Though long, this review is spoiler-free (well, except for like the first two chapters, but that's also true for back-cover descriptions, right?) 
 So, my friend gave me this book half-jokingly for my birthday. I mean, "Prince Charming: kickass sort-of-werewolf, knight, and hunter of supernatural evil"? Sign me up! Of course, we both kind of expected the book to be cliche and crappy--I mean, supernatural kickass hunters? Been done sooo many times--but we were both pleasantly surprised at how original it was. Well, yeah, he's kind of a werewolf hunting vampires, with a katana and other omg-Japanese-is-like-so-badass weapons, a tough drop-dead gorgeous love interest, and the frickin' Knights of the Templar on his butt, but it seemed to serve more as a jumping-off point into a world filled with more little-known creatures than a tirelessly tried-and-true way to attempt to sell supernatural babble to a young audience with full pockets. 
 Ever heard of Valkyries, or kresniks, or naga? Dimmly? They're in there. How about ankou, djinn, or wendingos? Okay, the show Supernatural, but they're in there, at least mentioned, among creatures and mythologically-faithful backstories I heard for the first time in this book. As someone who reads quite a bit of supernatural, that was such a nice surprise for me. And the world building is brilliant. I love the way he explained why humans had all these legends of these creatures yet see no sign of their existence: a spell called the Pax Arcana cast by the Fae after the Black Death to protect their half-children right before they left our world. This spell is imperceivable and redirects human attention away from supernatural activity unless it immediately threatens the human; it's still happening right in front of their faces, but the human gets this strong urge to Oh, that sky is gorgeous today! Wait, did I turn off the stove this morning? Oh, God, that appointment wasn't today, was it? Crap, I gotta go check. . . . The way it's handled makes so much more sense to me than a lot of the theories writers of supernatural try to pull off, and I love how much thought has gone into it. You even need some sort of life-altering event to turn off the spell, unless you're already supernatural, of course. 
 However, because of the multiple well-thought-out theories and world building, the narrative can get a bit bogged down. I sort of had to read it in small doses at times, but once I really got into it, I was hooked. The prose isn't the prettiest, but it's effective, which all you really need or can ask of a novel written from a badass-dude's perspective. The characterization was well done, especially the heroine's, Sig. I loved how strong but real with vulnerabilities she especially was, since many authors get so caught up in "badass heroine" that they either write a chick that kicks ass and doesn't give a damn about nothing, or make her strong but give her an overwhelming weakness that causes her to become the damsel-in-distress the hero has to save to prove his worth. All characters had a nice, realistic balance of strength and weaknesses, and great diversity and chemistry, and I really appreciate that. 
 That's why even though the narrative isn't the prettiest, and the bare-minimum plot screams of cliches, I'm giving this five stars. Because it was original in its own way. Because it was refreshing. Because I really liked it, dang it, despite its flaws. 
 This is a perfect book for anyone looking for a little more grown-up supernatural/urban fantasy without breaking into the books brimming with explicit supernatural love-making. Guys would be satisfied with the thoroughly-male perspective and horror and action sequences and none of that frilly perfect-hero/man sensitive badass, I'm-here-for-you-princess-and-would-never-dream-of-entertaining-impure-thoughts-around-you BS. Girls might like for exactly the same reasons, because it's refreshing and not at all in your face I'm-such-a-man-because-I'm-a-horny-guy-badass-who-wants-all-of-teh-wemens'-hawt-bewbs and such like some novels who try for a "thoroughly male" perspective (eyeroll). If you're a fan of Supernatural for more than just the characters, then I think you'd love this. If you like supernatural entertainment but are tired of the bull crap, you'd probably like this as well (and also Supernatural, just sayin'). I really do recommend this book.