I hadn’t practiced this, how to tell Conn’s lies. But the snow helped. A snowfall softens all the hard noises and hard corners. It’s a natural liar. I saw the sky sprinkle down a hundred, a thousand white lies, and decided that I didn’t owe Orion anything.What starts as a YA typical boy-meets-girl story in modern-day Chicago takes a turn into the supernatural when Darcy is arrested by Conn, the guy she thought had liked her, and taken with him into an alternate dimension. There, the Chicago Fire of the “Alter” (our world) is herald by the humans there as the event which rid the city of Shades, dangerous non-humans with supernatural abilities, and Darcy finds herself in the middle of this conflict as she searches to discover who she is and where she came from.I guess I’m on a Chicago kick right now. As much as I hate driving through the city (ugh), there’s a certain appeal and awe that I feel there, and this book hit the nail on the head, and then some. The author managed to create two Chicagos that look and feel like Chicago.I’ll admit I was a little concerned at the opening, because it was too familiar, like I’d read the same YA romance over and over. My mind was changed for me, though, at Conn’s betrayal, which turned the seemingly straightforward novel suddenly into one all about secret agendas, supernatural powers, alternate dimensions (yes!), power struggles, and Darcy’s search for the truth. After that point, I didn’t want to put it down. Although some of the “surprises” were kind of predictable, there were enough twists and secrets to be revealed to keep me happy.There were a few small “Huh?” moments, like when teenagers go missing for weeks at a time and there’s not some major manhunt for them. And there was a love triangle (well, actually there were three guys interested in Darcy) but it wasn’t the typical waffling back and forth of “oh, dear me, which guy should I choose?” so I can’t complain too much.Overall: Intriguing and multidimensional (pun intended)Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book!
