SEEING GRAY
by C.E. Brown
A 17-year-old girl contends with otherworldly forces as she sets out to avenge her slain mother in Brown’s YA novel.
For suburbanite Zoey Marie Talbot, mythical creatures like pixies and trolls aren’t just fairy tale characters—they’re real. She’s blessed (or perhaps cursed) with the Sight, an inherited power that allows her to see nonhuman beings that live, work, and travel in the Human Realm; various spells keep their true forms concealed from other humans. Zoey has long been under strict orders to keep her power hidden so as not to attract the attention of the Mythical Council, who killed Zoey’s grandmother. Nevertheless, Zoey plans to register with them when she turns 18; she hates hiding her Sight, and registration would enable her to travel to other realms. However, after a demon murders Zoey’s mother, the teen finds a mysterious ring that her mother had carefully hidden, which fuses itself to her finger; she later discovers that it allows its wearer to access a valuable, secret map, which makes her a target. Then the Council discovers her, and she finds herself subjugated by an authority that’s completely alien to her. Determined to track down her mother’s killer, she reluctantly teams up with a half-demon named Tristan, who warns her that she shouldn’t trust anyone from other realms—not even him. Over the course of this novel, Brown presents a thrilling coming-of-age adventure story in a compelling urban fantasy setting. Zoey, a daring and sometimes-reckless protagonist, narrates the proceedings in a tone that effectively combines earnestness with teenage snark: “Why would anyone care if someone could see through spells? It was such a useless gift. Not like breathing fire or walking through walls.” Excellent worldbuilding conjures an ideal backdrop for plenty of action and misadventures. Readers will note some familiar fantasy-romance elements, especially when it comes to the developing relationship between Zoey and Tristan, but overall, the novel remains fresh and exciting.
A fast-paced fantasy with a bold lead character and a well-developed fictional world.