Alex is a metalsmith and artist working part time in a book store to get by. The Fae Wars are over, and there's an uneasy truce between humans and fae, but there are disturbing social parameters. Fae live on reservations and have to register the moment they step onto human lands. Half-fae must register as soon as they're discovered, or they're deported forthwith. And there's a special police force that's big on enforcement. So the paranormal skulk around in hiding...and maybe biding their time. Alex's parents died during the war. The last thing she wants is a renewing of hostilities. But when her best friend is slain, she's thrown right into the thick of things.
Alex is stalked and confronted by a bunch of fae people who want a mysterious magic box her friend died protecting. She has to discern friend from foe, and learns nothing--and no one--is what they seems. And she learns more about the fae world, and herself, than she ever wanted to. But once known, she can't unknow it. There's no going back to what was.
I loved this book so much! Alex is my favorite kind of heroine--snarky, spirited, imperfect. Her mistrust is understandable, but often misplaced. There were times when I got impatient, and exasperated, with her, because at times she was so dense and stubborn--but that's when I knew the author did her job making the characters REAL. There is a wide cast of characters, both good, really bad, and everything in between. The worst were the human Purists, who are against everything non-human, period. (Parallels to reality slightly disturbing.) I loved the glaring cultural differences between the humans, fae, and weres. I loved how people had to reluctantly work together against a growing threat that imperiled all. And I hated that Alex had to keep secrets from her human friends, partly for their own protection and partly because she didn't trust how they would react to her. I found that sad, if realistic.
I wouldn't call this a romance, but I'm okay with that. Urban fantasy isn't inherently a romance. There was enough going on that I didn't miss it. I loved my introduction to this often dark, disturbing world, and can't wait to get to the next installment in this series.