Seven Black Diamonds - Melissa Marr

As with anything written by Melissa Marr, I couldn't wait to read this. Unfortunately there were some problems with my preorder and it took a bit longer than I would have liked but eventually it arrived and finally I got to read it! 

Seven Black Diamonds takes us back to Faerie, but this time it feels more grown up and much more dangerous than in the Wicked Lovely series (by the way, if you haven't read these yet, what on Earth are you waiting for???). Despite being teenagers, these characters are much more mature and much darker. This is probably due to the lives they have had to lead up until this point. As one of the Queen's sleeper cells in the human world, they have been forced to follow orders in her plan to destroy humankind for the damage they cause the Earth. 

However, it actually all started a long time ago and the real motivation is revenge. Many years ago the Queen was pregnant with her heir, the heir to the joint Seelie and Unseelie Kingdoms, but her baby drowned and the Queen killed all those she held responsible. This was not enough for her and she will not rest until all the humans are destroyed. 

Lily is the newest member of the Black Diamonds. Until now her criminal boss father has sheltered and protected her from her true fate, but when she is sent to a new school, she meets the others like her and finds out how much there is that she did not know about her life, her past and her family.

I am already very much looking forward to One Blood Ruby, the finale to this story. I liked that there was a conclusion of sorts at the end of this book, though there is definitely plenty more to come in the second book. In a way it's the best of both worlds, when I love a book I never want it to end and always look forward to sequels, but at the same time I hate being left hanging at the end!

For some reason Fairy books make me want purple drinks so I had to choose something containing creme de violette. The Stratosphere cocktail also incorporates Champagne which is one of my favourite things to drink.

Another very simple cocktail to make, pour one quarter shot of creme de violette into a flute glass and top up with Champagne. Finish by twisting some lemon peel over the drink for the zest, then discard the twist.

The colour of the cocktail I made was so subtle that I had to try and find the lightest background in my flat, but unfortunately is still barely shows in the photo. It probably depends on the brand of violette that you use, mine happens to be fairly pale. You will just have to trust me that in real life it's a very pretty colour!