**** The Other Side of Life by Jess C. Scott

The Other Side of Life by Jess C. Scott was a pleasant read.  A definite change from the normal fantasy novels I've come across.

Anya London and her best friend Leticia made a life out of being thieves.  When they enter the old Stone Church,  they had no idea that someone was lingering about listening to their conversation.

Nin had been looking for someone to help him and his crew to find a missing parchment to an Elven poem.  When he hears Anya and Leticia talking,  he eavesdropped,  getting a sense he could entrust these two girls to his mission.  Finally approaching them after noticing they hold an old Elven Goblet,  he bargains for the enchanted piece to return it to its rightful owner.  Promising them another treasure,  we meet Tavia and Dresan.  Tavia is actually Nin's cousin,  though he plays her off as a girlfriend. 

Things come to a head and both parties faceoff,  only to realize these two girls are exactly who they need in order to accomplish retrieving the missing parchment.  Taking them to their underground lair,  they introduce the girls to their true identities,  they are Elves.  After the initial shock,  Anya feels a connection to Nin,  and agrees to help the trio,  even after they state that they have already failed and were almost killed.

Putting their plan into action,  Anya goes home to research Elven history.  When Julius,  Leticia's boyfriend sees what she is looking into,  he swears they never existed.  There is something off about Julius though,  and we soon find out that he is stealing life from the Elves to fulfill his need for greed.

The plot unfolds,  the action intensifies,  and we are surprised by many of the outcomes that play out.  Though this story started off just a smidgen slow,  once the action picks up there is no putting this book down until you find out what happens.

What I thought could have been a little more drawn out was how easily the girls accepted the fact that this trio were in fact Elves.  I thought they took that bit of information a little too lightly,  but it didn't really matter once the story picked up.

Scott did a great job creating a fantasy world unlike no other,  putting her own twist on things making it her own.  The end was a huge surprise,  and one you would not expect and I'm anxious for the next book in this trilogy.