“It occurred to me as I stared into the darkness that it was probably a good thing it had taken so long for me to see Simon for who he truly was. If I hadn’t fallen in love with that sweet and kind boy, I wouldn’t have gotten on a plane with him to fly halfway across the world; I wouldn’t have trusted him enough to do what he was asking me to do. And as angry as I was, as much as I hated what my life had become, I knew I had to do what Simon and the others were asking me to do. It all came down to one inescapable belief. I would have to kill or be killed. There were certainly other pieces of the puzzle that were more complex and harder to understand, but that one piece was very clear and unrelenting and it drove me forward, even in those moments when giving up seemed like the most sensible choice I could make.”
The end of the world will start in the suburbs of Denver with a faery transfer student from Ireland. If you think that’s totally ridiculous, then you understand how Maggie O’Neill feels. In all of her sixteen years, faeries were something you read about in children’s books. They didn’t actually show up on your doorstep. They didn’t kiss you and make your knees go weak and whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Until Simon Brady, that is. Simon changed everything. He makes her heart race and her skin burn with excitement, but he has also changed her core beliefs about the world and made her see it as a dark and dangerous place filled with monsters that belong only in the lines of faery tales. There is no doubt in Maggie’s mind that she loves Simon, but can she see past who he is and find a place for him in her heart?
Maggie thought of herself as a normal teenager. Going to school, a somewhat nice boyfriend, a little brother who liked to teaser, you know all very normal stuff. Though with Simon arriving in her life, it seems that weird things are happening around her and nothing makes much sense.
Finding out that the new guy is a Feary and that she is supposed to fight in this big battle, doesn't go over to well. Maggie can barely grasp the existence of faeries and now they want her to kill some evil guy. She's absolutely not prepared for the task and isn't really sure she actually wants to do it.
This book is clearly the beginning and the setup for hopefully a more action packed second book. The focus here is mostly on Maggie and her relationship with Simon, how he infiltrates her life, new emotions and then what she believes to be betrayel. Which to me proofed her age really well. So what if he's a faery and he didn't tell her immediately. They're not supposed to tell regular people and they weren't even sure if she was the girl they've been looking for all these years. Give the guy some credit. In the beginning Maggie is very happy to have Simon in her life, but when she finds out the truth she will need some time to come to terms with everything and unfortunately Simon will take the brunt of her more negative emotions.
Other than that little thing, I really liked the way Maggie reacted to her supposedly needing to save the world. Which was not well at all and repeating the question "why me?" The girl weighs a hundred pounds wet, has no skills and they want her to fight this big bad faery. You can understand why she's not jumping with joy at this opportunity. I also found it really weird how the faeries reacted. They were happy to have found their special girl, but they were also secure they wouldn't really need her as they have a lot of trained fighters for the job. Which made me wonder why they would introduce her into this world in the first place. Make up your mind people.
I would call this part of the story more romance than fantasy and action. Those only come into place later in the book. The characters were overall very likeable. Maggie isn't some weak sixteen-year-old, but of course she has her doubts about her role in all of this. Simon is the perfect boyfriend, maybe at times even a bit too perfect, but I really liked his loyalty towards Maggie. There was one scene where things get really dark and sad, and I nearly couldn't believe the author went that far, but this made it clear that they mean serious business. Overall a great young adult read, with different elements that will speak to a lot of readers.
Jill Daugherty lives in Denver with Bailey, the world’s cutest puppy. By day, she works with gifted children and their teachers, but somewhere on the drive home every evening, she transforms into a writer. When she’s not working, writing or cleaning up Bailey’s latest mess, she likes to...uh, no, that’s pretty much her life.
Finding out that the new guy is a Feary and that she is supposed to fight in this big battle, doesn't go over to well. Maggie can barely grasp the existence of faeries and now they want her to kill some evil guy. She's absolutely not prepared for the task and isn't really sure she actually wants to do it.
This book is clearly the beginning and the setup for hopefully a more action packed second book. The focus here is mostly on Maggie and her relationship with Simon, how he infiltrates her life, new emotions and then what she believes to be betrayel. Which to me proofed her age really well. So what if he's a faery and he didn't tell her immediately. They're not supposed to tell regular people and they weren't even sure if she was the girl they've been looking for all these years. Give the guy some credit. In the beginning Maggie is very happy to have Simon in her life, but when she finds out the truth she will need some time to come to terms with everything and unfortunately Simon will take the brunt of her more negative emotions.
Other than that little thing, I really liked the way Maggie reacted to her supposedly needing to save the world. Which was not well at all and repeating the question "why me?" The girl weighs a hundred pounds wet, has no skills and they want her to fight this big bad faery. You can understand why she's not jumping with joy at this opportunity. I also found it really weird how the faeries reacted. They were happy to have found their special girl, but they were also secure they wouldn't really need her as they have a lot of trained fighters for the job. Which made me wonder why they would introduce her into this world in the first place. Make up your mind people.
I would call this part of the story more romance than fantasy and action. Those only come into place later in the book. The characters were overall very likeable. Maggie isn't some weak sixteen-year-old, but of course she has her doubts about her role in all of this. Simon is the perfect boyfriend, maybe at times even a bit too perfect, but I really liked his loyalty towards Maggie. There was one scene where things get really dark and sad, and I nearly couldn't believe the author went that far, but this made it clear that they mean serious business. Overall a great young adult read, with different elements that will speak to a lot of readers.
The Courage Series - Reading order and purchase links
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