Borderline (The Arcadia Project Book 1)

Overall this is an entertaining read with strong writing, casual/conversational tone and fast pace. It is categorized as Sci-fi/Fantasy but has elements of other genre's so really doesn't neatly fit into a single category. For those that would normally pass, this may be more appealing than initially contemplated. It's odd, it's gritty, it's equal parts reality and total fantasy...it defies an easy description but that is what makes this work. If you are sick of the formulaic scripts, give this a try. Pure entertainment.

This is a gorgeous book, compelling and strange. It manages to both touch some familiar urban fantasy tropes and create something new and exciting. I particularly like the characters, who feel fleshed out and unique. This book touches lightly on the magical side of things, and I'm excited to see the fey explored in more depth in the sequels.

I LOVE Borderline! My friend discovered it at the public library and loved it. I read it after her and was astounded. Borderline is interesting, with very flawed characters that I somehow loved by the end of the book. I know a lot about disabilities and found Mishell Baker's depictions to be accurate and humorous. I am thrilled that she is writing these as a series. I can't wait to read the next one.

Hollywood power players, a parallel reality, and a protagonist with borderline personality disorder all work for me in the sense that they make great story elements. The writing itself is outstanding with considerable, meaningful dialogue. The author has a solid grasp of the magical world and explains the abilities and limitations its denizens. I like the protagonist's struggle between her "Emotion Mind" and "Reason Mind," and I really like the way this "marginalized" person is intelligent and is the one who figures out what's going on behind the scenes.

But somewhere along the way, the tangled plot and the cast of characters became disenchanting.

Readers who like a narrative animated with fey and unseelie who cast spells, enchantments, charms, and wards and who enjoy a mad romp through Hollywood and a backlot will not be disappointed.

Really enjoyed this story and the world she's created. It is however one of those the new person is here to be the hero who saves the day though they know less than everyone else who have lived in this world for much longer and know twice as much.

Borderline had great potential. If Baker fine tunes her writing a bit, I feel like she'll be an excellent urban fantasy writer in the future. However, Borderline was not for me. The book had a lot of exposition,but nothing really happened. Borderline in my opinion is a slow read. For a mystery, I thought the mystery was lacking and I found myself bored most of the time. But I did find the moments that I was the most entertained was when Millie interacted with other people. For most of the plot we learn about Millie,borderline personality disorder, and her job for the Arcadia project which were all very boring. It was just Millie running around all over Hollywood asking people questions. I found myself bored with this book because there was no tension there was nothing in there that had me guessing or suspecting actually figured out the mystery or the storyline a long time ago
The plot is very thinnly constructed; a subplot could've added some variety to the story/suspense.I do appreciate Baker creating a character that has a mental illness and I really enjoyed her perspective, but I did not like the fact she always explaining borderline personality disorder(in a general way).Borderline personality disorder has several symptoms and can be different for each person, so no general statements can be made. As for concept, I felt like the actual Arcadia project idea is interesting. The idea of creative people having an echo is cool,but it was executed poorly for me.I was confused a lot of the times especially in the beginning. Overall this is a quick and easy read with diverse characters. If you like standard urban fantasy,you should give it a try.

First in The Arcadia Project paranormal thriller series set in L.A. and revolving around Millie Roper, a real pain.

My Take
Now this is different! It did take a while before I could dredge up sympathy for Millie, but she slowly grows on you despite that mouth of hers. It starts with the slightly surreal realism of Rainbow Rowell, and then blends into Mercedes Lackey's gritty Bedlam's Bard series. It's a gritty urban take on the fey — not to mention the nutjobs in the Project — and it pulled me right in.

It's a mean, irritating bunch in this house. They're blunt, they're nuts, and they talk right over each other. Millie will fit right in, as she's verbally abusive, physically violent, and prone to impulsive anything. And they all have to live together for all sorts of reasons. Wards. Free rent. Stringent rules that must be followed.

They keep ripping on Millie for breaking rules, but they don't tell her what the rules are! The fey cannot be hurt, or at least, you can't spill their blood. And we can't tell you why, just obey the rules. The fey are also half the reason why humanity has done as well as they have. Of course, humanity is the reason the fey want to be on this side anyway.
"'It benefits me,' I snapped. 'I can find Claybriar without helping the people who threw an unemployed cripple out on the street.'"
I have my particular issues, but I do thank god that I don't have Millie's. As a borderline, she's impatient, takes no as a personal insult, does vicious things and blames it on others, does anything to avoid guilt, becomes angry over truth, and is amazingly vulnerable.

…they can't be trusted…

If Brian Clay is a detective, why does Millie later refer to him as Officer Clay?

Manipulations, set-ups, betrayals, lies, and there are no coincidences — what a fey believes becomes true. As for that professor, I want something really bad to happen to that guy. What a jerk!!! I'm suspecting date rape.

Huh? Turns out Spielberg is a wizard. Sure explains all his movies, *grin*…

Then there's that last paragraph at the end. I know I'm not seeing the world the same anymore in this mash of movie production, mysteries, and world betrayal in those greedy hands.

The Story
Listless and reluctant to emerge into the world again from her safe haven in the nuthouse, the abrasive Millicent Roper has a chance to reopen a door into the filmmaking world she is missing.

It's a terrifying offer and a chance.

If only she knew what was truly involved.

The Characters
"Lady" Millicent Roper, a.k.a., Cold Iron or Ironbones, is a borderline who has been making a name for herself as a filmmaker and is now the fairy boogeyman. The Stone Guest is Millie's attention-grabbing film about growing up all wrong and too fast. Her neglectful father is dead. Her grandfather lives in Graston, Mississippi.
The Arcadia Project is…
…a nonprofit organization that uses the mentally ill. "Marchioness" Caryl Vallo, a warlock, is the gloved one in charge. Elliot is her familiar, a small dragon you can't see. Martin, a wizard, had been Caryl's predecessor.

Residence Four is…
…managed by Song and is where Millie will live. Sterling is Song's baby; his father is fey. The bipolar "Baron" Mateo "Teo" Salazar loves to cook and cut and will be Millie's partner. His first two partners, Amir and Lisa, came to bad ends. Stevie is Phil's partner. The nasty, bitchy "Viscountess" Gloria Day, a script supervisor, is a little person from Georgia. Phil is the bearded white guy dating Gloria. Monty is the cat. "Viscount" Tjuan Miller is a screenwriter with massive trust issues. Abigail manages Residence One where Luis, another agent for the Project, lives.
Arcadia is…
…a parallel world where the fey live, and yeah, the Department of Homeland Security knows about them. Viscount Rivenholt, a sidhe, has ignored the expiration of his visa. One of his earliest aliases was as Forrest Cloven. Baroness Foxfeather is a bartender searching for her Echo. Craghorn.

Duke Skyhollow is an emissary from Queen Dawnrowan of the Seelie Court. Claybriar, a faun, is a commoner agent but special; he was sent by the queen. Trillhazel is Claybriar's sister.

Vivian Chandler, an exiled Unseelie noble, has a reputation as a shark of an actor's agent. At the Unseelie Court, she was Countess Feverwax until she was exiled. On this side of the portal she invests in the macabre.

Valiant Studios is…
…a new start-up partially funded by Inaya West, an actress who hired Ellis, a private detective. John Riven is an actor whose magic is fading. David Berenbaum is a famous producer whom Millie worships. He also funds half the Project; Rivenholt is his Echo. Berenbaum's wife, Linda, knows all about it. Stefan is their housekeeper. Rick and Ilsa are David's dogs.

Leishman Center is…
…a loony bin in Los Angeles. Dr. Amanda Davis is humorless, caring, and has managed to pound into Millicent the concept of her Reason Mind, her Wise Mind, and her Emotion Mind.

Hedrick Hall, UCLA, is…
…the building Millie walked off. The predatory, sadistic Professor John Scott teaches screenwriting.

Brian Clay is an LAPD detective, the one who was too late to save Millie. Aaron Susman is a rival producer. Jeff works at the sushi restaurant.

An Echo is a muse, a soulmate partner whom a fey needs. All artists, inventors, creative types have one. They simply have not found each other yet. Norium is something in fey blood that prevents fey from staying on Earth for too long. Fading is when a human stays in Arcadia too long. The Accord is a treaty that keeps the Unseelie from invading. The Gates are portals between and can only be built by a pair of Echoes who have bonded with each other over a long period.

The Cover and Title
The cover is a range of oranges and browns from the pale, pale peach of the background to the flesh of Millie's face with the orange spheres overlapping her profile to the rusty scratching delineating the horizon and a darker rusty brown forming the skeleton of a butterfly's wing, all of it emerging from the dark silhouette of an evergreen.

The title is where and who Millie is, on the Borderline.

Got this copy from the library, since it seems to be out of print. Terrific fantasy book....I've read way too many others that seem all the same. This one is full of original ideas, with a principal character that is neither perfect nor omnipotent. One suspects that the author has some first-hand experience with the non-magical aspects of the story....

Great read.

An awful book, boring from the first page! Neither a thriller nor good story about magic, I would never recommend this book. I am an avid reader, but I only finished this book because I finish every book I read.

OMG~ Border line is one of the most amazing books I've read in my entire life & I've been reading forever! I almost couldn't bear finishing it because it was so gorgeous & gritty and also fascinating & freaky! ♡♡ My only consolation is the sequel waiting for me to open & become delighted all over again. Thank you Mishell for Millie in all of her glorious wretchedness & all of her fantastical cohorts!!

With the complex and often uncomfortable issues that the characters in this book address, it is an amazingly fast and humorous read. The author cleverly uses the characters' wit to guide you through their struggles and often harsh realities. The world(s) that Ms. Baker has utilized leave ample possibilities for the future and offer the promise of an exiting and diverse series that promises to challenge the reader while offering amusement, thrills, and pulls at the heartstrings.

Enjoyed the urban fantasy world-building and loved the idea of the Echoes. How cool would it be to have one?!? Millie was an interesting character. The various mental health aspects of the different characters seemed well handled and done with respect. Very enjoyable over all. I look forward to Phantom Pains.

A unique and wonderful blend of urban fantasy and mystery. The main character, Millie, is one of the most original and fascinating literary personalities I have come across in along time. Please, please, Mishell Baker, tell us more!

The writing here is good, really good. The author had me at the start. However, she lost me by the middle with a tangled up plot and characters I had difficulty with. Still, this is a fairly engrossing Hollywood fantasy and those who love Hollywood will want to read this. But it isn't for everyone.

Ok. I admit it. I like conspiracy theories. And this novel goes a long way to shedding light on some of the things I think about. And yes, I do indeed believe in the 'other world's but even if you don't it's a fun read....

This urban fantasy takes place in Los Angeles in a "world" where fairies provide the creative inspiration to Hollywood actors and directors. The Arcadia Project serves as the intermediaries with the fae world and have some unusual staffing -- people with mental health issues. The main character in this story, Millie, has borderline personality disorder and has survived a suicide attempt. She lost her legs as a result and has artificial limbs.

Having a main character with borderline personality disorder is an unusual choice because while it makes for interesting character interactions, it does not make Millie the kind of character that is easy to identify with or care about. Nor are the other people on staff at the Arcadia Project much more likeable. This made reading the book less enjoyable for me even though I enjoy urban fantasy novels.

I am open to reading the next book in the series, but hope the protagonist is more likeable.