Holy smokes! This book totally blew me away and I did not expect that at all. Rhodes' ability to seamlessly weave contemporary with high fantasy was impressive. Of course, I'm not an expert in this genre but maybe I need to read more Urban Fantasy, I think I've only read a couple, because I really like it. I was easily able to connect with each character since it was told from three POVs. Despite the fact that the story itself didn't progress as much as I expected, yet I still loved it so much, speaks wonders to Rhodes' ability to capture a reader's attention and actually keep it. The pacing is smooth and I read this book fairly quickly, but yes, the story itself didn't really go as far as I thought it would. Much of the action and excitement doesn't happen until the last quarter of the book, but the way Rhodes laid the groundwork and set up the series during the first three-quarters of the book was well done. I was never bored, to say the least. 
 The true main character is Crystal, as her family is very much tied into this secret society called Hawkspear and its connection to the world of Mythica. After she unknowingly opens a magical book, the Bronze Codex, her life is changed forever. She uncovers the truth of why her father left her family, all the secrets her mother never told her, albeit in an achingly slow way, and how dangerous her life has now become. As a whole, I really liked Crystal. She has an artistic spirit and a love for funny t-shirts. I also liked that wasn't easily manipulated and was pretty kickass when she needed to be. And when the girl wants answers, she gets them no matter how she has to. One of my favorite scene of hers would have to be when she went out for sushi with Farrell. Even though it was told from Farrell's perspective, I reveled in how she handled everything and I was very happy with how their relationship progressed. It was very atypical and I loved that. 
 Oh, and I have to say that Crystal's mother bugged me so much. Yes, I know her heart was in the right place and she's being all protective, but I'm seriously sick of characters "protecting" others by lies of omission. It's becoming a big pet peeve of mine. It's okay when the kid is young or lacks the mental capacity, but if it's a sane, capable person, there's a limit to how many secrets and lies I can stand. In real life, I can't stand them at all, but in books I can only take so much before it becomes unnecessary and rage-inducing. 
 Farrell's story did not turn out how I was expecting at all, but in a good way. I thought the author was going to follow the usual character progression that you would come to expect of a seemingly bad guy with a conscience, but that wasn't the case here with Farrell. I don't know how his character will change in the rest of the series and if he will indeed follow that tried and true plotline, but so far, I like not liking him. His family has been in this secret society for a long time and after the death of his older brother, Farrell is welcomed into the inner circle. It's obvious his brother's death isn't what it seems, at least I hope, and I only wish we had delved into that a little more. His brother Adam plays a significant role in the book as well and it was interesting kind of seeing both sides play out. I liked how protective Farrell was with his brothers, but I didn't like how easily manipulated he was when it came to Hawkspear and Markus, the leader of the society. He's a bit over his head, lets just leave it at that. 
 Maddox is actually from Mythica and his role revolves around Becca, Crystal's sister. I really enjoyed being in Mythica and I thought Rhodes creating quite an intriguing world. Becca is put into a coma after touching the Bronze Codex, and is brought to that world as a spirit. There, only Maddox can see and interact with her as he has a very special magical power. There's a lot that even Maddox doesn't know about his past and how important a role he plays in the politics of Mythica, but as the story progresses, his story unravels a lot faster than on the Contemporary side of the story, and I appreciated that. Becca and Maddox's relationship evolves into a romance, naturally, and I thought they were so cute together. These were two innocent and sweet characters who have a lot of crazy and intense things happen to them in Mythica. I felt like there wasn't nearly enough time with them and I hope we see so much more of them together as the series progresses. 
 Aside from that one big issue I mentioned above, I loved the book. That ending was all kinds of craziness, much of which I expected but also a lot of which I didn't see coming. I didn't want to stop reading. It was funny because I brought it with me to class and was reading it during breaks and it drove me crazy when I had to put it down. All I know for sure is that I'm super eager to read Rhodes' previous series and see how it all connects. I even got the audiobooks ready for me to listen to next. I'm so excited! Everyone needs to read this book.