I was slightly surprised by this book. I had read good reviews about it, but I wasn't prepared for how much I would enjoy this book. McKenzie is a Shadow Reader. She's a human that can see the Fae and when they move from our world to their Realm and back again they use things called "fissures" well McKenzie is able to read the fissures left by the Fae and can track their location. Their is a war going on between the Fae royal kingdom and those that would usurp the crown. McKenzie is definitely a high commodity. She ends up being capture by the rebels right away. Thus begins McKenzie's struggle to decide what it really good and what is really bad. 
 I really liked th execution of this book. Sandy Williams did a great job with it. There were quite a few times I would get exasperated with McKenzie, but then I would take a step back and look at it from her true point of view. For ten years she has been on the side of the Court hearing all the terrible things the rebels have done. She's even lived through a lot of the terrible things the rebels have done, yet when she's captured she begins to question everything she knows. Was the Court truly protecting her interests and herself for all these years? If she wanted to retired from reading would they let her go? What awful things has the Court done in our to ensure it's success in the war? These are all valid questions running through McKenzie's mind and Sandy Williams really makes it difficult to side one way or the other because both sides obviously believe they are doing the greater good. 
 Aren is the leader of the rebels. He's drawn to McKenzie pretty much from the start and he's a very charismatic character. He saves McKenzie numerous times and protects her from other rebels who just want to kill her right away. 
 Kyol is the Court king's sword-master. McKenzie has been in love with him for ten years and he's loved her as well. Kyol continually tells her that they can't be together because the King doesn't allow Fae and human relationships, but she wait for him anyway. 
 It was a very well written love triangle. I've really grown to hate them as a writing device, but Williams does a good job. Both Aren and Kyol are honorable men (Fae?). They are both decicated to the cause and are really good at what they do. They both truly want the best for their people even though they are on opposite sides. I knew who I wanted McKenzie to ultimately go for, but when I think about it, both have their pros (as well as cons), and slowly as feelings change and grow Williams chose the natural course and made reactions believeable, but not over the top. I wasn't irritated with too much angst as can happen with love triangles. 
 The book has a solid ending. There are no major cliffhangers except wanting to know where the characters go from here. Book 2The Shattered Dark will be out in October 2012 and I can't wait. This is a solid start to a series I hope we will get a few more books from. Until Then!