Maggie is a woman of great intelligence. She just completed an MA, is a great teacher, and finished writing a children's book for university. But she shouldn't be standing out – in the human world anyway. She is of the gadda, a hidden and powerful race and very xenophobic. They long to close themselves off from humans in their town in Ireland. She's made one mistake too many, and is banished. Away from the fierce restrictions, she meets the handsome Lucas and unlocks who he is truly is. Neither can escape what is coming, and none of them are safe from the ambitions and bigotry amongst the gadda.


Maggie is a character who is easily identifiable and it's so easily to slip into her world through her eyes. Her feelings are so human, chafing at the severe restrictions upon her and longing to be free to do as she pleases. Maggie's motives aren't all that dramatic, she's not going out wanting to be a highly public figure such as a politician or CEO, but takes pleasure in teaching children about the world. Bundling up all her virtues and faults, she's a character readers will enjoy.

One of the most brilliant aspects of this book is the balance of the relationship between Maggie and Lucas. In a huge amount of urban fantasy or paranormal romance books, it's always the male who has an advantage over the female, by powers and by knowledge. Murphy twists this overused male domination and let's Maggie loose. Murphy is not restrained in her work, either by tradition or cliché.

In urban fantasy, secret races are common, but the gadda are something all on their own. Their magic and ritual is fascinating, their hierarchy very organised. Even their biology works differently from humans, and as such human/gadda relations are frowned upon. While adept at hiding, their greatest fear is also the most basic one – survival, particularly when it comes to having children. The novel takes on a fairly dark aspect when dealing with with prejudice, something that is still so terribly common in our world today.


There is so much to love in this one volume, and it only makes it better that it is just the first we'll see of the gadda!