with the Magiks, the Sidhe and the various monsters in the world Zoe has built.
Its a wonderfully dark world , the Fey Iza calls family are Gorgons and Nightmares
The Iza that I like is not the Iza who is running about buying Haloween costumes or cooking turkey. Its the Iza who drops her glamour and lets the dark side of herself out.
Iza has come into her Otherness. She is now more monster than a woman.
She needs to show the monster more, its who she is and I think she is coming more to terms with that by the end of this book. She needed the time outside of imprisonment and now she's ready to become "The Shepherd" for the dark Fey. This book was about Iza ascending into her otherness.
Your part in the prophecy, simply put, is to be the shepherd of the people. You are to gather them, heal them and unite them. Then you prepare them for the coming of the dark king. One of your titles is also the Heart of Darkness, or better known as the heart of the king—the original
The moments with Phobe are still the highlights for me and I love when it switches to his POV. He is totally cool with his darkness and only holds himself back for Iza's sake. I am really forward to when it becomes Phobe's moment to ascend!
This book was even better than the first! (There was a lot of torture in that book). The humour in this book reminds me of the Imp series by Debra Dunbar, so if you liked that series definitely give this one a go. Iza ran out of ducks to give a while back, and she's just out trying to live her best life, and letting others live theirs. And it's a hoot. Forget prophecies and world building and everything else: I am here for Iza get into crazy hijinks. And maybe slaughter some bad guys with her boyfriend. She finally accepts her role as Shepherd, and this book is basically about her gathering forces and filling up home base with feyries. Which does mean there aren't huge developments plot-wise, but it was such an enjoyable read I didn't really notice until looking back. It does end on a semi-cliff hanger note, which seems to be the main plotline for book three.
You're gong to love this dark paranormal continuation of the Facet Series! It isn't a repeat of some other story you've read or movie you've seen. I think I'm really liking the strong female characters with a righteous calling! Especially because she's a monster and monsters can be harsh on violators of their values! I love that as serious as some of the scenes are we get the flirty side of Phobe and Iza! If you are waiting for some romance wait no more it's here and steamy. We also get to meet some new interesting characters! Some characters you're going to love to hate!
“There are no more illusions, no more fears. There’s only the Darkness, and it’s awake, and it’s me"
That. Was. Everything. Again I am lost for words, there are no right ones to describe exactly how much I loved what I've read. Not a lot happened in the second book, but at the same time...everything happened in the second book. Every element is vital to this story and I feel like if you take out even one of them, the book won't be as gripping as it is. I loved reading about Iza's charactres and how she's evolving and growing into the creature she's meant to be. Her personality is simply priceless. She often behaves childish and naive-like (the fact that she was excited about being kidnaped, because it's just like in the movies proves it), but at the same time, if you even look wrong at the things she values the most? Well, may your death be a swift one (though it probably won't be). I love how Iza and Phobe complement each other. He's patient where she's impulsive, closed up and subtle where she's all up in your face. It's like, together they make up the most perfect team you could imagine. And I like the fact that Phobe will not baby her. He'll be the first one to throw her in danger, if he thinks it'll teach her something. And she appreciates it. Together they are the worst monsters imaginable and they're fucking proud of it. I adore reading about their bond and their interactions.
But like every good thing in the world, Ascension ended way to soon and now I have to sit here and whine. Please give the next book I neeeeed it.
3.5* I am really enjoying this series so far, this one not quite as much as the first. Maybe because there seemed to be more grammatical errors and word mistakes in this one....it was a bit distracting Can't wait for Deception
Ascension was just as weird as the first book.. but a smidge boring to me as well? It could just be me though.
Now I still love Iza and Phobe together because they work so well as a duo or a team. However, this book didn't really do much for me. Yeah, there was some mystery and more darkness added to it.. but after I finished the book I just felt underwhelmed.
Iza is getting one step closer to her final destination. She misses Phobe and wants him to come bak to her.. but she also needs to get her shit together and focus. Now I did love the way they greeted each other. Or maybe I should say I laughed pretty hard when she kissed him and then punched him.
Then there's Phobe who is dealing with the worst thing ever: emotions. It's new for him guys. Then there's the whole stay away from Iza but he can't because he basically loves her. Yeah, again, they were a cute couple and still are. They are also so freaking bad ass that I can't even wrap my mind around them.
These two are so good together but for the wrong reasons. However, you still end up rooting for them. Then there was that dreaded cliffhanger - ya know I hate those people! Now I need the next book! I just hope that its more exciting than this one??
Not gonna lie, this was my second attempt at reading this series… I am going to merge both book 1 and book 2 into this review.
”She gives my world color and life. Iza is all over the place and, I like chasing her there.”
Iza is a half breed, raised in the dungeon of a ruthless leader, one who beats and brutalizes his subjects, after killing her “adoptive parents”. Iza’s dungeon buddy is Phobe, a creature of the shadows. Both are destined to fulfill a prophecy. One the leader and one the heart.
From the start of the 1st book, I feel in love with the man in the shadows. His lack of feelings and inner dialogue sets his character apart from most that I have read. The uniqueness of Phobe really draws the readers in. He seems to grow from book 1 to book 2, he starts to inherit a personality, feelings and a dry sense of humor.
Iza’s character is much like Phobes in the sense of it being so unique, the author really put a lot of focus into their traits and habits. In book 1, Iza is brutalized repeatedly (so if you think beating and rape could be a trigger for you, I would recommend reading some else), raped and tossed to the side like trash. Even after all Iza endures, she still picks herself up and finds a reason to move forward each day.
Their romance or lack thereof - Can’t lie and say the slow burn isn’t worth it, because I do love a book that provides an ample amount of angst; however, if nothing EVER happens, I get a bit frustrated. This book could be in the mature side of YA, def not a full-on NA or Adult PNR. When Iza and Phobe finally seal the deal, it was semi-anti-climactic, as in after 2 sentences it was over and nothing happened after. Sigh.
This is a very complex book with many different things going on. With different realms, characters and one solid plot, you really have to pay attention or you will miss something.
My biggest complaint from both books – the spelling and grammar. LORD, I got frustrated with the lack of commas, too many commas, missing words, and words in the wrong place. Other than that, it’s a good read.
So in love with this. Iza is adorable. She is powerful, but doesn't really think she is. Dark, gruesome, and little bit mischievous are things to describe her. Also soft hearted toward her people. She growing on her own.
Probe is not something I really describe. The tension between him and Iza is a little frustrating. Love the build up with them
"I'm not Snow White surrounded by dwarves. I'm the bad guy that will eat Snow White like a chicken wing and use the dwarves to mop up the gravy." Yes... that about sums up Iza
Where the first book focused on character development, this one focuses on both character growth and world building. And just like the first book, you get to the end and feel like the story didn't really progress much, but I now think that's because I just wanted it to keep going and never end. Phobe is still just the perfect combination of hotness, kick assness, and questionable morals. I always want more of him, I absolutely LOVE reading his POV chapters. He is the perfect match for Iza, he doesn't coddle her, doesn't jump right in to rescue her, but he would definitely destroy the whole world for her if she asked.
I just can't figure out what it is about this series, but I am totally loving it! I was worried that this book wouldn't be as good as the first, but I shouldn't have, once again I just couldn't put it down.
DNF - I loved the first half of the first book. It had a compelling plot, interesting characters and intrigue. I can’t even finish this book. I no longer like the character of Iza and the writing just isn’t there. There is a lot of randomness going on.
I thought a bunch of things were quite good in this books but it did feel very filler like, to me at least.
Iza is a crazy little chaos ball, but like, in the best way.
Her quirkyness and I guess in some way immaturity doesn't bother me since it considering her history it makes a weird, twisted sort of sense that she's that way.
Phobe is awesome, I like him and his way of dealing with everything and his way of treating Iza is amazing, even though he himself says he's obsessed etc with her, he always waits for her consent in the things most important to her, I like that.
This book is amazing. Iza has finally made it to the Sidhe and she's gathering an army. Thank goodness Phobe returns to help her in anyway she needs it. I love that no matter what, he always has her back. Two monsters trying to make the world a better place for their people. Poor Iza with her bleeding heart, always trying to take on the burdens of others. Iza is a strong protagonist with a bleeding heart. This book is full of violence, stupid nobles, action, comedy and a splash of romance. I'm impatiently waiting for the next one in the series!
Zoe Parker is a force to be reckoned with! Continuing on from Facets of Feyrie Book 1, Iza and Phobe's relationship continues to grow, with the right amounts of affection and humor. Secondary characters continue to develop, not leaving them behind like some books tend to do. Zoe has truly created a world that is not boring or the typical plot lines so many books tend to follow, and I guarantee you will laugh through out this story and never be bored. During this story, Iza must come face to face with her "Ascension", her growing relationship with Phobe, and all that come with being born to be a leader she was destined to be. More of the "prophecy' is revealed, and thusly more on Phobe. I am so drawn into this story, I can't wait till we find out what happens next.
This book is literally everything i've ever looked for in a book. It's been like two weeks since I read it and i'm trying my best not to be completely gushy.
The characters are absolutely my favorite part about it. Everyone is in a grey area when it comes to good and bad (which is realistic, in my opinion). Like these are not good people and sometimes they get off on causing other people discomfort or pain, but, overall, their intentions are pure and they aren't as bad as the "bad guys." This was entirely refreshing from the "we're the good guys, they're the bad guys" idea that is present in every other book. I love me a good morally grey character and this book is filled with them.
Iza has finally accepted her "destiny" and then Phobe is back. He's honestly my favorite character. He was so supportive of Iza and unquestioning of her actions. He was like a silent hype man that provided necessary direction and advice. He let her be a complete badass and listened to her opinions. He didn't go rushing in to save her like some damsel in distress, but rather let her fight her own battles because hes completely confident in her ability to take care of herself. Plus, hes working through his own things, like learning what emotions even are.
And Iza! She was so badass. I love how the book has her working through her own traumatic experiences. She's not alright and she has these moments where it's overwhelming, but like shes a leader and she needs to be able to work through this shit. I love how being a leader wasn't completely instinctual and instead had a learning curve to it. Phobe was always there to give her advice. She made mistakes sometimes and was like "eh probably should have done this a bit differently." Her motivations for everything were also 10/10.
I could rant about their relationship for a while but the main point comes down to: They actually communicate. Their relationship isn't based on sex like a huge portion of adult paranormal. Like Phobe, though awkwardly, asks her to talk out her troubles and worries like an actual couple should. And they have lives outside each other. Even when they're together, they're not the only ones interacting. There's a plethora of amazing minor/supporting character that they have interactions with.
The plot is so, so good. That's not very eloquently put, but please know this series so far has been everything i've ever wanted plot wise. I love good magic elements, which this book had in bucket loads. The worldbuilding was extremely well done. Though, there are some elements that I got confused about at times, mostly surrounding their "gods" and a visitor Iza gets towards the end of the book. There were other elements, such as like Phobe's origin, but I feel like that was discussed in the first book and i'm just forgetting it..
The writing was well done and I was too into the book to notice anything that was off about it. I did have trouble keeping track of some of the characters. Iza just keeps adopting people into her hoard and we didn't really get any reintroduction to supporting characters that we met in the last book, so I had to just roll with it and guess. I didn't like how some of the characters were written purely to show Iza's power in the most obvious of ways. Some of the snobbish rich people that questioned her power were just idiotic and so the wins didn't even feel like wins. None of them were really threats and were instead just unnecessary annoyances. They were probably just there to showcase Iza's ability to lead, but I still feel like there still should have been a slight threat to her power rather than these people showing up and raving like children. Basically, I didn't like these easy fix situation that were just there to make Iza look good. However, other than that I loved this series, which is why it got five stars
OMG Ms Parker you do like the cliff hangers!! Lol well what can I say another book I could not put down!!! Absolutely brilliantly written it just keeps getting better and better if that's even possible. I can not wait for the third book I might just go abit crazy waiting to see what's happened to her nerd!!!! Well done Zoe parker on another brilliantly written book!!!