Phantom Pains by Mishell Baker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The fae and a Borderline Personality Disorder main character... what could go wrong?

Well after the first book, we know that the answer is plenty, and Millie is outta there... but the second book proves that anyone can be dragged back in. All you need is a murder charge, someone you love someone you can destroy, and a mystical contract to keep your mentally-sick-butt in one place long enough to keep your mouth shut and not destroy all your chances at happiness.

Seriously. From a psychological thriller viewpoint, this UF is spot-on and awesome. Being a borderline in the world of the fae just means that you have permission to be as crazy as they... except that they have power and you don't, and while your life is swirling down the toilet, you just don't care what you have to do while you're in the grip of your Thing.

It's a delightfully wicked turn and all of that continues quite nicely in this sequel. Phantom Pains may not be quite as shocking as the first, but the build-up for the world is solid. We get more of the LA movie studios, a lot more fae, and the inclusion of some cool new seelie and unseelie court people and beasties, a lot more politics, and some magical slavery that makes for a rather big ending.

I'm going to be following this UF very closely. The characters are quite awesome. I especially like Millie's echo even if he feels a little flat. Of course, ANYONE is going to feel a little flat before our flamboyantly destructive Millie, so I think it's a very nice balance. :)

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