CHARMED VENGEANCE is the middle book of a trilogy. As a consequence, we don't get to meet the characters or achieve resolution of the larger story. This book is essentially a journey book. Noli is still trying to come to terms with the sprite that evil Queen Tiana put in her head. She is battling for possession of her mind and body. Sprites aren't very smart and are very attracted to the shiny and pretty things. Noli wants to be an engineer. This creates quite a conflict for her. She is also rebelling against the societal notion that all girls of her class need to be married to achieve their proper place in society. After V is forced to break their bond by his mother, evil Queen Tiana, Noli adds heartbreak to the mix. She is offered a place on the Vixen's Revenge where her brother is first mate as an engineer which seems the best thing for her to do until V finds a way for them to be together.V, aka Steven or Stiofan, is on a journey of his own. He is sent by Queen Tiana on a quest for an unusual amusement. All the while, she is hoping that he will die on the quest and has encouraged all fae on Earth to "help" them which in her terms means to hinder them without killing them. Putting them in a situation that might kill them is all right with her, though. V takes his brother James along as a helper and to help him get back to his life instead of constantly mourning his lost love. Kevighn Silver has the third thread of this novel. Kevighn is an interesting character. He is an exile. He has worked as a hunstman for Queen Tiana finding and luring young girls with the Spark to the Otherworld to be sacrifices which are needed to keep the Otherworld functioning. He first met Noli when he was sent to bring her to the Otherworld but then fell in love with her. These three journeys come together first when Noli and Kevighn both end up on the Vixen's Revenge and when one of the children they rescue from a human trafficking ring is an abducted child V and James and trying to bring back to her father in exchange for an automaton for the queen. However, V and Noli don't meet because her friends on the ship, knowing that V broke her heart, keep them from meeting. The journeys also come together because another task of the Vixen's Revenge is locating objects for buyers. They have found some hidden fae artifacts and are preparing to sell them to King Brogan. When Noli and Kevighn get a look at them and know that King Brogan will use them for evil purposes. Kevighn takes them to the Ciarán who is the dark king who, he feels, will use them for the good of the Otherworld.Unfortunately, King Brogan vows to take revenge when they sell his artifacts to someone else. Brogan is V's uncle and the one who deposed and exiled his father. V is waiting until he reaches adulthood to challenge him for the return of his throne. New, he can no longer wait to challenge his uncle. I enjoyed the writing in this story. I like the world building which combines steampunk with magic and the fae. I like the characters and am enjoying watching them grow and change. I look forward to the third book in this trilogy to see how the plot is resolved.
