Path of Needles

Paths #1

by Hannah Kollef

Growing up in New York City, I thought I’d been exposed to the stranger parts of life.

But then a night-club singer warned me that my father was going to disappear—and the next day he did, leaving my apartment trashed and full of poisonous dog-demons that nobody but my brother & I could see.

That’s not even the weird part.

What’s weird is the boy from my French class who first tried to drown me, and then saved my life. What’s weird is the Rose Queen, a real-life fairy queen with the hots for my dad and who wants to destroy the world. What’s extra-oh-my-god-seriously? weird are the dozens of fairy tale characters who are A) real and B) not as innocent as I remember.

Now I’m being chased by demons and wicked princes and racing to meet a deadline set a thousand years ago.

Welcome to my life. My name is Kat Finnegan, I’m 17, and this is the part where the chaos begins.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fae, Fairy Tale Retellings, Urban Fantasy, Fairy Tales

276 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 2012

About the author

Hannah Kollef was born on the anniversary of Genghis Khan's death. She believes this is responsible for her poor table manners and love of pillaging.

Hannah is proud to hold the title of Master of Science, even though that science is library science and the only thing she has mastered is a proper Librarian Glare when people organise their bookshelves by colour. While travelling Europe as an English teacher she self-published three YA fantasy novels inspired by fairy tales and the dangerous histories behind them. "The Danger in Bohemia", her first romantic thriller for adults, was published with Dreamspinner Press in 2016. After a break to move to the UK and settle permanently, she is back at work on her next series for adults, an urban-fantasy dulogoy described as Neverwhere meets Winter's Orbit.

​In addition to her novels, Hannah has been published in various magazines including In General magazine and Hometown Quarterly. She has also worked as a freelance copywriter, editor, and social media consultant. She currently lives in the UK where she analyses data during her day job and at night manages the feeding schedule of a very demanding, mildly overweight cat.

Reviews

[E. Bard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Path of Needles made me think that this is exactly what you would get if you mixed pre-sanitized fairytale folklore with YA urban fiction. And it's the mix that makes this such an engrossing read. It's a bit of an understatement I think to just label the novel's genre 'fantasy.' The author has done a remarkable job of weaving the darker (but likely more realistic) elements of folklore - the ones that warn of more dangers than those found by just going into the woods alone - into a modern urban setting with realistic characters. I think the author has done a wonderful job by adding subtle hints of fairy tale in with the obvious story line and character parallels. Overall, I was impressed.

The author's style is easy to read and fills you with so many unanswered questions that you have no choice but to keep turning the pages. However, I think the one area where the author's writing really shines is that of creating those gritty visual images of New York city - the people, the park and just about every other setting in it. And while I wasn't particularly fond of any of the characters, I think they are probably fairly realistic as well (the teens I mean - because no, I don't think transforming fairytale-like creatures are particularly realistic).

Given some of the subject matter, this is definitely for an older YA audience. And if you're intrigued by the folklore enough to look it up, as I was, you'll probably know more about the different interpretations of the path of needles and also conclude that the story is geared toward an older YA reader. It might not be to everyone's taste either. It is gritty and urban. But if you enjoy novels by authors like Cassandra Clare or Libba Bray you'll probably enjoy this.

*(I recently an experimental book review format for this one here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz1dt... )

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Write to Review

Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cultured and refined seventeen-year-old Kat Finnegan becomes unexpectantly embroiled in myth and fantasy upon her father’s disappearance. Now along with her twin brother Roger and friend Jim, she is determined to unravel the secrets of the Rose Queen and the world of the Fey.

The world Hannah Kollef created did not seem to be entirely developed; I was having trouble grasping what she was trying to get at. I also found myself having to go back and reread parts but at other times wanting to skip over the monotonous and lengthy amount of information.

The main character, Kat Finnegan, was strong and well-defined, especially in her willingness to help those around her; however, I thought she accepted the whole concept of a magical world a little too easily. It was said and then just automatically taken for fact. Roger and Jim took it the same way.

[Sharrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.

Path of Needles was such a great book!!! *gushes* Honestly this book is seriously awesome! This book sucked me in from the beginning I honestly couldn't put it down A perfect mix of YA and fairy tales and not the Disney fairy tales either I'm talking old school. Kat is a great character, I love Jim, Roger seems sexy, I just eek!!! Okay let me explain:

Path of Needles starts off at a party for Kat's father Jonathan Finnegan. The next day at school and at The Dirty Harpoon a bar Jim's mother owns Kat starts meeting some strange new people and seeing things that she shouldn't. After the party the next day Kat stays the night at her best friend Jim's house where Kat gets a warning, that her father is going to disappear and she's not going to fully understand, then her powers are awakened. The next morning she wakes up and her father is gone. Meeting up with her twin brother and Jim's crush Roger they enter their apartment to find that everything is wrong. The apartment is trashed, there's black gunk all over the floor, and nobody can see them:

"She turned to us, unseeing, revealing a long swipe across her nose and one cheek. As we watched she ran a hand covered in the stuff through her hair, leaving it sticky and matted..."

After that they are attacked by a giant wolf looking beast and then taken away by Hank, Kat and Rogers fathers best friend. There Hank tells them a story that says fairy tales are very real, and so are the dark creature within them. He also reveals not only his identity, but also Kat and Rogers as well as their destiny. Together they are to destroy the Rose Queen who destroyed the fairy tale world and replaced it with humanity. Trying to take them somewhere safe so they can recover Kat falls ill and their sanctuary is compromised and no one is safe any longer. Attacked by evil creatures on land Kat and Jim escape to the water, only it's not safe there either. There they meet and unlikely ally and then are betrayed in the worst possible way.

I really enjoyed reading about Kat's and revelation realizing that they can only rely on themselves and that if they want anything in their world they will have to do everything on their own:

"I had to rely on myself now. And that was the bitter Truth--capital intended--as only I could see it. In the end, the very end, I had only myself."

Kat was a great character to read about. She's smart and can think things through even in tough situations. She only tries to rely on herself and I like that. I also liked how no matter what she was always loyal to her friends and family. Kat is honestly hilarious and easily relatable. Jim is very smart and I love when he starts talking about conspiracy theories about the government and aliens. Roger was a bit of a butt hole the entire book which was kind of aggravating.

Overall great story. A great mix of fairy tales that I had never heard about such as Red Riding Hood and Snow White. I really loved the spin on them and Path of Needles really made me want to find out more about the fairy tales so I can follow along better in the next books. I can not wait until the next book to come out. Hannah Kollef spun an amazing tale with Path of Needles and I can not wait to read more. Path of Needles contained just the right amount of inner dialogue, character interactions, action and fight scenes, and description. Many times in the book it felt as if I could see it! So perfect! Plus the story always kept me guessing and I was never sure what was going to happen next, which is always great!
I also loved how there was gay love. Eeek sorry but I love and am an active supported of LGBT so I always get excited when there are gay characters and I can not wait to find out how that relationship progresses!!
I hope everyone will pick up a copy and love this book just as much as I did.

[Bonnie (A Backwards Story)]

By now, you know that fairy tales are my weakness. When I was contacted about reviewing the first book in a new series entitled PATH OF NEEDLES and heard about the fairy tale connection, I was intrigued. Reading the book, I found myself surprised by the way author Hannah Kollef included fairy tales in her novel. She knows more about fairy tales than I do (and I know a lot, so that's saying something!), harking back on versions older than what both Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm made widely available. So many versions of the tales we know and love today are sanitized. I always knew that (especially since some people only know the Disney versions of the tales and don't realize others exist), but I didn't realize until recently that even the classic storytellers who gave us these tales kept them clean. I knew some of the tales, such as Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel, were much darker, but never thought overly much about it.

When reading PATH OF NEEDLES, I was introduced to a new version of Little Red Riding Hood, one that is, in reality, entitled The Story of Grandmother. The girl (whose famous red hood was invented later by Perrault!) encounters the wolf on the road and is asked if she plans to take "the path of needles or the path of pins." At first, I wasn't sure if Kollef had made this up for her story, but futher research online shows that this is, in fact, an older, more violent and sexual, version of the original tale. The paths the girl takes also play important roles in PATH OF NEEDLES and 2013's sequel, PATH OF PINS. On Kollef's new website, which launches tomorrow, readers will be treated to the original tales Kollef uses in her novel. Check out these obsucre tales now!

While it takes a while for the heart of the story to open up and get under way, once the characters discover that they don't live in an ordinary world, but one of fae and magic, the tale really takes off. After their father is kidnapped, Kat and her twin brother Roger discover that the fairy tales they grew up with were based on reality, that an alternate world existed before the Rose Queen became corrupt and turned truth into legend. There's a prophecy about the Truth and the Lie, and it is widely believed that Kat is the Truth and Roger is the Lie. It is their destiny to right the wrongs that occured almost a thousand years ago. Together with their friend Jim and a host of fae now living in our world, they have the power to save--or destroy--the future.

PATH OF NEEDLES has a slow start, but picks up speed once the story gets going. Kollef entwines folklore with her own original ideas seamlessly, making it hard to tell when one ends and the other begins. There's a lot of fast-moving action and not everything is explained, but the book is the first in a trilogy and this is to be expected. Kat learns so much about herself, and yet knows so little by the book's end, and Roger knows even less. I'm excited to see more of his side to the story in future books. The book is a pure fantasy adventure with little romance, at least in the first book, though there are hints of possiblities in future titles.

It will be interesting to see where Kollef is going and how she'll bring more obscure fairy tales into the public eye as she continues writing. The ebook, which launches tomorrow, will retail for $2.99, a pricepoint that is easy to stomach. A print book is being proofed now and will be released soon. For more information on Kollef and her series, check out her brand-new web site, which features information on the series as well as bonus features such as music, fairy tale retellings, deleted scenes, and more.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I received this book for free an exchange for an honest review.

Path of Needles is the first book I have read by this author, Hannah Kollef. Seventeen-year-old Kat Finnegan is not your average teenager. This book follows we adventures after her dad goes missing in a gruesome break-in. Overall I thought this book was pretty good. There were some snags throughout though. One of my major complaints is world building. While some aspects were explained rather well, others were mentioned, such as the older, more gruesome fairy tales, but were never fully explained. It left me curious and un satisfied. But in the explanations and world building that was delivered, I found that a very nice job was done and I could get into the story.
The action picked up relatively fast which was both good and bad. Good, because there's nothing worse than reading hundreds of pages of nothing, waiting to get to something interesting. Bad, because character connections and story lines weren't fully engrained in my memory. Especially bad when integral characters, like the antagonist are revealed later and I have no idea who they are and amidst all the action going on I'm madly flipping to the beginning to remember who this could possibly be.
Other parts of the book were fantastic though! I loved the fantasy of it all and the fairy tale-ness. I have friends who I know would find this book tooooo out there, but I don't mind. The twists and turns of the plot and the magical feel of it made it a good book! On top of that everything was sort of shrouded in mystery, from what "the truth and the lie" could mean to the knowledge that the adults were keeping certain information from the teenagers or at least evading their questions. Speaking of the characters, they were all very like able, especially including the adults.
I thought Path of Needles was actually very good and I would recommend to others!
Thanks for the opportunity to read this Hannah Kollef!

[Heather Boustead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Path of Needles
Paths Book One
By Hannah Kollef

Seventeen year old Kat Finnegan is not your average teenager, she has grown up in a world full of art and culture in New York, goes to a private school, and has a twin brother. If this was not enough to make her interesting her father soon goes missing and she is pulled into a world that she always thought of as a Fairy Tale.

This novel is a young adult urban fantasy, whew what a mouthful, and is so much fun to read. Hannah Kollef has taken a classic tale in its original form and weaved a magnificent story in a modern setting. To further capture your attention in this novel and to guarantee you will continue on with the story the twin brother and sister are called “The Truth” and “The Lie” in the fey kingdom and their coming is referred to as the “Lost Prophecy” this is just the beginning of the story! I loved the characters and not only does Hannah Kollef suck you in with the main story she also fills the story full of emotional side stories that certainly keep you entertained as you go along, such as the sense of loss you feel over Kat’s father going missing. This is worth the read and I cannot wait for the next book to come out!

For More Reviews be sure to visit my blogs at:
http://reflectionsofabookworm.wordpre...
http://bookwormrflects8.blogspot.com/

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book as a R2R in order for an honest review:

Well where do I start, I loved this book the whole fantasy of it and the characters of Kat, Jim and Roger are very likeable! :)
I also loved the dream scenes Kat has, they are very descriptive so it makes it easier for you to imagine that you are there.
The adults are very quirky and also likeable, I especially loved the relationship Jim and Kat had with Mrs. Corboy.
Kudos to Hannah Kollef for actually writing a YA fantasy book without a love triangle or a girl who falls in love with a boy instantly and then goes all down hill from there, this is now going in my favourite YA pile to be read again when the next installments come out, any idea when that will be Hannah because you left on a pretty big cliffhanger! :(
Seriously you have to read this book i'm still thinking about it and I finished it at 4am this morning!!
Also would like to thank Hannah Kollef for giving me a free copy, I am know a fan and will be investing in any other books you write :)

Favourite Quote
"I'm going to tell you a story," he finally said. "It begins with 'Once Upon a Time but it does not end with 'Happily Ever After.' In this story, there are no heroes. No victories. There is only the villain, and the world she destroyed."

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in a Read 2 Review for free for my honest review.
This is the second novel that I have read by Hannah Kollef. I must admit that I liked this book much better then her first novel.
Our main character Kat and her twin brother Roger live a fairly lavish life in New York City with their father, and their Uncle also lives close by. Their Uncle is an artist and after one of his art shows, Kat and Roger's father goes missing. The twins, along with their best friend Jim go on a twisty adventure to find their father.
This novel blends fairytales with modern day. There a a ton of secrets that turn up but nothing really gets answered in this book. Their are lots of different creatures like fairies, kelpies and werewolves. The only smidgen of romance in this novel is that Jim has a crush on Roger. No love triangles YEAH!! I liked the references to the Path of Needles and the Path of Pins. I had never heard if them before.
So I recommend that if you read Hannah's fist book and were like me and didn't enjoy that much to give this one a try. Like I said earlier its much better. Thanks Hannah!! Can't wait to read the rest in the series!!!!!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked Path of Needles. It had potential to be great. I just felt lost at times. There wasnt enough back story to set it up. I am still lost at the world the author was trying to create for the characters. I had to go back and reread because I couldnt track the story. It just needs a couple tweaks with the back story and not feeling lost to make this an ultimately good book. Also if these darker fairy tales do really exist or not, I think they should be included some how so we know where the inspiration comes from. Its what critics say, think of us as not knowing anything and teach it to us.

Kat was a wonderful main character. I think she accepted a new world too easily but, hey, I may have too in her shoes. She does see the globby stuff in her kitchen and none of the officers do, so I can see Kat accepting or at least thinking its a dream.

If there is a next novel, I cant wait. I know that the next one will be absolutely fantastic. You can only get better and I think Hannah Kollef is a new favorite author of mine.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a copy of this book from the author herself Hannah Kollef for an honest review. And I would like to thank her for the chance to read one of her amazing works.


When I got this copy, I was really excited to read it. I am a fan of supernatural things and that would be reflected on my bookshelves. Anyway back to review. :) So this book didn't disappoint me. It has everything of the definition of supernatural. The way the story was narrated is good that keeping a mental picture of the situations is not hard to do.


The characters can be easily loved. But of them all Kat was my favorite mainly because she was protagonist. And for other reasons,even though the situations are bizaare and difficult she managed to cope up with it. She handled it well and was focused on her goal that was to find and save his dad.


"Look, really look before you assume anything is real. The truth you see will not always be the truth."

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure going into this if i liked it. The info sounded, well i dont know. But it was AMAZING. The info can't even begin to cover this story. It was just perfect
I loved Kat, Jim and her dad. I didn't have any feelings towards Jim's mom and Hank. I did not like Roger. I don't know if i was supposed to. He was a jerk, most of the time. Maybe i will like him better in the next. They can't kill him, right? I liked him some more AFTER Jim revealed what happened in his room, but at that point it didnt affect me.
I know i shouldn't but i liked Niall. He may be bad but he was awesome. Anyways, i can't even detail everything perfect with this book. It ended too soon. It was the perfect read for anyone who likes reading and likes paranormal books.
I also now i am now a fan of her writing. I will forever buy her books :)

[Alannah Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kat Finnegan is not your average girl in New York, she is what I would think of as a privileged girl growing up surrounded in the culture and art of the city. That is until she is drawn into a world that she believes only exists in fairy tales.

Now I thought the first few chapters were a bit slow building up to the main story line, but the tension made up for it at the end. It was a great novel, wonderfully written, I loved how the main character Kat was portrayed. I didn't think there was much romance as the description on the goodreads.com site led me to believe but it wasn't too much of a problem for me.

Overall I loved the book, I could not put it down as I was reaching the end of it and eagerly look forward to the next book.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I have a new favorite book!! Oh my god this book was just spectacular! I loved the characters it is easy to say that Kat is my favorite. I thought she was such a strong and funny character and I adore the relationship between her and Jim. As I big fan of fey I find that not all books about them are actually good but this one was! I was hooked from the first page and didn't stop reading until it was 4am and there were no more pages to be read. I am do excited to read the next installment to this spectacular series, a must read for everyone!!!

[Jay Uppal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow can't wait to read more.

[Ophannin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Path of Needles boasts an excellent narrative style, rich and relatable characters, and an intriguing plot thanks to a unique take on classic fairy tales.

[Daniela · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE. Give it six stars if I could.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Path of Needles relies heavily on the old fashioned fairy tales, the ones that your parents wouldn't let you read when you were very young. These stories are heavy with danger, pain, and sexuality, and the author brings those characteristics into an intriguing book about a girl finding out more about herself and her family and friends than she could have imagined.

Kat lives in New York City with her twin brother Roger and her superstar author father. Their best friend Jim has been part of her and Roger's lives for as long as she can remember. And all of these things are not what they seem.

Kat is a strong female character, easy to identify with, and thrilling to follow on her adventure. The fact that she is scared for almost every second of it makes it even better - there is a thin layer of dread and tension that follows her narrative as she takes on monsters with her twin brother and their best friend, and tries to find her father.

Roger seems like a typical teenage jock, but his part to play in the overall story is rather intriguing, as is his relationship with Jim. There is a lot more going on with him that we simply couldn't see, since we were living inside of Kat's head.

The only negative thing I have to say about this is that it is too short! I was definitely expecting more at the end, and was definitely wanting more by the time I got there - and then it just ended! And the subsequent novels haven't been written yet!

[Chani · Rating 3 out of 5]

**This review can also be found at http://www.readinginthewindowseat.blo...**

It was harder for me to get into this then it seems like it was for most other people. The beginning didn't really draw me in, and I felt like I just wanted to brush past the first couple of chapters in order to get to the point. Even further in I quickly realized I was actually more interested in finding out what the heck was going on between Roger and Jim then why their father was taken or someone left a monster waiting in their kitchen. That scene, however, was really well written. A lot of the stuff that happened wasn't described well enough, so that I had to reread and flip back pages, but that scene had a lot of really great details and I could easily picture the creature in my mind. I think he got killed a little too fast, but at the same time I was glad that the story didn't stall and dwell on it too long. There were a lot of moments throughout where I was just waiting for something to happen. Because of that I wasn't really interested right away, or even sad to admit later on. A lot of people have left some really good comments about this book, which leads me to believe that my difference of opinion is just that. It just wasn't the right type of book for me.

[HєllyBєlly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I am not being entirely fair to this book in my appraisal, coming off Magic Breaks and its stellar writing so recently, but it seems to be a fair amount of telling in the beginning of this book. And very much details and information in a short span of time.
But, it could also be me.
Giving this series a miss.