The Exile

Adams (The Eldritch Conspiracy) launches an urban fantasy series with a well-worn premise. Brianna Hai, an exiled Faerie princess leading a quiet life on Earth, is forced to return to Faerie where she’s swept up in court intrigue and politics. She’s accompanied by some human allies, including Det. Nick Antonelli, who suspects her involvement in several unsolved cases and wasn’t aware of her true nature until she dragged him across the veil. Once in Faerie, Brianna must simultaneously protect her friends from the Fae, who enjoy human playthings, and deal with the constant struggle to determine who will succeed her father on the throne. While the core story is solid, the pacing is erratic, and the various subplots never really mesh. Nick’s investigation is thoroughly derailed by Brianna’s return to Faerie; they might as well be two separate books that accidentally collided. However, Adams does an admirable job of breathing life into Faerie and its creatures before ending on a game-changing cliffhanger. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency. (Mar.)