The beginning was awesome. It was suspenseful and exciting.
It continued to be pretty good until the romance. Then it all went down hill.
I could see Dreyden caring deeply for Fiona. The hints were there in their past, but there wasn't any real indication on Fiona's part. There wasn't much time spent on making their budding relationship authentic. It was very sudden and lacked chemistry and connection.
The biggest problems in the book though, were the weak explanations for everything. I loved the idea behind the extinction of bees and what was done to try to prevent it, what it led to, and the consequences. I did not like the reasons for the wall, how people were treated in the wall, or the reason for the "Governor" to take issue with releasing the cure.
Much like every other YA dystopian out there, this book has all the key components to make a complete story. There is a reason for an apocalyptic scenario, there is a fall out, there is a new world order, there is corruption, the new world leader doesn't want to relinquish his power, and there are two unlikely teens set on a path to save the world, and while they're doing this, they fall madly in love.
Beyond the beginning, this book held no surprises. All the twists and turns never actually veered off the road you were already walking down.
The whole last half of the book was really crammed together. There was no time spent getting you acquainted with any of the villains of the story. You were told about them instead of being given first hand encounters with them. I really would have liked to know a bit about the Governor, to decide for myself if he was evil. He was very superficial.
I would have also liked to know why all the "beasts" went after Fiona. What about her made them attracted to her?
The other major thing that was completely forgotten about: why did Fiona have amnesia? She kept having all these flash backs during the story. I am assuming the induced coma was to blame for this, but it was never explained. I don't buy it, either.
The ending was terrible. There is no need for this story to continue in my eyes. And the way it ended seemed like a set up for a sequel.
Wiggins definitely has some potential. I think once she becomes more comfortable in the genre she wishes to write, she will be an author to watch out for. She's not there yet, though.
Read on June 01, 2013
"Beauty is sometimes best when it's lethal"
This read worse than a B-rated movie. The dialogue and monologue were awful. Kenyon certainly has come far from her earlier books.
The action and a lot of the dialogue were horribly repetitive and really cheesy.
I love the Chronicles of Nick, so I was really happy to read Kyrian's story. I was most ecstatic that Nick was also a part of this book. It was good to see that his whole character development is the same in his series as it is in this book.
There were a few things that happened in this book that didn't make a lot of sense.
Amanda was engaged to a man who hadn't met her family. That right there was a bit awkward. But I could go along with it. What I didn't understand was how she would have him stop by her sister's home--whom he supposedly hadn't met--to let out her dog. Ugh...yeah, I understand you had to have a reason to get him inside Tabitha's home to do his plotting and what not, but really? Did you forget just how unlikely that would be?
Amanda asked a lot of stupid questions for someone who had grown up dealing with supernatural all around her. She has 8 sisters who are all a little wacky, her twin is a vampire slayer, yet she still asked questions based off shit she saw on T.V? I was rather confused by her ignorance. I just don't see how she could have avoided coming across a lot of the knowledge she was seeking by being around her family for any amount of time.
Amanda also has untapped powers--but you don't actually learn about them until later in the story. I found that to be a little dodgy, too. She should have mentioned at least something about it in her thoughts at the very least. It ended up feeling very convenient.
Amanda claimed to be a beta female--yet everything she did from that moment on was anything but.
The romance wasn't very believable. I didn't feel any connection or the chemistry that Kenyon tried to drill into your head. Both Kyrian and Amanda's thoughts about the whole thing were awfully redundant to the point that I wanted to rip my hair out.
Overall though, the plot was good. I enjoyed the character interaction in the fact that they were characters I already know. Having read this, I now understand Kyrian a little better from the Chronicles of Nick, and I am eager to see where his character goes in the story, since Nick was 24 in this book and he's still only a teen in those books.
Read from June 02 to 03, 2013
I wonder where Greer puts the sex out.
The orientation was ridiculous. It was supposed to be set up to clue in new clones. These clones were all adults, so I didn't think the language was set to reflect that Beta Teen Clones were anything new; instead, it implied that they were commonplace.
Aesthetic--and its family tree--were used almost every other sentence throughout this book. It got to the point where I wanted to rip my eyes out of my head. If I never see the word or its brethren again, it will be too soon.
The transitions between subjects were disjointed. Nothing ran smoothly in this book. The explanations were sub par, as were most of the subplots. The overall plot itself was boring until the ending point. The last few chapters were the only truly intriguing parts to what has and will transpire within this series. They are also the only reason I may bother picking up the sequel.
The dialogue was horrendous, and not just because Cohn tried for new slang. It just wasn't smooth. Nothing that was said from any character in this book felt natural. It all came across as "Look at me! I'm trying to be clever." Or something along those lines. Cheesy and/or lame.
The major revelations were disappointing. I knew them all immediately. Except for the last three revelations/actions. And only because there was no reason to expect them.
Becky, Becky, Becky. She was out of place in this book. She was out of place in this strange new world of clone slavery. She did not belong at all. Everyone was supposed to be beautiful. The island. The water. The air. The people. But especially the clones. I don't understand why she was allowed on the floor at all. She was a beta for one, but she was a defect in looks. She was fat. From everything that had been stated before you met Becky, and everything that was stated after, she was a contradiction to the whole book.
I think my biggest issue was the drug use and the implication that it was a satisfactory, if not necessary, way to find yourself. Cohn was practically advocating that teens experiment with drugs because you won't know who you are and what you're capable of feeling, doing, or achieving without partaking in synthetic ataraxia. Shame on her.
The editing was a bit lousy, too.
Just being picky--but the cover is ugly. I couldn't picture Elysia being beautiful because all I could see was the girl on the cover.
Do I recommend it? Not really. The ending is good. But the rest of it isn't anything to brag about. If you can get through the horrible dialogue and crappy subplots, it's a decent idea.
Read from June 04 to 05, 2013
"I want to kill you."
Ava
She is an insufferable character. Cameron did not incorporate any redeeming qualities into Ava's character development. She starts off extremely bitter and self centered. As the story progresses, she gets worse and worse. She is very selfish, inconsiderate, mopey, suicidal, irrational, and ridiculous. She is in love with a creature who strangled her. I mean, how is that for an epic romance? She is a lousy friend, daughter, and a shitty person altogether. Everything is all about Ava. I didn't like her one bit, obviously, and I found that I couldn't care less about what happened to her. I didn't feel sorry for her about her mother. I didn't feel like I wanted her to succeed at anything; there was just absolutely no connection founded between us.
Peter
I liked him while he was hell bent on killing her and being creepy. But as soon as he started becoming interested in more than just Ava's blood, he completely lost his appeal. He had no personality. I'm fairly certain that a wooden board held more intrigue than Peter.
What he was was the only thing about him that was interesting. But his character development, or lack of, was terrible.
Tex
The slutty friend. I don't know what the trend is with having the best friend, who you don't see enough of, have more spunk and personality than the protagonist. I would have much rather read about the life of the slutty librarian wannabe than that of Miss Ava. The only downfall Tex had was that she so easily forgave Ava for being a horrible friend.
Jamie
I loved him. And I was really hoping he would be the love interest. He's not violent. He was sweet and responsible. He was a really great friend. A shame that Ava let him down. I am really hoping he sets her straight in the next book and walks away from her. She needs a reality check about the way she treats people who are supposed to be her friends and family.
The Romance
It was sloppy. A bit concerning too. I'm not sure what kind of message Cameron was trying to send with Ava being okay with physical abuse. I don't know how we were supposed to root for Peter as a love interest after leaving such lovely bruises on her neck.
I liked that Ava said that she didn't condone males hitting females when Ivan punched Di in the face, but that's a load of shit. She had no problem with being strangled by Peter. In fact, she thought to reward him with dirty dancing and a few make-out sessions.
Ava also seemed to forget that the Claiming was done against her will. She didn't give her permission from what I read. But she didn't seem to mind too much. Very odd.
But because of these things, the romance didn't feel real to me. It felt very coerced. I don't think she loves Peter at all. But what is going on between them is not healthy. I don't think this type of relationship is one that should be encouraged and advertised to young women. It's disgusting.
The Plot
I have read a lot of vampire books, but so far, nothing like this one. In regard to what Peter called himself, and the way his world worked, it was very unique to me. The rest of it was nothing but cliche after cliche. Ava's mother is terminal. But Ava spends a good chunk of the book bitching and moaning and feeling sorry for herself rather than spending quality time with her mother. She fights continually with her father--which is somewhat understandable. I did like that it showed what illness can do, in the manner of destruction, to a family.
I couldn't connect Ava to being 17. She didn't sound it, she didn't feel it, and she didn't act it. She felt much younger. Like 12.
Ava hides everything from everyone. She refuses to tell her friends that her mother is dying. I found that odd. I could see her wanting to process it a bit, give it time to sink in and accept it, but she avoided it altogether. It's actually very selfish. Most people have some kind of interaction with their friend's parents, maybe even like them. Perhaps they would like to say goodbye.
What happened to Ava being pulled out of school to spend her time with her mother? Did Cameron forget about this...?
Dialogue
Awful. Just plain awful. Cameron tried too hard with the teen slang a lot of the time. It was like listening to a shitty sitcom with really, really bad acting. The conversations between Peter and Ava were the worst. I get that he was quiet and all, but wow...it was really awkward and boring.
Misc.
The timeline was awkward. Sometimes days would pass but you didn't know it.
There were a lot of editing issues.
Overall
There's not a lot in this book that hasn't already been done. The life of the vampire was the only thing really new to me. And the book was really uneventful. It was mostly unnecessary drama that did not really pertain to the story.
I may or may not read the next one...If I do, it will be to see if the writing improves at all.
Recommendation? No.
Read on June 06, 2013
"I'm picking up a cat too, a big fat gray cat that thinks he owns you, and he's got a problem with peeing all over your house or something."
I was a little apprehensive about this book.
1) I judge books by their cover and this cover was not appealing to me.
2) I also judge books by their title and this one was not appealing to me.
3) I judge books by their description and the description for this book had me feeling this could have gone either way, but kind of fell more to the bad side.
I decided I would get it anyway, and maybe if I felt like climbing out of my comfort zone, I would give it a shot.
I'm glad I did. I was laughing my ass off throughout this book. I was glued to it.
The emotions portrayed in this book felt very authentic. The romance between Dutch and Abby was very well written. There was a lot of notable chemistry between the two.
I loved Abby. She is feisty and not afraid to push her chest out and beat her boobs into submission, much like men when they go all caveman on the world. She is very temperamental. She has realistic quirks and flaws that make her easy to relate to. She has such an exuberant personality. I really loved her characterization.
Mr. Dutch was lacking a bit of personality, though. He came across very cookie cutter to me. I would have liked to see a bit more depth to him and understood his background and presence in the story better. There were a few elaborations on his character, but they were rather bland and he lacked life...that is the best way I can describe it.
The plot was fun. I wasn't a fan of a few of the subplots though. It was obvious that they were filler and they added nothing to the story. Abby's trek to visit her sister was one of them, and that particular excursion ruffled my feathers.
I also didn't care for Cat furnishing Abby's home while she was in the hospital. Abby was a bigger and much more graceful person than I am. I would have been pissed if I had been in her place. There is nothing worse than having someone else design your home for you without your input. Your home should reflect you and represent what makes you feel comfortable and free. I understand that the idea was supposed to make Cat look like a generous sister, but with how she acted, it actually highlighted just how much Cat had to be in control. I was a little annoyed with how Abby just let her walk all over her, as well. She was a take charge, alpha style personality. This behaviour did not fit with her development. She was annoyed, but she didn't voice her opinion often. I'm not sure how many people could stand to be told how to live their life, and have someone intrude in their home after they've let them know time and time again that they'd like to do it on their own, and have their feelings disregarded, regardless of if it were a family member or not. As you can see--this really bothered me.
But getting back on track, this was a good book. And I'll be looking for the next one.
Read from June 05 to 06, 2013
Can't do it. Can't finish it.
This starts off excruciatingly slow.
Rebecca is moving from New York to New Orleans for some reason. Her dad needs to go to China for work or something. I don't know. It wasn't sticking with me. I kept putting it down every other page. I had to force myself to pick it back up. I was bored, bored, bored. And it doesn't pick up. I'm over half way through this book, and it is as boring as it started.
I've decided that I really hate house tours. What does this offer me as the reader? Nothing. If the character doesn't spend a lot of time in this described room, or there is nothing about the room that is necessary to the story, don't tell me about it. I don't want more filler to your already excessively mundane story that cannot hold my attention. Throw in some random fight scene instead. I guarantee it would be received a lot better than your lousy description of a room that no one cares about.
Inconsistencies out the ass. Why can't authors read their books before they publish them? fuck. Rebecca can't find her way to the Gray tomb during the day, but somehow has no problem when she goes back at night? Uh huh.
The romance is just yuck. The drama is so petty and expected and lame...and wow.
Is this supposed to be some kind of black people pick me up? Trying to make a stand saying black people are more important and what not because they lived in New Orleans longer than their white counter parts? I know this is true, but I think this could have been done with a lot more class. Why is there a need to have this race division? It didn't help this book.
Anyway. I couldn't get into this. I don't want to finish it. I'm not even curious about where anything in this is going. I don't think I will be reading anything else by Morris either. I do not recommend it.
Read on June 07, 2013
Ah, this book definitely had potential. But it was more of a rough draft than a completed book.
Was it really necessary to have Kaylee putting herself down every opportunity she was given? She had no self esteem. It was thrown in your face at every corner in the first chapter, and every other chapter that followed. I didn't care for it. I don't think it's healthy to drill into teen girl's heads that it is normal to have such low self esteem. Because it's not. It might not have been so bad had she come into herself and found how to love herself for who she is. But this wasn't something that was actually a part of the story. It was just a "character flaw" so girls could relate to her. Not cool.
So, who the fuck is Nash and where did he come from? He just kind of shows up at Taboo one night, and then all hell breaks loose. Supposedly, he is some hot shot jock who is way out of Kaylee's league. She knows him...but he shouldn't know her, you know, because she's ugly and shit. But maybe he saw her in passing because her best friend is a beautiful slut--of course. Or maybe it's because he knows who her snarky nasty cousin is...who everyone thinks is her sister for some reason. I don't know, but for half of a breath Kaylee decides she will not be another "conquest". That didn't last long. They have a bonding moment that made little sense and apparently that was enough to plow full steam ahead into an insta-love relationship.
Kaylee instantly becomes the jealous, overbearing, clingy girlfriend. Even though they never discussed becoming exclusive...so, I'm not sure if Nash is actually on board with this boyfriend/girlfriend fiasco. But there wasn't anything between them. I didn't even feel that they had a friendship connection. Nash was just kind of thrown in there and left to blunder along in all the Kaylee mess. She continued to impose on his personal time whenever she saw fit. Their interaction with one another didn't feel real at all. Their first kiss was very unromantic. They both had just got done eating fast food--yuck--and it came out of nowhere. There was no chemistry to lead up to it. It was just very sudden and distasteful. It was out of place. I don't think the timing was right.
Kaylee was very annoying. I think I would have liked this more had Kaylee been anyone else. She wants to jump into everything half-cocked, without knowing any of the details, let alone important ones. She knows nothing about what is going on around her. She doesn't know what she is, what the rules are, what she can and cannot interfere with, or who she should look to for guidance. She just assumes because no one has told her about this life that she is entitled to fuck everything up because she wants to. She has no common sense. She actually doesn't have any sense.
I feel bad for Emma. Why was she even part of this story? She was a stand in to suit the story's needs and nothing more. I don't like throw away characters.
The foreshadowing in this book was too obvious, not to mention lame. When the reader knows what's going on well before the protagonist, it gets old and boring. With how fast paced this book was, it was disappointing having the impact of major revelations ruined because I already knew about them long before Vincent decided to let the cat out of the bag.
The character development really lacked. I didn't care about any of them.
The plot wasn't horrible--aside from the fact that you could see how everything was planned rather than reading a natural flow of things--it actually had the potential to be very intriguing. It's a shame that Vincent didn't jump on that with adding a lot of needed obscurity. Everything was just a little too convenient.
There was a major lack of explanation. There was also a major lack of emotion.
There were so many chances for Vincent to take this book one step further. Especially with Kaylee and her father. She never took anyone to task. There should have been a big to-do with Aidan coming back into her life. There should have been some heated moments, but it all fell very, very flat. I don't think Nash should have been there for that. It ruined the atmosphere.
I might read the next one...I don't know. It wasn't as good as I was hoping for it to be.
Read from June 07 to 08, 2013
This was written very well. The pacing was perfect. The stereotyping of the races was very apparent though, and I'm still not sure how I feel about that.
The plot was great. The subplots were great, too, and fit well into the story. It was seamless.
The romance between Sascha and Lucas was also seamless. It wasn't rushed nor was it drawn out unnecessarily either. It was cute and fun to watch their relationship grow.
I loved Sascha. She has such a fierce spirit. She was a strong character, and for as much as she was not sure of herself and for all her insecurities, she had such a bold admirable presence in this book. She was easy to love.
Lucas was your typical broody, overbearing alpha male who was more of a giant teddy bear at heart. There was nothing spectacular about him, he was very cookie cutter for this type of male. I would have liked to see something more from him, but he didn't detract from the story in any way.
One of the bigger issues for me was the non-violence among the Psy. This was contradicted with the easy knowledge that Sascha had about her mother's underlying talents and the fact that councilors had no issue taking out their competition to aspire to higher positions. Mind wipes are also violent. In many ways the Psy were the most violent race in this book.
I understood this was something that Sascha was supposed to learn to accept as the story continued, but this was blatant from the beginning. There's no way that anyone could be brainwashed to accept that deadly viruses were not murder or that taking out your competition was not considered violent.
Over all though: this is a good read. It could have easily been a stand alone. I will read the next one, though.
Read on June 09, 2013
This was an awesome book. I couldn't put it down.
Very creepy. I liked how it was set up, it was very well thought out. And the execution was almost flawless. Almost. It took your typical elements from zombies and vampires and turned into something much better, darker, and much more conceivable.
There were some interesting editing flaws. Wrong character names, wrong tenses, "me" instead of "her", "his self" instead of "himself", among others. There was a whole sentence that was practically gibberish because there were either missing words, or more than a few wrong words as well as missing words. Toward the end of the book seemed to be where the most of them occurred.
During the first part of the book, I was wondering where all these bodies were. They showed up appropriately later, but I felt a good number of them were missing in the beginning.
I loved the made up stories Sasha would tell Nora to keep her calm and distracted.
I would have appreciated a bit more effort to have been made in the romance. Nothing all consuming, but at least enough to establish a connection and chemistry. Because it wasn't there. There was only an understanding of attraction because you were told about it. I didn't feel it.
Another thing that bothered me was that all of the side characters were killed off almost in the same breath. I think it would have been better had they been spaced out or that some of the others had survived too. It was just a little too convenient to me that only the main characters came out of this alive.
I was very fond of the epilogue. I was happy to see out of Nora's eyes and I think it ended this book beautifully. I honestly would have been happy with this book being a stand alone. I don't know that it needs a sequel. I will read it, but I honestly can't see it adding to this story over all. I could be wrong. I hope I am. I will read it.
Read from June 09 to 10, 2013
"Well, what the fuck does that mean?"
"Yeah, fate sucks like that. You spend a couple hundred lifetimes learning stuff only to be martyred--twice."
"It's a fucking dragon, not the Omen! It has scales, breathes fire, and flies like a deranged cow with wings." As you can see, I am a fan of Eric.
The worst part about this book is that it has the potential to be fucking amazing. It has all the right elements--excitement, action, darkness, heartache, and the most important one to me: consequences. All of the side characters are, for the most part, integral to the story. It has an amazing plot. It has some interesting obstacles. Even with the complete transparency of what were meant to be twists and turns of the plot, it was an engrossing read. The problem? Ivy! Yes, the fucking protagonist utterly destroys this series. Had she been anyone else, these books would have easily received higher ratings from me...but she is just a massive hideous stain that erodes all the other amazing properties in this story.
Ivy
The girl is shameless. She is selfish, irresponsible, hypocritical, secretive to the point of harm to others, naive, and just plain stupid. Ivy's character never actually matured or progressed at all during the 5 books to this story. She has remained stubbornly the same. If anything, she lost more brain cells. She does, for the most part, stick to her characterization.
It baffles me that Ward would have wanted to write from such a moronic perspective. I don't know any girl who would behave the way she has throughout the series.
When Ward slips up with her character, it's not subtle. It's waving a fucking torch so bright you can't read the rest of the paragraph without taking a break. Her whole outburst to Eric was so unlike anything you would expect from this fool, and so wise, it really should have come from someone else.
Ivy kept being told how beautiful and strong she was, how intelligent and selfless she was. It was a very lame attempt to get you to see Ivy in a different light, because that light didn't exist. I didn't see anything to prove these words. Ivy was the epitome of everything opposing those words. The fact that she did end up the way I wanted her...oh, yeah. I liked that.
Eric
Eric, on the other hand, was something else altogether. He has been my favourite character out of the whole damn series. And he doesn't disappoint in this book.
He is "cruel" to Ivy, but I don't really consider brutal honesty cruel. Sure, he did some things that made you question your judgment for liking him, but I honestly felt that Ivy deserved everything he gave her, and then some. The only one I felt sorry for during any of his maliciousness would have been Collin.
Eric was dealt a shitty hand of cards to play. I was really hoping for some redemption for him, but I was satisfied with his outcome, regardless. I did like that Ward wasn't afraid to leave some things broken.
Collin
What a waste of his character. He was kind of left on the back burner in this book, which was a shame. I think, with the whole slight triangle going on, he should have been a little more feistier than he was.
I've never really been a huge fan of Collin, anyway, I just felt that he could do way better than Ivy and I don't think settling is romantic. He also had a habit of trying to bolster Ivy with bold faced lies. He never really backed up his supposed feelings. He was definitely a character that was just there to keep the romance going, not because he was actually needed in the story. That annoyed me. His ending pissed me off. I was totally happy with the consequences the way they were.
Satan Stone
I loved this sneaky little bastard. I thought the idea behind how the magic worked was very cool. I liked how the consequences worked, but I felt that Ivy got off too lightly considering Lorren and Eric's prices. And hers was supposed to be worse.
Plot
Like I mentioned earlier, the over all plot for the series was good. Very good. This book was just very short and spent most of the time dealing with stupid drama. The problem was that not all of the questions that were brought to the surface were answered.
The battle with Kreterus was so fucking lame, I almost pulled my hair out. There wasn't any real action in this book. There needed to be some.
Things between Ivy and the Demon Princess felt unfinished. I didn't like that being left open. Just sending angels into the glass wasn't good enough for me.
Only one thing kept me from giving this book one star. And that was Eric.
And, of course, the transparency was a problem as well. Ward doesn't do a good job of keeping you in the dark. Except when it comes to explanations about people and what's happening. She just allows Ivy to know certain things without letting the reader in on it. Like what Eric actually is. The most I got was that he was a human/angel/demon. That's it. It didn't go into his powers, either, other than to say that he could siphon hers.
When Ivy needs her soul back, it had been mentioned earlier that Eric had also been stealing pieces of her soul. But for some reason she didn't need those pieces back to have a complete soul? Just the part that Collin had? Was this an oversight? Or was I missing something?
Editing
Okay. There were some serious eye sores throughout this read. But the major one that is bothering me right now is this:
I pressed my eyes closed. GAH! What is it with the damned repetitive phrases? Are you too lazy to describe it another way? Do you think it is cute to have like a trademark action? It is absolutely obnoxious. I cringed every time I read it. It derailed my reading experience and this is part of the reason these books could never be 5 star worthy for me. It annoys the holy fuck out of me.
It was being drilled into your head that Ivy couldn't feel her emotions. And in the same damn breath, she would go and contradict herself. This pissed me off. She was supposedly only able to feel around Eric, but she was easily angered. She was feeling affection for Collin, even as she is telling you that she isn't. I think that was something that should have been scrapped. And had Ward had a decent editor, or an editor at all, it would have been brought up.
Kreterus' voice rang out, caught in a silent scream. Oh, dear. I mean, what? How can your voice ring out silently?
Overall
I am glad this part of the series is done. I may look into the spin off series, though. Since I love Eric. Ward has potential, she really does. She just needs some fine tuning and a damn good editor, and I think she'll be very successful. This was a series I loved to hate. It is difficult for me to recommend this, because it caters to a lot of younger girls, but at the same token, there are a lot of aspects to these books that those same audience targets shouldn't be reading.
But if you want a frustrating read that will still entertain you, give this series a shot.
Read from June 11 to 12, 2013
"Don't think. Your mind is going to fool your eyes. Instead, listen to your heart and you'll see the truth."
Okay...so it is really obvious that English is not Vila's first language.
"You like to observe people a lot, isn't it?"
"I made up some really nice friends." This made it seem that her friends were imaginary--which is pretty much true. They don't really do anything in the story.
"Do. Not. Mess. Up. With. Me."
See? There are a lot of odd word placements and Vila's sentence structures are horrendous. There are more than a handful of sentences and dialogue that just didn't make sense. I sat there scratching my head trying to figure out what she was trying to say. It didn't translate very well. Needless to say, it was very distracting.
This would be the main protagonist. She's quite the character. Let me list off some of her fine traits:
* Selfish
* Hypocrite
* Immature
* Stupid
* Catty
* Unreasonable
* Clingy
In fact, she was quite boring. I honestly couldn't care less about what happens to her.
He had some cool abilities. Other than that, there is nothing remarkable about him.
If you're looking for some book mind-candy, you've come to the wrong place. If you're looking for a heartfelt romance, you've come to the wrong place.
However, if you're looking for a really cheesy, insta-love, tragic hot mess, then you've come to the right place.
It was absolutely pathetic. Kalista and Tristan kiss twice. Tristan comes back to his 80+ year old senses and realizes he would be putting every shifter's life in danger, so obviously, this relationship needs to become non-existent. Sounds reasonable. Kalista, however, doesn't think so. She thinks that she should get what she wants regardless of 900 other people's lives she would be endangering.
So, after the singular day where their feelings were put on the table and then set on fire, Kalista becomes an emo bitch. Were we supposed to be sad for her? I wanted to kick her.
I couldn't take them seriously.
Plot
Okay, so the underlying story in this book--which doesn't receive enough focus--is pretty interesting. I even liked the whole water crystal explanation. I also liked how it tied into explaining how Tristan's abilities worked, and what they were. The issue was that there was no structure to what was happening in this book. Everything felt like a half formed thought that never got full elaboration.
Most of the things that took place in Ylem had nothing to do with the plot. I don't know why Tristan and company were even in school. What business did he have being there? His
And as has been mentioned in many other reviews, it's clear that this story is just a slightly altered version of Twilight. And I do not appreciate it.
Overall
This was pretty much garbage. It took me a long time to read it because I just didn't want to. It was incredibly cheesy. I am completely baffled by the fact that this book got such raving reviews. I'm afraid I just can't trust Goodreads' judgment.
Do I recommend this? No. If you liked Twilight, then go reread Twilight. This book doesn't really have anything to offer that you won't find there.
Read from June 12 to 14, 2013
"Dear sir: Twelve hours is as twelve years to me. I imagine you in your home, smiling, thinking of me. That I am your heart's secret fills me with song. I wish I could sing of you here in my cage. You are my heart's hidden poem. I reread you, memorize you, every moment we're apart."
This is an interesting take on haunting and possession. I liked that it was from the possessor's perspective. The plot itself isn't anything new, but the delivery was original. I've not read a book quite like this.
The characterization is odd because you don't really get to know Helen very well. Instead, you're taken on her journey to forgiveness and see through the eyes of two polar opposite, but similarly struggling youths. I felt the messages in this book, although extremely religious and spiritual, were beautiful. The moral of the story is crystal clear. And I will admit to bawling like a bitch at the end of the book.
That said, there were a lot of things that turned me off in this book. I didn't think it fair that Helen and James took the virginity of bodies that did not belong to them. It disturbed me.
I also have a thing about authors making it a point to name off classic literature in their writing. It's as if paying homage to them will somehow make their book all the more appealing because the reader has proof that you know of, and have more than likely worn out your own copies of these books. It doesn't impress me.
I found myself skimming a lot of sections because the details and reminiscing became extremely long winded, derailing my reading experience.
I still really enjoyed the book. And I think most people would.
Read in June, 2013
"An explosion of the sun. Everything became iridescent. Everything broke open as if objects and humans all contained light. It was the brightest entry into darkness."
"Don't talk about dying? You want me to talk about love. They're one and the same, child. One and the same."
This book was a far cry from Pure. There is just so much filler. It starts off very slow, which is never a good thing for a sequel. It made it difficult for me to reestablish myself in the story. It took me a long time to find my rhythm again and I found myself skimming a lot of parts in this book.
I had some major issues with the plot this time. For the abundance of filler and nonsense packed into this read, there was little time spent on integral parts to the progression of the plot. Partridge spends a lot of time reminiscing, even before he goes back to the Dome, but once he's there, it takes next to no time for him to get Iralene to help him. In this instance, and most instances with Iralene, you are told but not shown. It made it unbelievable to me. With how Iralene was groomed for her lifestyle, I just didn't get the vibe that she would want to oppose her brainwashing, or would be strong enough to do so.
Pressia doesn't have a lot of memories of the Before. But she seems to be able to come up with a lot of ideas and suggestions that she really shouldn't have considering her circumstances. That annoyed me. When things were clicking into place for her during her research for the location of the cure, I really felt that most of those revelations should have come from someone else.
Iralene knows way too many things about Willux's plans for Partridge. I didn't feel that she would ever know so much. With the way that Willux's development is set up, I just don't see him thinking she'd ever have a need to know anything about anything. So her entire role felt out of place to me.
And what is up with the trend of incest? Seriously? It seems to be popping up more and more in YA books. It's rather disturbing. And I get that in this case, it is meant to be dusturbing, showing you just how insane Willux is, but still. Why is it in demand right now?
I don't think I liked any of the characters in the book this time, with the exception of El Capitan. I have a real soft spot for him now. He's come a long way since Pure. But Partridge was annoying to read from.
I don't even know why we were reading from Lyda half the time. I know she was needed to move the plot forward in a few areas of the book, but other times it was definitely just reminding you she was in the book. Filler.
I don't like Pressia. She isn't a nice person. She wants everything done on her time and the way she wants it. She doesn't have respect for anyone. She's very rude.
Overall
This was a very disappointing sequel. Most of it is unnecessary fluff. The plot is forced and unbelievable. The characters were disappointing.
I'll still read the next one because it's still a decent story.
Read from June 14 to 16, 2013
This was crap. The plot was terrible. The dialogue was terrible. The side characters were terrible. The romance was terrible. The highlights were terrible. The subplots were terrible. Yeah, there wasn't anything worth reading in this book.
Let me apologize for my forwardness. It certainly could be taken as rude. And I would like it to be known that I am not trying to be. I am being blunt, but I am also being honest. Having read this book it is very clear to me that Adams is an amateur when it comes to writing.
I was not, at any point during this book, captivated by the story. There were two underlying stories running together in this book. And the ideas were not well blended. The plot was not well thought out. I'm sorry, but I thought a thirteen year old wrote this book. There are many aspects to the plot that are overlooked.
Dawn is a vampire who was actually a clone, but still considered to be a "born" vampire. This was supposed to make her stronger than her "made" brethren. There was a slight elaboration on this, but nothing that really explained how this worked. Adams kind of just relied on your knowledge of vampires from movies or other books instead of giving you a rundown of her version. I found this to be lazy. It also contributed to a number of plot holes.
She was the daughter of the Vampire President, which apparently had her being a rather sheltered, yet heavily trained, girl who thought she was better than everyone else, but not good enough for her father. She was given a mission to take over for a cheesy named group of vamps who had gone off in search of fame and fortune.
Rounding up a clan of riffraff vampires, who you don't get to know very well, Dawn proceeds to clean them up and train them to be guardians of Angel Creek. There is a lot of telling and very little showing.
There is two separate cases of insta-love-ish action going on for miss Dawn. And both possible bachelors have things in their pasts that could bring her down. She continues to flip flop between them, and only one of them seems to know about her possible feelings for the other guy, while the other is blissfully unaware that he is caught up in a love triangle. This whole fiasco fell dreadfully flat.
Bachelor number one: Ethan is human. Ethan has a psychotic mother who supposedly brainwashed him into thinking vampires were the scum of the Earth. Somehow--information you are not privy to--he decides that Dawn is not like the vampires his mother described. And he falls in love with her or something ridiculous like that. He ends up taking a drug his mother invented--we never did learn why, exactly. The idea is that he wanted to impress Dawn. Everyone kind of judged him for this. Dawn considered it bad before she even knew what it was, or what its intended use would be. This bothered me. It seemed to me that she thought her race superior to humans, and that humans shouldn't try to enhance themselves.
Pathetic Werewolves come into the picture. This whole situation made me want to quit reading the book, honestly. For one: You didn't even know they fucking existed. For two: They showed up for one scene and didn't even stay for the duration of that scene. They were literally useless. Why was it necessary for them to even be incorporated in the book? It wasn't. It just threw everything even more out of whack.
The corporation; Blood Corp, was supposed to be this organized crime lab hell bent on making vampires obsolete. This corporation is so evil that it has a shit ton of rogue vampires guarding it. There is a ruthless scientist scheming behind the walls, yet a 19 year old, inexperienced brat, alongside her band of blundering misfit guardians were able to thwart them? Riiiight.
Do not get me started on the cloning.
Do not get me started on Viktor.
Do not get me started on Ethan.
Do not get me started on Dawn.
Do not get me started on Ethan's mother.
Do not get me started on Sebastian.
Actually, it's best I just stop writing about this book while I'm ahead.
In short?
The plot was cheesy, petty, and stupid. The characters were awful. The book was awful. I do not recommend. And I will be steering clear of Adams in the future.
Read on June 17, 2013
Lady Lazarus (Lady Lazarus #1) by Michele Lang
With the romance of Twilight, the suspense of The Dresden Files, and the delicious thrills of True Blood... Uh...I am missing something because this book had none of those things.
"Love need not be returned, to be true."
Good lord was this book boring. Lang has written it like it was intended to put you to sleep. Imagine being in a class that holds little interest to you, and is being taught to you by a teacher that lectures in a slow monotone. That is what reading this book is like. I could barely finish a page without yawning. Chores were put before this book. I am amazed that I actually finished it. This amazes me because I really liked the idea behind it. My expectations were not met once.
I didn't like Magda. I held no sympathy for her trials. I did not care whether she succeeded or not on her fools run.
Raziel was nothing of what I expected him to be.
There was no attachment formed for any of the characters in this book. None of them are even remotely memorable.
Stranger still, there was no true interaction in this book. This was a story being told to you, and it felt like it. You were only being told of the adventure, you were not really shown it. You did not walk the path of this journey with Magda, instead you were kept outside it. Nothing played on my emotions. I felt no anxiety or heartbreak. I felt no suspense. The romance was the most subtle romance I have ever encountered. I just didn't feel anything.
The book was so anticlimactic. I kept waiting for some respectable action. I kept waiting for anything. And nothing happened. Any time you thought you were going to get a show, you were taken away from it.
I don't even know what the purpose of reading this book was. And I have given up caring. I won't be reading further and I have no one to recommend it to. It was a complete waste of my time. I'm very disappointed.
"Love need not be returned, to be true."
Good lord was this book boring. Lang has written it like it was intended to put you to sleep. Imagine being in a class that holds little interest to you, and is being taught to you by a teacher that lectures in a slow monotone. That is what reading this book is like. I could barely finish a page without yawning. Chores were put before this book. I am amazed that I actually finished it. This amazes me because I really liked the idea behind it. My expectations were not met once.
I didn't like Magda. I held no sympathy for her trials. I did not care whether she succeeded or not on her fools run.
Raziel was nothing of what I expected him to be.
There was no attachment formed for any of the characters in this book. None of them are even remotely memorable.
Stranger still, there was no true interaction in this book. This was a story being told to you, and it felt like it. You were only being told of the adventure, you were not really shown it. You did not walk the path of this journey with Magda, instead you were kept outside it. Nothing played on my emotions. I felt no anxiety or heartbreak. I felt no suspense. The romance was the most subtle romance I have ever encountered. I just didn't feel anything.
The book was so anticlimactic. I kept waiting for some respectable action. I kept waiting for anything. And nothing happened. Any time you thought you were going to get a show, you were taken away from it.
I don't even know what the purpose of reading this book was. And I have given up caring. I won't be reading further and I have no one to recommend it to. It was a complete waste of my time. I'm very disappointed.
Read from June 19 to 20, 2013
Homecoming by Robin Hobb 3.5 stars.
This started off really slow, and kind of awkward. It's a diary, and I was really kind of confused for the majority of it, but I had to continue reading. It ended up being a very depressing, but satisfying read.
I did enjoy it.
The Word of Unbinding by Ursula K. Le Guin 2 stars.
It took me forever to read this 7 page short story...and I mean...almost like a month. I read these in between novels while my eReader charges. And I am still confused as to what was going on in this one. I suppose Voll was supposed to be a background you never saw, but I would have liked to know his purpose. Ultimately, this left me wanting more, but it wasn't delivered.
The Burning Man by Tad Williams 3.5 Stars.
Understanding always comes too late, I think.
This was a great read. I was sucked in easily. It was rather wordy at times and tended to ramble about nonsense that, ultimately, had little to do with anything. But I was surprised where the story went. It was good.
As the Wheel Turns by Allette de Bodard 1 Star.
Meh. There was nothing exciting about this. It made little sense, and even when it was brought together, the sense was nothing spectacular. It was a boring read.
The Alchemist by Paolo Bacigalupi 3 Stars.
"No one deserves anyone. You just win 'em and hope you can hang on to 'em."
A very interesting story. It was a bit tedious at times so it took me a while to read it. But I did enjoy it.
Sandmagic by Olson Scott Card 3 Stars.
A rather dark, very short story. It was good. It read almost like a myth or legend. I liked that.
The Road to Levinshir by Patrick Rothfuss 5 Stars
"If it doesn't work, it doesn't. But sometimes the best help a person can find is helping someone else."
I loved this short story. It has been my favourite so far. A great sense of honor and humanity. Definitely somber, but so very captivating.
Rysn by Brandon Sanderson 2 Stars
A very strange lesson in judgement. Also very short.
While the Gods Laugh by Michael Moorcock 1 Star
"I am a man possessed,"..."and without this devil-blade I carry I would not be a man."
This was incredibly boring. Even the action was boring. I skimmed most of it.
Mother of All Russiya by Melanie Rown 3 Stars
This was a recounting of a true historical event with a bit of Rown's own envisions thrown in it. It was very interesting to me since I do not know this history. It was also problematic because I do not know this history. There is not enough detail for what was going on. Nothing to show the connections. Still a decent short story, though.
Riding the Shore of the River of Death by Kate Elliott 2 Stars
I'm not a fem-nazi, so this type of content doesn't appeal to me. Struggling women wanting to behave like men, yet not wanting to bear the same consequences as men...yeah, it's annoying. But the story itself wasn't too terrible.
Bound Man by Mary Robinette Kowal 4 Stars
I liked this. I would have liked to read futher. It was interesting and exciting.
This was good.
The Narcomancer by N.K. Jemsin 2 Stars
Interesting plot. I liked the lore and the unusual situation, but it lacked true emotion. It was like watching someone play with plastic dolls--moving them around and talking for them--instead of feeling the characters as people.
Strife Lingers in Memory by Carrie Vaughn 4 Stars
"Men fight for symbols. What do women fight for?"
Very rushed, but extremely cute. Lots of food for thought.
The Mad Apprentice: A Black Magician Story by Trudi Canavan 3 Stars
I liked it. It was a fast paced short story with a few different character perspectives which kept it interesting. The ending was not quite what I was expecting, but it was good. I especially liked the record keeping being the final words for the story.
Otherling by Juliet Mirillier 2 Stars
Rather unremarkable story. I wasn't captivated. Nothing like the other book I've read by her, which I quite enjoyed.
The Mystery Knights by George R. R. Martin 2.5 Stars
"The pie is meant to be the marriage, and a true marriage has in it many things--joy and grief, pain and pleasure, love and lust and loyalty. So it is fitting that there be birds of many sorts. No man truly knows what a new wife will bring him."
"Her cunt,"..."or what would be the point?"
A crude, but very funny story when I wasn't skimming ahead due to tears of boredom. Very wordy, in language that was akin to listening to a hick talk without a hint of intelligence. The last half of the story was redeeming, however. So overall, I liked it.
As for the whole book? It took me 5 months to read this because I read it in between other books. But most of the time I just didn't want to pick it up at all. I wouldn't read it again, and I doubt I would hunt out many of the authors who contributed to this. So, 2 stars.
Read from February 16 to June 22, 2013
I do love this series. There is a lot of action and a lot of subplots to keep you busy. The villains aren't entirely villainous, but quirky enough to keep you laughing and wondering what they're going to do next.
I like all the characters. I have my beef with Evie, but she will turn around and do things that I have been wanting her to do, so at least she has a way about her that redeems her at times.
I was annoyed with her trembling in her boots at the beginning of the book. She was terrified of Brennus but she wasn't displaying the right amount of anger. I also had an issue with how long Evie strings all of her lovers along without setting them straight.
And was it truly necessary for her to have yet another love interest? I mean, honestly? I like that he was at least used as a partial explanation for her taking this mission she is on, but I don't think it was necessary for it to be Xavier. It could have easily been kept as she wanted to love freely. There was no need to add Xavier to this bullshit. It really took away from the story, because now the main focus of this series has fallen to Evie and her many lovers. It has made her out to be some kind of harlot, instead of some divine being come to Earth for the greater good.
I found myself looking upon her with distaste, because she would put herself in stupid situations that she could easily avoid. And she wants to keep too many secrets. Were the roles of her and Reed to be reversed, she would not be as forgiving as Reed has been. I also find their relationship to be unbelievable due to her many betrayals.
Another downfall of Evie's character would be her selfishness. She thinks everyone and the world, should if not do, revolve around her and her wants.
For loving Reed as much as she claims to, she still won't end Brennus when he has harmed him. I don't buy it anymore. Shit or get off the pot Evie, I've had enough of you.
I love Russell. I'm glad he's no longer bound to Evie and her horrid personality. I really don't see a reason for him to keep around her at all. Soul mates or not, she uses him and he gets nothing in return but pain--physical and emotional.
What happened to his infamous "Yer" instead of "You're"? I know some people were annoyed with it--including me--but you can't just change his speech in the fourth book after having it be one way in all the previous ones.
I also like how Bartol utilizes the angel's wings as a form of communication. It adds to the primal feel she tries to create about them.
My favourite thing about these books is the use of many types of creatures. I have a soft spot for books that encompass a wide range of paranormal features. It keeps me interested. But where were the Fallen? This was a long fucking book, why was it all just nonsense with the vampiric faeries?
I would have liked to see something new in this book, though. This is the same story that is ongoing from the beginning and it was nothing more than a fucking repetition of past books, and not as good. Very long, but most of it was lame romance that, at times, was the sole purpose of an entire chapter. This is a clean novel, it's unnecessary. Get on with it already.
My last gripe would be that you have the whole family of misfit angels coming together and finding love at the same time. It is just incredibly unlikely that they have all been alive for eons and are just now finding their own lovers. It's not just cheesy, it reflects badly on Bartol's writing ability. It's lazy, it's just down right lame.
But, I don't know. Evie and cheesy romance aside, it's still entertaining. I'll read the next one. I just don't have very high expectations anymore.
Read from June 20 to 24, 2013
"That's the beauty of memory, isn't it? Our reality is always clouded by our perceptions of truth. You remember events one way and so you judge your brother without knowledge of how things were to him."
What a riot Sunshine was. She had me feeling sheepish right along with her, she was such a crack up. Kenyon's humour really shines in this book. I knew I would find it again should I only keep progressing through this series.
I've noticed that all these books share a common theme--and I don't mean the Dark Hunters. I mean: Super fast paced, cheesy romance. She'd never wanted a man as much as she wanted this one. Come on! How many times was this stated in this book alone? Now, go through just the last 3 books in this series. If it shows up in the next one, Kenyon, you're getting bitched slapped.
There are so many underlying stories in this book that are all interconnecting as the series progresses. This book, and the ones before, and sure to be some following, are actually subplots in the grand scheme of things, only they're fully elaborated. In this way, you get to know each character in the major plot on an intimate level. I quite like that about this series. It takes a lot of talent to keep up on all of the stories that are flowing through here. A lot of thought goes into every scene, since it all adds up to a large sum, with not only the character you're learning about at this moment. It's much like real life in this way. However, the biggest problem I have is that these stories are all ultimately the same. They are all set up with the same structure. They're the same story told over and over again, and for the most part, all of the key side characters are even the same. This is lazy. So it's in complete contradiction of itself. This is why I could only settle on 3 stars.
And, what is going on with Nick? He's not human...so...? I'm curious to see how this will align with his own spin off series. The last one I read, he had kind of gone back to being human, but it's undecided if that's a dream or what ever. So, yeah, he kind of has me a little confused right now.
Anywho, I still enjoy the action. I enjoy the overall story, and stories that are being woven throughout the rest of the plot. I am still interested in what's going to happen. And I will read the next one.
Read from June 24 to 25, 2013
True Rating: 1.5 stars.
Meh. This book really didn't do anything for me. It didn't tug on any of my emotions. It initially read like a YA cheesy romance, except apparently it was more suited for adults, what with all the sex?
I can't say that I had been expecting that. It didn't add or detract from the story...it didn't do anything at all.
See, now, this could have been a very interesting story. There was a chance for a great deal of consequences to be dealt. Not so, though. It was boring. It was cheesy. It was fluff.
Darhower's interpretation of both Heaven and Hell were extremely mundane. So much could have been done with this aspect of the book. considering this book touched slightly on the darker side of things, I don't know why she didn't go full out about it.
The angels weren't done justice. They acted like boring human beings. Both Michael and Lucifer acted very feminine and their auras were weak, as opposed to who they were supposed to be.
Very disappointing read.
Read on June 26, 2013
This was a pretty damn good read for a romance novel.
Lots of action and a really good plot.
The only issue I had was that there were no surprises for the reader. Everything was obvious. Right down to what kind of demon Tayla was.
But I couldn't put this book down. I was completely engrossed.
I don't typically care for the whole hospital scene, but this was interesting.
I liked the play on morals, especially with the demons. I am attached to all of the characters and will most certainly read the next one.
Read from June 27 to 28, 2013
I loved this series. I mean, wow! It was fantastic.
That said, I was really disappointed with how this ended. And I don't mean the conclusion. That was fine, it was even surprising.
Emma, oh how I have mixed feelings for you already. I decided that I really just don't like you. She kept a mind to be a martyr in this book, which I suppose was to keep her in line for the ending. But it annoyed me. She was such a fucking selfish hypocrite. She kept secrets while telling Will he wasn't allowed to have any. Her expectations of him were just down right awful. She was pregnant--again--with his child, which made the ending not too surprising, since there was a need for four elements. However, she expected Will not to feel any loyalty to this child, but instead put her son, Jake, first. At first, I thought she was a good mother. But as the series progressed, and then especially with this book, she just proved herself to be selfish. Sure, she had made it apparent from the get go that Jake was her only motivation. And I would feel the same way with any of my kids. But there is no way that she should have ever expected Will to put hers before his own.
Emma made stupid decisions, and normally that pisses me off. In this case, however, I felt that it fit into to circumstances. She was distraught and single minded. Panicking for the sake of her child, confused and angry, I think her decisions reflected those emotions perfectly. Not many people keep their head about them under duress.
Will, oh how I have loved his badassery. My only complaint with him is that he let Emma walk all over him. Her nasty retorts, and her need to talk about things while not letting him get things off his chest, really annoyed me. She had a lot of double standards that he just put up with. I really don't think a man of his type would respond in the ways he did. Will was very practical, while Emma worked solely off her emotions. So Will succumbing to his emotions the amount of times he did, just really didn't fit with his development. It also ruined his whole masculine aura.
I liked the incorporation of the shadows. I liked how Marcus was used as a wild card. I really enjoyed Aiden's ruthlessness. I was so disappointed with the last battle, though! This series is just packed with action. The whole reason I loved these books as much as I did, was due to the amount of action and how well it was handled. The last battle was so hyped up throughout the series that I expected more. It was supposed to be epic and should have lasted more than one chapter! Like I said, the conclusion was fine, and that didn't need to change, there just needed to be MORE. It was so anticlimactic. What was the real purpose in having them practice with their power when it wasn't even needed? Jake was a badass! No...it ruined everything. What's worse is that Swank can do better. She has proved it with all of the books before this one. So. What. The. Fuck. Happened?
Aside from the shitty battle, the overall book was really worth 4 stars. But because of the books before this, and this one not doing them justice, I just can't give it more than 3.
Read from June 28 to 30, 2013
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