The magic was by far the coolest thing in this book. It wasn't explained in that RPG handbook way, but it was internally consistent, fun, and felt magical. The main characters felt like real teenagers, which is why I found their romance so frustrating, I disliked all their constant misunderstanding and fights, even if it was realistic. Maybe I'm just too old for this book? idk.

I really liked this book.  The story was a tiny bit complicated, the world wasn’t as flushed out as I think it needed to be, and the prose was a little too purple for me.  Despite all that, I was invested in Jeremy and Luke.  They weren’t perfect.  They bickered and Jeremy was overly sensitive, but I can understand why.  I still liked how the both of them fought to stay together, and they always forgave.

I was also really into Jeremy’s relationship with his brothers, Sergei and Alexei.  The world saw them as villains, but I never did.  I saw a group of guys, birthed into the family they were, but who were loyal to each other.  Even more, they were unfailingly protective of Jeremy.  They did their very best to give him a good life, to make him happy, and Jeremy loved them.  I understood the disdain at the beginning, but I couldn’t figure out why it continued as the characters got to know each other.

And the ending.  I loved how the story ended.  I’m sure there are plenty of readers who were unsatisfied, I get the the need for a happy ending, but I actually thought this was the happiest of endings for Luke and Jeremy.  I want to say more, because I really want to talk about it with someone, but I can’t.  It’s a huge deal, and probably the very best part of The Uncrossing!

Full Review posted on 10/9

A nice and plotty YA fantasy romance. Jeremy is the youngest son of a magical mafia family called the Kovrovs. Luke is a member of a family under the Kovrov's "protection", and starts working for them as a curse breaker. He and Jeremy fall for each other...but he finds out Jeremy is cursed. And then there's some mafia rivalry going on in the background, and Jeremy's family is a little overprotective.
I really liked both Jeremy and Luke as characters, and I thought they had good chemistry. Luke, in particular, was my favorite character. He's an analytical sort of guy and likes to know all the facts in a situation (sometimes asking questions that maybe he shouldn't), but sometimes still does things on impulse which are not always wise. I liked how he and Jeremy contrasted in their views of the Kovrov family in particular. Jeremy really sees them as family and believes in his older brothers despite knowing they're involved in some shady business, but Luke is highly suspicious of them a lot of the time--one of the conflicts that fuels the story.
My only critiques of the novel would be that first, a lot of the conflict feels drawn out and cyclical (for example, Jeremy and Luke arguing over small things constantly) and that the novel ends a bit more openly than some might prefer. Despite this, I love the level of tension that keeps the story going and I love Jeremy and Luke as a couple working through problems. A very cute and plotty m/m YA.

This book was creative yet unusual. I felt awed at the magic system, thought, I felt confused by it at times. But this book is adorable. I really enjoyed the character interactions among all the cast of characters. I really liked the dueling magical family dynamic and the world building. It's one of the more unique ones I've read about in a while. It can get confusing at times but everything will be explained. I loved Luke's and Jeremy's interactions. They're so cute and are really meant for one another.

The Uncrossing by Melissa Eastlake

I really enjoyed The Uncrossing, I thought it was a unique read with elements of magic I've never read about before. This is an Entangled Teen Title with a M/M Romance, very sweet. I liked all the characters, Luke and Jeremy were very charming. The Kovrov and the Melnyk families were memorable and I enjoyed getting to know them. I liked the scare at the end and the story overall.

I give The Uncrossing 4 stars for its unique magical read with interesting characters.
I would recommend this book to everyone.

This book caught my attention mostly because of the pitch tagline: "The Raven Boys meets Shadowhunters". I love one of these series and hate the other, so I was mostly morbidly curious to see how this book would work out. And then of course we got the horrid cover reveal (which btw doesn't even depict the characters as they are; Luke isn't white, for starters) and my expectations got even lower. I stayed interested mostly for the fun summary (prophecies, curses, fail of true love's kiss), but I wasn't expecting too much.

Which was probably the best thing I ever did, because with low expectations, I could easily get past the book's biggest weakness: its writing. I'm not saying the author is a bad writer, because she most definitely is not; but I AM saying The Uncrossing reads as a... very obvious debut. It's easy to see the writing isn't as polished as it could be, and the way the plot/core themes of the book are handled oscilates between very in your face/heavy handed, and so subtle it's actually obfuscating. It doesn't help that the plot is confusing by design either. A more unkindly reviewer would suggest the author bit more than she could chew.

But I really don't think that's the case.

Even if I don't think it was handled in the best way possible, this was still a really good book, and the author's intent was succesfully shown even throught the bumpiest spots. The deconstruction of destiny, "true love", happily ever afters, and fairytale cliches were all great. The author doesn't take any easy ways out, she doesn't try to make her job easier: on the contrary, this story is about how there are NO easy outs, and how not all problems can be solved; and even if they are, not always will it be in satisfactory ways. The author builds the "cliches" up in the first part of the story just to slowly and devastatingly shoot them down on the second part. You don't always find an YA story willing to deal with the messiness of real life, and that doesn't compromise its themes for the sake of a perfect HEA; the ending is a happy one, don't worry, but it's still appropriately open-ended, which works perfectly with the message it is trying to send.

The Uncrossing has sympathetic but flawed characters, a cute romance, ADULTS ACTING LIKE ADULS - the parents in this book actually exist and act like parents, trying to protect their children from fucked up magic and ACTIVELY involved in the plot!!! holy shit!!!!! -, and a refreshing take on the usual fairytale/paranormal romance tropes. All things I loved, which more than make up for the occasional messy writing (and occasional ott melodrama, though that could also be attributed to sympathetic but flawed teens acting like teens). I'm really impressed by the author's ideas, even if the execution wasn't always perfect. It just makes me interested to see how she'll evolve in her next books.

I received an e-ARC of “The Uncrossing” by Melissa Eastlake from Entangled Teen in exchange for a free and honest review.

The moment I saw this book available for request, I immediately hit ‘send’ button. Gay boys, curses, and magic? Hell yeah!

However, the moment I started reading the book, my excitement dampened. 

Let’s start with the plot.

Synopsis

Luke can uncross almost any curse—they unravel themselves for him like no one else. So working for the Kovrovs, one of the families controlling all the magic in New York, is exciting and dangerous, especially when he encounters the first curse he can't break. And it involves Jeremy, the beloved, sheltered prince of the Kovrov family—the one boy he absolutely shouldn't be falling for.

Jeremy's been in love with cocky, talented Luke since they were kids. But from their first kiss, something's missing. Jeremy's family keeps generations of deadly secrets, forcing him to choose between love and loyalty. As Luke fights to break the curse, a magical, citywide war starts crackling, and it's tied to Jeremy.

This might be the one curse Luke can't uncross. If true love's kiss fails, what's left for him and Jeremy?

Plot

The plot sounds more coherent and put together than the book itself. I loved the idea of an urban fantasy set in a modern New York City. I loved that it was all about old curses and family secrets. However, I found the execution of this plot as well as world building rather weak. Magic system seems to connected to spells, blood, and voodoo like curses, but the limitations of the magic or how each character does what they do is never really explained. 

“The Uncrossing” lacks exposition to the point that I had to go back a page or two to visualize what is happening. It took me some time to get used to the narration. It is not a poorly written book, but it has holes that often left me floundering and second-guessing what I am reading.

Luke and Jeremy though. Ah, those two are absolutely adorable. I enjoyed all the characters in the book, although the attempts at creating morally ambiguous and grey characters, like Andrei and Sergei, with this sort of jumpy narration have largely failed, in my opinion. I liked them both, but some aspects just missed the mark for me.

Problematic aspect

Even though the book is great when it comes to diversity, the choice of cultural background for the characters left me slightly confused. The Kovrovs are Russian, while the Melnyk family is Ukrainian-Creole. I can not speak for the Creole culture, but I can speak for the Eastern European part.

The portrayal of a rich and influential Russian mafia family (because let’s be honest, this is what the Kovrov family is) is so stereotypical for western society to the point of being mildly offensive. The Ukrainians are portrayed as hardworking but poor.

Besides mentioning a prayer in Russian or some Russian or Ukrainian words, without actually mentioning them in the text, the cultural background of both families is shown only in their given names and the mention of borscht in the first chapter - which, let me be absolutely clear, nobody would ever serve to an important guest as a meal neither in Russia nor in Ukraine, unless we are speaking of a rural Russia in the feudal times.

There are reviewers who love to throw around complaints about “cultural appropriation”, but in spite of my feelings on the subject, “The Uncrossing” is hardly damaging. I would have, however, appreciated a more meaningful portrayal of the culture. Both Russian and Ukrainian folklore have enough depth to provide inspiration for any fantasy setting or magic system.

I had problems with the world building and magic system, mild issues with some of the characters, but I adored the romance part in the book, although it is usually the least favourite plotline for me. I also felt that the ending of the book was better thought through than some middle parts. I found myself more engaged with the book after I hit 50-60%.

It is a debut novel, so I hope that Melissa would produce more fiction in the future. Hopefully, it would also be about queer boys and magic. It was overall a fun read, even though it took some time to get used to the style. Recommend for the fans of the YA LGBT books, otherwise, you might find it boring.

Personal rating: 3 stars

*DNF at 40%*

I hardly dnf books. Maybe one or two in a year and this was my first in 2017. 
I had pretty high expectations for this book but I found it extremely confusing and hard to follow. The magic didn't make much sense to me and the lack of chemistry between the two leads made my interest fall away pretty fast. I didn't care for the characters much either. I tried very hard to continue but gave up on 40%.

The Uncrossing is a decent first book that does suffer from several 'first book' syndrome issues.  It is very overwritten, the story difficult to follow (especially in the beginning), and the characters too reactionary and not developed enough. Most fatally for me, I didn't like any of the leads and became tired of the 'too stupid to live' and 'we fight so much because we lurve each other' archetypes that don't make for a good modern romance.

Story:  Luke (and his twin sister Camille) are gifted supernaturally. Luke can unmake curses and it is this ability that brings him into the sphere of influence of the powerful Kovrov family; in particular, the coddled heir Jeremy.  Jeremy has need of Luke's services as his family is targeted by another 'family' in the magical underworld of modern day New York.  As it turns out, Jeremy has always had a crush on Luke, even since they were children.  And though Luke has no idea, he's about to become embroiled in the Kovrov family business - and with the heir, Jeremy, particularly.

The premise is excellent and I was greatly anticipating this book.  Unfortunately, the execution just didn't work for me.  For one, the writing was problematic - it's the type of book that doesn't flow smoothly and you often find you have to go back and reread paragraphs in order to understand what was going on.  Not enough time was spent on the craft of writing and too much time spent on the characters when they interacted - which was mostly fighting.  Honestly, it needs a good rewrite still with a very good editor.

Also problematic where the characters.  The constant fighting and misunderstandings got old fast.  It made both feel very stupid and brainless, as well as stubborn and unrealistic.  Perhaps it is a preference thing, but I look for protagonists who don't overreact to every situation and for someone to fall in love with someone else for their strengths and not because they are 'hot' or despite their very unpleasant nature.  I didn't buy the romance at all here.

The synopsis felt a bit overblown - this is more of story of a minor squirmish in a turf war rather than a big deal.  That's ok, though, but managing expectations is important.  I didn't find the overall story arc any more enticing than the characters.  Again, that was likely because Eastlake is a new author and will grow into our skills in upcoming books.  There is certainly promise here but this is a book that I did not enjoy and was disappointed in after the promise of the blurb.  Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Magical mafia turf war. Boys falling in love. Death, life, and in between. Curses, and the unraveling thereof. A little too much angst for my taste, but it’s balanced out by lots of neon fashion choices. Meet the book I’ve affectionately dubbed “the new Raven Cycle”.

The reasons I like this book are pretty much the same reasons it’s similar to the Raven Cycle. There are contrasting families that each have their own kind of bone-deep love holding them together,  a love story that hinges around a curse that draws the two boys together even when it should push them apart, and a lot of magic practiced with either vengeful enjoyment or grim belief that it’s the only way left. There’s the creation of whimsical objects out of thin air, and boys making terrible fashion choices regarding colors and what should (not) be worn on the body, and a wanting for so much more than they can have.

There’s a lot of hot-and-cold going back and forth which I felt got to be a little much, and the angst is so thick you could stab it (which almost literally happens in the book). And I definitely enjoy the flirting with terrible jokes more than the abundance of kissing scenes (but that’s just me).

But besides all that, I love this ship. I love how Jeremy is so trapped and vulnerable but so brave, and how Luke may pretend to be the confident one but really he just cares so much. They both! care! so much! about everyone! Kill me!! And their families are so important to the story and so well-developed, from Jeremy’s older brothers who sometimes act as his parents to Luke’s twin Camille and their parents… everyone has so much loyalty it hurts.

The point is, read The Uncrossing for magic and blood and kissing and bad jokes and worse decisions and family and angst and curses, because it’s really, really good.

'The Uncrossing' is as much about magic as it is a slow-burn YA romance.  Author Melissa Eastlake drops readers in the middle of a set of families who have been working together for generations, each person specializing in a different type of magic.  Eastlake has skillfully brought to life a unique and complex system of magic and an enchanting re-imagined New York City.  She employs an enjoyable blend of fantasy with real-world subway transit and social media.

Luke and Jeremy are young men caught a web of magic spun generations prior.  Though their families are allies, there are many secrets between them.  As they slowly fall for each other, these secrets are unraveled lead to an old curse involving them all.

I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

I fell in love with this book after the first ten pages. That doesn’t really happen to me, and the last book that gave me such a ride and the need to both slap and hug the characters was Nora Sakavic’s The Foxhole Court. No other book has called my attention this way since then, and anyone who knows me knows exactly what that means.

Uncrossing is about magic, love, fate, choices, and surprisingly the mob. The story follows two characters: Luke Melnyk and Jeremy Kovrov. Or rather, it follows two stories connected by Jeremy and Luke.

Luke Melnyk comes from a family rooted in magic, and his speciality is to undo crossings (what we commonly see as “curses”). His twin sister Camille, on the other hand, can cast the nasties crossings on anyone.

Jeremy Kovrov is crossed, but his crossing is something that Jeremy and Camille have never seen before. And which cannot be uncrossed. At least, not by conventional means.

The first note I wrote on this book is that it had a very good exposition. It never felt like it was taking your hand and guiding you through things, or being didactic. Instead, you are dropped in the middle of a story that started years, and years ago, and are trusted to be able to catch up and understand. And trust me, you will.

The characters are incredibly real, flawed, and alive. They might not jump out of the pages all of the time, but they all have multiple layers that you can’t help but want to understand. Even the characters you dislike (and trust me, you will dislike a couple of them intermittently) have more dimensions to them than the ones that might annoy you.

Luke and Jeremy are the characters that you’re supposed to follow along, as they are the focused of the narrator’s POV, but thankfully that doesn’t mean that the rest of the characters are abandoned or underdeveloped. Usually, in MLM fiction, female characters tend to be butchered or made smaller, to benefit the male characters, but here it’s not like that at all. Camille, Helene, Natalya, Katya, and Marta all have their own stories, characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, and they never appear to be an afterthought.

And the characters are not perfect! That is so uncommon to find! Not just: this character is clumsy, or this character is too wise or perfect so they are unperfect. No. Alexei is too self-involved, Sergei is… Sergei is too conservative and lowkey homophobic/racist. The Melnyks are too overprotective. And everyone is going behind everyone’s backs thinking they know better and have the answers/solutions for things.

At the beginning, some of the dialogues felt strange or a bit stilted, but it was only because of the context. Every character has different ways in which they talk, and they all vary according to who’s there with them, and when the Kovrovs are around the dialogue will always be a bit awkward and stiff.

The world building is very good, with bits and pieces of lore and history guiding the story, and then mentions of social networks, college, and celebrities to remind you that this is happening right now. It does leave some questions unanswered, but I believe that it simply adds to the feeling of entering in the middle of something that was already rounded and alive.

And at the heart of it: The distinction between predetermination (fate), and will (your choices) was the thing that fully sold me on this idea. The fact that the root of the romance between Jeremy and Luke was  a choice, and what they wanted, as opposed to a written-in-the-stars kind of thing, was amazing. I would say that “choices” are the cornerstone of this story, everyone had different choices they could’ve made that might have drastically changed the course of the narrative at every turn, and these are acknowledged in the inner dialogue of the characters “why did I do that? Why didn’t I say this?”, or in some cases “that was the only say this?”, or in some cases “that was the only choice I could realistically make”.

I absolutely adored the book, and I will 100% not shut up about it, anytime soon.

The uncrossing is a unique and interesting story. It had me guessing right to the end.

Crossing is to curse so uncrossing is to uncurse. Luke has a gift just like his sister. They are opposites. Luke can Uncross almost any curse. Jeremy is the one puzzle he can't work out.

Two powerful families control the magic in New York. Jeremy belongs to the Kovrov family. They are known to protect their own and be ruthless. Luke is aware of the dangers when he starts working with the family, but the opportunity is too good to turn down. He works alongside Jeremy and can't help but be interested in the puzzle which has taken over his life.

Jeremy has always had a thing for Luke. He thinks he is the answer to his prayers. Everyone can see the crush Jeremy has. Everyone expects Luke.

Uncrossed is a gay romance novel with a complex fantasy storyline. The story is creative and I found it really interesting.

4.5 Stars out of 5. It's different and I haven't read anything similar.

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review. My blog tour stop with Chapter by Chapter will be on the 13th October and will include an interview with the lovely author*

3.25 stars.

I read the blurb and immediately knew that this would be a must-read for me, so I started my reading with very high expectations.

And then the rains came...

While I did like the story a good bit, this one wasn't an easy read for me, to say the least.

With 56 chapters and roughly 293'ish pages (according to my eReader), the book wasn't insanely long, but it definitely *felt* long to me.

There was something about the writing style that didn't quite flow in my mind, like books normally do. I'd often find myself needing to go back and re-read paragraphs, just to make sure that I'd read the passage correctly.

In large part, this was due to the fact that there were just Sooooooo. Many. Em. Dashes.

740 of them, to be precise. I counted. Twice!

Em-dashes are fine, when used SPARINGLY to interject more information into the middle of a moderately-related thought; however, seven-HUNDRED & forty of them? Sweet Jesus, I wanted to shoot myself in the face.

Then we have the interactions between Luke and Jeremy, whom I loved separately, but by half way through the book, I made the following review note:

    OMMFG, can these two boys EVER talk without it turning into an argument??? 

Spoiler: The answer was a resounding "NO" -- until very shortly before the story ended.

See, I used an em-dash. One. Mainly to prove that they *can* be used in moderation.

So while I experienced some bonding and the beginnings of genuine feelings, their relationship ended up feeling like one or the other was constantly walking on egg shells. That didn't read as a deep, meant-to-be love to me, but more of an "I give them three weeks" situation. So the romance didn't leave me fully convinced that this was a one and only true love match.

    Luke hadn’t texted or called. Well, of course he hadn’t. Jeremy had acted totally princessy. He wouldn’t have called himself, either. 

Which brings me to my next point. Jeremy's "princessy" behavior *was* a real thing here, and Luke constant pushing, thinking that he always knew best, until everything exploded, that got old, too. Witnessing those high-octane emotions over and over again was a huge exercise in frustration.

The plot was very solid and didn't end quite as I'd expected, but I did feel that it could have easily been edited down by about 100 pages (and 600 em-dashes) and readability would have benefited greatly.

Despite what I saw as shortcomings, I'd still rate this one at 3.25 stars, because the story was fairly unique and mostly entertaining, with pretty on-point humor.

I realllllly enjoyed this. Seriously, I really enjoyed this. Eastlake creates a wonderfully unique New York with dueling magical families; an adorable ship that I so desperately wanted to sail; a unique little twist on a magical fairytale concept; and truly likable characters full of flaws and heart. I found myself devouring almost all of this in one sitting on a long car ride, and it was one of the most enjoyable car rides I've ever had because of it.

Let's start at the beginning! The world was unique and wonderful. When I first read the summary, I got some A Darker Shade of Magic vibes for some odd reasons, and trust me, this book had those vibes for me as well. Perhaps the biggest comparisons is how well done the worlds are. Eastlake takes regular ole New York City and adds in a layer of curses, famous magical families that are practically the magical mafia, and two boys with some epic magic. It was full of diversity, intriguing mythology, a little bit of an old school fairytale twist, and some very interesting powers/magic. It was so cool, and I never knew what was going to happen next.

The characters were amazing as well. I adored both Luke and Jeremy. They were flawed, but they were oh so real. They were likable and so well developed. They had facets to each of them, and they brought something a little bit different to the story. I loved reading about both of their families as well. They were both so involved in their families, and the dynamics were amazing. Usually in a story with two main characters, I find myself leaning or connecting to one of the characters more than the other, but I really did enjoy them both so immensely. 

The ship was adorable as well. I lovedddddddddddd them together. I just sat there each page, going, but WHEN ARE MY TWO BABIES GOING TO GET TOGETHER BECAUSE I CAN'T DEAL WITH ALL OF THIS SEXUAL TENSION? They were so cute together, and I can't even deal. XD 

There were only a few issues that I had with the book. At times, it felt like it was just taking far too long to get anywhere. Even though I enjoyed reading it and I didn't know what was coming, I just thought that it could get to a lot of things quite a bit faster. And there were a few things that just had my eyebrows raised. But overall, it was a good story, but a few little things left me from giving it a five crown read.

Overall, this story was a fantastic read. I'm still thinking about it quite a few days later, and I think these characters were super well done. There were a few things that I didn't connect with as much, but I think it was a very good book. I definitely recommend this book for anyone that is looking for a super cool fantasy book that is something a little bit different. Four crowns and an Ariel rating!

The Uncrossing was such an entertaining and fast-paced book. This was a book full of magic, romance, action, crime, and angst. What more could one want?! 

I really enjoyed the urban fantasy world the author created. The world the author created took New York City and mixed it with fairytale elements, magic, and crime families. I found the world extremely interesting! My only issue with the world was that it was confusing to understand at first. When the book started, it felt like I was thrown into the world with little explanation of what was happening. It was hard to catch up, but once I did catch up, the book became a lot more enjoyable!

The characters in this book were all lovable in their own way. Jeremey was such a kind and thoughtful soul. I just wanted to squeeze the heck out of him! I felt so bad for him and the secret he was keeping and the pressures he faced. He was an adorable ray of sunshine, but there were times when he threw some childish temper tantrums. However, I still loved him anyway. The other main character, Luke, was such an interesting character. He had a really unique power that made him such a fun character to read about. He was a determined and loyal guy, but he was quite stuck up. It was nice that people put him in his place from time to time. 

The romance in this book made my heart SWOOOON. I absolutely adored Jeremy and Luke together. The slow-burning tug and pull of their relationship killed my heart in the best way. From the first moment they first spoke to each other, I knew I was going to ship them until the end of time. The author did a great job at creating an adorable and steamy relationship between Jeremy and Luke.

Overall, this was addictive and unique fantasy novel! I really enjoyed myself while reading this book, and I cannot wait to see what the author comes out with next! 

3.5 / 5 Fangs

*This ebook was given to me in exchange for an honest review. *

"You should say you're crossed, not cursed. Curse makes it sound hopeless."

This was just a fun-happy book that made me giddy and kept a smile on my face. I read so much urban fantasy from 2011-2015, but I’m really just getting back into the genre and I still love it. The Uncrossing creatively incorporated fairytale elements into an imaginative New York, with ruling magical families and intricate spellwork. 

Things I Liked
I really love the fairytale elements incorporated into the story. Not only the magic and spells, but the power of true love’s kiss, all felt new fitting in this environment. The modern New York setting and the organized crime vibes creates a great forbidden love that was captivating and easy to become enveloped in.

I LOVE Jeremy Kovrov. He is such a good person and so kind and helpful. His curse could have easily made him bitter or resentful, but he was such a ray of light! Don’t get me wrong, he did get upset and was allowed to demonstrate his frustrations. He was such a full person.

I also really loved the family dynamics in the story, especially the Kovrov’s. They were so adorably sweet teasing Jeremy about his crush on Luke. They were so playful and supportive and they gave me all the warm fuzzies!

Things I Didn’t Like
In the beginning of the story, it was hard for me to be grounded and grab onto anything. It kind of felt like I was just thrown into the story, and all these things were already happening and I had to catch up. It was just a bit disorienting and made me work to get into the story.

The Uncrossing is one of those books that just put you in a great mood. You love seeing Luke and Jeremy’s push-and-pull; you root for them and want them to be happy and adorable together. I loved the seeing the family dynamics and the wonderful magic. And even though I was a little overwhelmed in the beginning, I really loved this story.

I received a copy of the book from Entagled Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I wanted so badly to love this. But sadly, for me, THE UNCROSSING is better in synopsis format than in the expanded format that is the story itself. Mostly because the synopsis actually tells you what's going on..

"<i>You should say you're crossed, not cursed. <b>Curse</b> makes it sound hopeless.</i>"
"<b>Maybe in hoodoo you get crossed. But in Mother Russia, curse gets you.</b>"

Common complaints about any kind of fantasy, or urban fantasy, tend to lie in the 'info dump' category. Well Eastlake definitely is not guilty of that. We come into things right in the middle of it all. A pre-existing set of rules to this world, pre-existing relationships, pre-existing backstory. And we had to earn every single drop of information about the whys and the hows. It made the beginning confusing and slow and I almost considered starting over when, by the 10% mark, I was still so so lost. In addition, as the story kind of revolves around a mystery and secrets and a curse, and we're learning as the character are learning/revealing, it <b>continued</b> to be slow all the way through.

"<i>Is it different, kissing boys and girls?</i>"
"<b>It's different with everyone, if you pay attention.</b>"

Not helping matters is the fact that one of the main characters.. is.. really.. frustrating-annoying-childish-sheltered. The last one not being his fault, just his circumstances, but oh god reading from Jeremy's POV was painful at times. The constant temper tantrums, the overblown overreactions, the push and pull conflict in his own mind that naturally didn't lend itself well to his words or actions, especially in regards to Luke only ever wanting more information to help.. it was not a good time, folks. And made it really hard to buy why suddenly Luke is all sorts of into this guy. 

<i>Jeremy had one social skill for when things went wrong -- freeze like a bunny and let someone else handle it -- so that's what he did.</i>

The potential for awesome is here. In a lot of ways, I was really impressed that this was Eastlake's debut. There were some funny lines, some clever magical elements (some of which didn't get revealed or compared until the end? I just don't understand the timing on information availability in this one), and when I was liking it I was really liking it. But there was too much build-up, too much unknown, too much unexplained until the last minute, and unfortunately by the time everything came to a head.. I just wanted it over with.

<i>He was over here falling in love, and Jeremy was getting to know Luke better and falling out of it.</i>

I would definitely be willing to pick up the author's next book but sadly THE UNCROSSING went from something that was I liking but unsure about to something I wished I could just skim to get to the resolution. 

2 stars

This book had me hooked right with the first sentence. 

I'm always impressed when that happens, *especially* when its a genre I'm not that into, which in this case means fantasy YA. But I had seen the cover and was intrigued even before seeing several enthusiastic reviews on Goodreads, so I decided I'd give this a try, and I am glad I did. 

The whole story is set in New York, and in this New York, there is magic. Different families rule or protect different areas - and Luke's family is protected by the Kovrovs. Luke himself is very good at "uncrossing", that is, undoing curses - and the summer where the story is set he works for the Kovrovs, doing odd jobs while getting closer to Jeremy, the youngest Kovrov brother. And getting closer to Jeremy leads to having to figure out how to do Luke's most important uncrossing yet.. 

I loved the characters and the setting, and while I can be a grumpy curmudgeon about this, I found their teenage awkwardness about falling in love utterly sweet and adorable while not being teethachingly cute (which is to say it never got too much). The way the plot unravelled took me by suprise and kept me on edge right until the end, and speaking of which, I *loved* the ending. I also liked the magic system, or what we got to see of it - I actually wouldn't have minded a closer look at the world and how everything works - as interesting as it was it was a bit frustrating at times to get only short glimpses rather than the big picture, although I much prefer the way it's done here to several pages of exposition. I would have liked to know more about stuff like schools and such- everything that happens to Luke and Jeremy felt oddly isolated. I think that is the only complaint I have - while there are some interesting side characters and while they do go out occasionally, it never felt like the story and the characters were grounded in the world around them. I don't know how to explain it better, but in that sense it lacked depth that might have made this even better. 

I still highly enjoyed this and would recommend this to anyone looking for a good urban fantasy YA story.

3.5 stars

"The Uncrossing" takes us to a world of magic which thrives within our own. In this world, people with magical abilities live in a mafia-style society, which is controlled by certain families. Luke's family is part of the Kovrovs mafia-style group. While the Kovrovs tend to take care of the people under them, they do wield a lot of power over them and control their financial success (just think mafia that happens to have magic). The book begins with the Kovrovs coming over to see Luke and his twin sister, Camille. Camille is an expert at crossing things while Luke does just the opposite and can uncross just about anything. We learn about this as Camille examines some hexes the Kovrovs brought and then Luke undoes them.

The main plot here is really about Luke and Jeremy's relationship. Jeremy has liked Luke forever, but Luke is oblivious (although everyone else has seemed to notice). Luke is in a casual relationship with Max, which seems to be rapidly spiraling down the drain. When the Kovrovs make him an offer (which he can't refuse) to work for them, he begins to get to know Jeremy, the Kovrov prince, better. When Luke asks a question which seems simple, it undoes a binding that no one seemed to know existed and opens a much bigger can of worms. Jeremy is crossed- but can Luke uncross him and the large curse hanging over the Kovrovs?

Most of the book moves very slowly, as the two boys get to know each other and fight a lot- tensions are running high due to the undercurrent of Jeremy's crossing and what it means for him/how much he wants Luke to help. The mentions of a "citywide war" in the summary are perhaps exaggerated, as there just seems to be bad blood between the Kovrovs and Malcolms with some spying but not a full-blown war. The book is more about young love and the growth of their relationship against the odds- what love means/how you know you are in love. There is a bit of mystery shrouding the Kovrovs and Jeremy's crossing, but it seemed to be resolved at a snail's pace for most of the book. The last 20% or so really picks this up and runs with it, making it much more intricate than it had previously seemed. I wish the book had moved a little faster with these other elements and we could have unraveled this mystery sooner, as the first part of the book felt like a romance without much of the fantasy elements I was expecting.

I also was surprised that it ended without clear resolution, and people who hate open endings will be left unsatisfied. It makes me wonder if they are considering making this into a series/adding more books to it. This is unclear from what I can find, but it's good to know for people who need resolution! Overall, I think it was a solid (albeit drama-filled) YA romance with some fantasy elements, so not quite what I expected (I expected a YA fantasy with some romance)- but I still enjoyed it overall nevertheless!

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.