A Dark and Twisting Road

by Melody Taylor

Alexa is one of the lucky ones.


When the faeries kidnapped her and tricked her into an unwilling marriage to a fae lord, she eventually managed to escape.


In the years since her ordeal, Alexa has learned every trick she can to avoid being taken back. She’s done her best to build something resembling a normal life: a college degree, a good career, and no faeries. “Normal” seems impossible, though – especially when her kidnappers appear to be harmless myths to anyone who’s never dealt with the fae.


When Alexa discovers that her best friend, Dinah, has been replaced by a changeling, her worst nightmares come true. All too aware what Dinah could be suffering at the hands of the faeries, Alexa realizes she has no choice.


She’s the only one who can go into Faerie and get Dinah back.

ebook

First published September 1, 2015

About the author

Melody Taylor's short works have appeared in various local publications. "In the Dark" is her first novel. She currently resides in Minnesota with her husband and herd of cats, and is hard at work on her next book.

Reviews

[Kari Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remember when fairies were scary and you had to follow certain rules to stop the fair folk? This book takes those customs and brings it into the now. Overall this was well written. I thought the characters were interesting and the world seemed beautiful and scary. I could not finish this book as much as I liked it. The author used a writing technique that is not my favorite. She has one chapter in the present and then one chapter in the past. I hate this because it ruins the flow for me. If that technique does not bother you then pick this book up. If like me you hate that I would probably not recommend this book. I actually got farther in this book then most with time jumps. Which says a lot about how much I wanted to like this book. Three stars because if you can over look time jumps this book is great and very well written.

[Gypsy Madden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every moment of this book! It was brought to life rich with detail. Alexa, even with her negative view on the fairy world, still had some wonder left in her, and room to grow. I loved how well researched this book was with all the different superstitions of fairies, and included fairies in all shapes and sizes from the ridiculously handsome human-sized, to the Tinkerbell pixie size, to the odd half-animal, to the thin reedy scarecrow, to the child-sized. I should warn future readers that even though the subject is fairies, this book really isn’t intended for a young audience. There is repeated rape, and it spends a large portion of the rest of the book dealing with the trauma of that rape. But it was gut-wrenching and felt authentic in the way that she didn’t immediately get over it, and it was fascinating in the dissection of how it kept infecting her life through the following years, and how she had to grow from it, and how her family dealt with it. I did enjoy that the family was included so much of the time, rather than just practically cameo roles in the background. I also loved that there was an actual romance, and that the romance wasn’t insta-love, at least not on her end especially with her being so damaged, insta-love just wouldn't have been believable. The romance was slow, and tentative, and blossomed. I’m always disappointed when there isn’t romance in a book. The only thing I have to complain on is the length. It took me eighteen page-forwards on my kindle to get it to move to 2%. (times by 100% and OMG, that’s a long book!) And the telling the book half in the present and half in flashbacks alternating between chapters affects the pacing a bit. (Also, there were a couple of plot threads that didn’t get resolved, for instance a missing locket that I thought I spotted in one scene, but then vanished again and there was a certain someone who was looking for her but never popped back in again to be dealt with). I loved all of the imagination that was put into the many worlds Alexa visited, and I swear I saw a nod to Lord of the Rings and I’m thinking Alexa and Dinah are nods to Alice in Wonderland. And I did love Malthier. I totally want to know more about him (how about a short novella featuring his wild road trip?)

[Destiny Bridwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from a fair and honest review. Nothing in this world is on the up and up when it comes to the Fae. They take girls for them to marry the family. Alexa was taken, but she found a way to escape, She has a good life without the faeries interferring. Then she notices that something is wrong with her friend Dinah. That is when she realizes what is happen that means going back to the place that she escaped from. She knows it will not be an easy journey but she can't leave her best friend to that fate. 

[Scarolet Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Dark and Twisting Road by Melody Taylor is a wonderful story that I loved reading. This is book number one in this wonderful start to a brand new series writen by a brand new author for me to read. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about the Fae and fantasy in their stories as much as I do.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ingrid Irmiter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed going on the long and twisted journey, that is a major segment of Alexa's life so far. She's a teen emerging into adulthood, experiencing adult things and trying to figure out who she really is, but hasn't given up the angst and eye rolling. You don't have to be heavy into fantasy, suspense, or romance for this book, cause it's all there wrapped up in one neat package. Just a warning though; much like the Lisbeth Salander (Stieg Larsson)trilogy makes you crave coffee and sandwiches, you'll definitely find yourself reaching for a K cup or searching out the nearest cafe. And of course, you also gotta love another kick ass girl main character!

A Dark and Twisting Road