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The only reason I found this book enjoyable at all was because of the support characters. Those three stars? They're for them. The ones who actually cared about the plot. Cared about the fate of the Nevernever. Literally cared about something other than Ash.

No stars for Meghan though because she was a whiny, bratty little twit who is clearly too stupid to live anyway.

We pick up where the last book left off. Ash has made good on his and Meghan's contract and is taking her to the Unseelie court. Meghan narrates that he seems conflicted and that she doesn't think he really wants to take her there. Ash flat out tells her that romances between the two courts are against the rules and they'd be in HUGE trouble. He tells her that the Unseelie court views emotions as weakness and would be used to tear her apart.

So what does Meghan do once they get to the court and Ash starts behaving as if he wants nothing to do with her? Cries and whines about how he's being sooooo mean. And he must have only been only acting when he said he loved her to get her back to the Winter Court.

She never once considers the very obvious possibility that the rules and court are as ruthless as he explained and that he's protecting both their asses by pretending in front of everyone that there's nothing going on there.

And I could have actually gotten behind her resolve to try and play along with the court. To steel her emotions and do what she has to do. If it had lasted more than a couple pages. As soon as someone so much as mentions Ash she's a simpering little pile.

I enjoyed all the parts where Ash wasn't present. Where Meghan wasn't pouting about Ash 24/7. Though as soon as he turned up in the story again Meghan became the same drip I knew her to be. Their romance is so forced and based on nothing that I can't get on board with it. This book even finds a way to make dragging Ash and Meghan to her old high school's Winter Formal a relevant plot event.

They're a boring couple with nothing going for them. We're never shown them bonding over anything. Having any common interests. By all accounts, Meghan is more compatible with the other leg of the feebly attempted love triangle, Puck. Though that wouldn't be forbidden and angsty so obviously not as 'fun.'

The ending just proves what a useless character Meghan is. (view spoiler)[With a war with the Iron Fey looming and the fate of Nevernever in the balance Meghan decides to be banished with her boring love interest instead of actually staying behind to save the realm. (hide spoiler)]

I battled with myself when it came to giving this book two stars or three and finally just decided on three. In spite of Meghan being a total log of a character, the secondary characters were interesting enough and did things that didn't involve whining about romantic entanglements. Plus the writing itself was pretty decent so I decided to be a little generous with my stars.