Mortal danger by Ann Aguirre

She had been planning it for ages, the perfect moment to end her life with the least amount of fuss and mess, she had it planned to perfection - what she had not planned on was Kian.  Kian came out of the blue, a kind voice that spoke to Edie at a time when she had lost all hope.  He was her rescuer, but it soon feels like she has jumped from the frying pan into the fire because Kian saved her but the act of saving comes with a catch - a catch that she won't know about until it is too late to change her mind.

Edie now has three "wishes", three opportunities to change her life forever - but is revenge the best way for Edie to move forward?  The Teflon crew made her life a miserable hell, they are the reason that she nearly took her own life, but revenge is not all its cracked up to be.  Her first wish is for physical change, a make over that will make her beautiful on the outside, the perfect chance at a first start.  It takes time for Edie to make the internal changes to go with her new face and body, and one of those changes is the way she feels about Kian.

Edie is playing a very dangerous game and she doesn't know all the rules or all the players.  Her value lies in her potential, and that potential can be derailed to make her worthless - which will result in her becoming an indentured slave to the person who owns her token.  With Kian by her side Edie has a chance, but is he really on her side or is he playing a long game with his own plans and goals?  Edie is fighting for her life and fighting for her future, and every day it seems as if the goal posts are moving.

I picked up Mortal danger because I really enjoyed Enclave which was a fast paced and tersely written thriller that raced from start to finish - keeping you on the edge of your seat the whole way.  I was really hoping to have the same with Mortal danger so I was a little disappointed to find a long, involved, and drawn out start to a new series (a bit of pain when I was hoping to have a stand alone - there are no warnings on the book that this is part of a series).  If I had been looking for an involved and richly worded novel with plenty of world and mythology building I wouldn't have been so disappointed (and it wouldn't have taken me a week to finish the book).

There is a lot to like here - Aguirre has obviously put a lot of thought and research into her world but I just came across it at the wrong time.  Readers who really enjoyed Cassandra Clare will probably find a lot to like here, or readers who enjoyed Kiersten White's Paranormalcy series.  

If you like this book then try:

• The chaos of stars by Kiersten White
• Drift by M.K. Hutchins
• Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
• Born at midnight by C.C Hunter
• Antigoddess by Kendare Blake
• The girl of fire and thorns by Rae Carson
• Daughter of smoke and bone by Laini Taylor
• Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
• Sweet venom by Tera Lynn Childs
• Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst
• Origin by Jessica Khoury
• Graceling by Kristin Cashore
• The interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina
• The demon trapper's daughter by Jana Oliver

Reviewed by Brilla