The woman jolted in the guard's arms, and raised one of her own hands, which was glowing red. Like magnets, their palms slammed together. 
 "Oh, shit," I mumbled, realizing what this was. "He's found his mate." 
 3.5 stars. I won't lie to you and say that there weren't some things wrong with this book, but there was so much to like that I found myself willing to overlook a few things which might normally bother me (lots of mentions of spring green eyes and copious amounts of sputtering). I wasn't sure if I was going to take to Lily at first but she slowly morphed into a character who I could get behind. 
 Anyway....sometimes a guilty pleasure is just that - a guilty pleasure, meant for the sole purpose of being enjoyed. Magical powers and random crazy mating scenes were only a few of the fun things about King Hall. And hey, at least there wasn't a love triangle. Praise be! 
 When you strip away the surface shenanigans, you'll see underneath that there is a strong message of friendship and loyalty. I think what really stood out for me was the emphasis on the importance of non-romantic relationships. It's not often where a book comes along and focuses on the strengths of friendship and what it means to have a solid group of people in your corner. Friends see you at your best and at your worst. If you can make it through the worst with them, you know that they'll be around for the long haul. I found myself believing in the power of friendship as I watched King Hall's version of the Wonder Twins get multiplied into a Fearsome Foursome. 
 "Let's kill the Com bastards," Ezra muttered viciously. 
 We nodded as one, our fists slamming together. 
 We moved, all of our eyes glowing. Blue. Green. Brown. Gold. 
 (This is where I would have inserted a Wonder Twins picture but I couldn't find one I liked, unless I wanted to steal someone's deviant art.) 
 Here. Let's go with a hotter couple. 
 While the world building felt strangely eclectic and busy (kitchen-sink writing is how I've referred to it in the past), I liked the general concept enough to keep my doubts from reaching epic proportions. I don't get why every single mythical race is hanging out at a college together, yet they aren't allowed to mix romantically, at least not in public (contradictory much?). I thought the "King" system was weakly fleshed out and the dynamics between magical races and non-magical races, and how they interacted in the same world together was vague (Why are they enemies sometimes? Is it just human jealousy?). I don't completely understand why hair color was one of the major defining characteristics (especially two-toned hair!), but these types of small unfinished details didn't necessarily take away from the things which made the book enjoyable. 
 What made the book fun for me? Aside from the friendship bonds, we got to watch our characters engage with the enemies and get wasted in their tents while playing an awkward game of Truth or Dare, not necessarily in that order. When books manage to find ways to bring together fun times and dangerous times, I generally like the combo. Some of the sexual innuendos bordered on crude but since I have a strange sense of humor, I have to admit to grinning at a vampire admitting that chicks liked him every week of the month. Although, the 'arm on/under the lady bits' scene near the end...awkward. If you read this book, I'll want to know your thoughts on that. 
 The story itself is centered around Lily, a young woman going through a big transitional phase in her life, after a big new responsibility is thrown on her. She has reasons to keep her own secrets, and reasons to hesitate before letting people in. Like I mentioned earlier, it took a while for me to warm up to Lily. But in time, I started to see her for more than what she first projected herself to be. 
 Ezra is probably my favorite character so far. He's strong, smart, snarky, and mysterious. I loved that he was a sexy male lead with darker skin, but I had the hardest time picturing his red and black spiked hair for some reason, since it grows that way (is it a pattern?). This is an instance where I'd love to see some photo-shopped fantasy casting or fan art, so I can get a clear picture of him in my head. 
 I don't know if this is going to be the book for everyone (you have to push past a start which has a few cringe-worthy moments), but I think that King Hall might work for anyone who's been looking for non-contemporary NA, and would be willing put aside a few hesitations over details for the sake of enjoying the ride. This is a sexy, adventurous and enjoyable read. 
 This book provided from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All quotes are taken from the pre-published copy and may be altered or omitted from the final copy.