Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back. But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid. Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away... especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most. But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.
Title: Abandon
Author: Meg Cabot
Publisher: Point
Pages: 304
Release Date: April 26, 2011
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 4
*I received this title from the publisher to read in exchange for a 100% honest book review.
Let me start off by saying that before reading Abandon, I hadn't read anything by Meg Cabot. Wait--I take that back. I have read two books my Cabot: Code Name Cassandra (1-800-Where-R-You, #2) and Sanctuary (1-800-Where-R-You, #4) although they were read years ago and they were for middle grade readers. I loved the Princess Diaries movies based on the series of novels, and I also enjoyed the film adaptation of Avalon High, so I went into Abandon expecting good things. I wasn't let down.
The premise of this book is basically a seventeen-year-old girl dies, comes back to life, is branded as psychotic, gets into major trouble at her school, and is shipped off to live with her eco-friendly mother in Florida versus her power-hungry father in Connecticut where the previous drama had taken place. Ever since Pierce (the girl) died and came back, she had been stalked by a smokin' hot bad boy named John--John Hayden, and omigoddess, he is gorgeous! I even found myself falling in love with him.
I LOVED the plot of this book. It is about Greek mythology, and can be summed up in one sentence: Abandon by Meg Cabot is the modern-day retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Persephone. I really enjoyed seeing how Cabot adapted the myth into a modern-day scenario and flew threw this book.
The characters were great, too. I loved the heroine, Pierce, and her attitude and outlook on everything that takes place during the course of the book. I really liked how Cabot wrote a kind, caring protagonist who is more than willing to put others first. John Hayden was an amazing hero and I loved how he was protective, mysterious, and alluring. He was like a mixture of Edward Cullen from Twilight and Jace Wayland from City of Bones--two of my favorite heroes from two of my favorite series.
The setting of this book was great. The small, haunted island of Isla Huesos, Florida was eerie, spooky, and kind of frightening. Ravaged by storms and plagued by the haunted spirits of deceased pirates and island-people, Isla Huesos was the ultimate magnet for all things weird and freaky. I loved every single minute of it.
All in all, I thought this book was kind of slow in the beginning, but the ending totally made up for it. I was completely and totally lost in the Underworld of Cabot's mind and I cannot wait for the next book in the series, Underworld.
Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing ever happens in Swoon, Connecticut...until Dice's perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree, and her spirit intertwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge. And while Pen is oblivious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She's intensely drawn to him -- but not at all crazy about the havoc he's wreaking. Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent -- and irresistible -- adversary, before the whole town succumbs to Sin's will. Only trouble is, she's in love with him.
What do you do when the boy of your dreams is too bad to be true?
Title: Swoon
Author: Nina Malkin
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 425
Release Date: May 19, 2009
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 2.5
*I received a review copy of this title from Simon Pulse in exchange for a 100% honest book review.
Swoon tells the story of a seventeen-year-old girl named Candice "Dice" Moscowitz who moves from her beloved home in New York City to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousin and a very preppy, conformist community in rich and privileged Connecticut. When Dice's cousin, Penelope "Pen" dies, she comes back but possessed by the spirit of the ghost of a man named Sinclair "Sin" Youngblood Powers whom was hanged in the seventeenth century. The novel chronicles the adventures of Dice as she tries to exorcise Sin and save Pen.
The plot-I loved the plot and the concept more than the book itself. I love the idea of possession, ghosts, spirits, etc. and I was really looking forward to reading this book. I love Nina Malkin's writing style, even though it may be hard to follow at times, it is very unique and different.
The characters-I loved the characters. I thought that all of the characters were very real, and I felt as if they could actually be real people in the normal, mundane world. I loved Dice and Sin; I thought that Dice was a great heroine and Sin was a very dark hero.
The setting-I loved the setting in this novel, because it presses important societal issues such as conformity, individuality, and pushes the boundaries of acceptance. I loved the harsh reality of this book--Nina Malkin is definitely not afraid to write very provocative, mature scenes.
All in all, Swoon was an okay book. I gave it a 2.5 because I liked the plot and the characters, but I hated the pacing--I wish the action-adventure scenes would've been more amped up.
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.
Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Pages: 485
Release Date: March 27, 2007
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5/5
*I received a review copy of this title from Simon & Schuster in exchange for a 100% honest book review.
I originally read City of Bones when it first came out, but I never finished it and it. For years, it sat there waiting for me. I decided that I wanted to re-read City of Bones just to brush up on some information, and re-live the experience. Presently, there is a ton of hype surrounding The Mortal Instruments series, and there's even a movie in the works, set for release in 2012.
The plot-I loved the plot of this book. It basically tells the story of a fifteen-year-old girl named Clary Fray, living in New York City, whom arrives home one night to find her apartment in ruins and her mother gone. And then Clary is attacked by a demon, which she kills. Clary meets a beautiful golden boy named Jace and joins his "family" of Shadowhunters, demon-slaying Nephilim, half-angel, half-human celestial beings. Clary basically goes through the entire first novel discovering herself and who she really is and who had abducted her mother and why, all the while encountering supernatural and paranormal elements.
The characters-The characters in this book were hilarious, smart, intelligent, independent, witty, and all around great. I usually hate at least one character in a book, but in City of Bones, that didn't happen. I loved Clary because she was so strong and independent. I love Alec and Isabelle for their humor yet their immense seriousness at the same time. I loved Jace because he is outrageously gorgeous and headstrong. I loved his personality and his unwillingness to back down from a fight. I thought that Simon, Clary's best friend, was a great character because of his humor and his "dorky" personality. I thought that Jocelyn (Clary's mother) and Luke (Jocelyn's best friend) were great characters, and I loved reading them. Valentine (the big, bad enemy of the series) was a prime example of an amazing villain. I loved Valentine's evil snarkiness and his aversion to certain Downworlders--vampires, werewolves, witches, and faeries.
The setting-*sigh* The setting of this novel is New York City, which is where I want to move after high school and attend college. I loved seeing the real, exotic, gritty, artistic side of NYC and loved how the City was seen as a playground for Downworlders.
I thought that City of Bones was filled with a perfect amount of action, adventure, romance, and suspense. This urban fantasy is so amazing and I am excited to read more from Cassandra Clare. I am currently reading the sequel, City of Ashes, and can tell you this: uh-maz-ing!
“It seemed so right. Danny was mine, I was his, and that wasn’t going to work if he was dead. So I would make him not dead, not anymore. I didn’t think any further than what it would feel like to kiss him again, to wrap my arms around him and bury my head against his shoulder.
That was my first mistake. It also turned out to be the biggest.”
When her boyfriend, Danny, is killed in a car accident, Wren can’t imagine living without him. Wild with grief, she uses the untamed powers she’s inherited to bring him back. But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy she once loved.
Wren has spent four months keeping Danny hidden, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school and somehow, inexplicably, he can sense her secret. Wren finds herself drawn to Gabriel, who is so much more alive than the ghost of the boy she loved. But Wren can’t turn her back on Danny or the choice she made for him—and she realizes she must find a way to make things right, even if it means breaking her own heart.
Amy Garvey’s transcendent teen debut is perfect for fans of Shiver and Beautiful Creatures. Wren’s unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.
Title: Cold Kiss
Author: Amy Garvey
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 336
Release Date: September 20, 2011
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC
Rating: 5/5
*I received a review copy of Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey from the publisher, HarperTeen, in exchange for a 100% honest review.
Amazing. Powerful. Beautiful. Haunting. Heart-breaking. Enchanting. Captivating. Enticing. Magical. All of those words describe Cold Kiss--and even then, those words cannot live up to the amazing, powerful book written by debut author Amy Garvey.
When I first heard about Cold Kiss, my interest was piqued and I wanted to know more. After further research and examination, I knew that I wanted to read it and it looked pretty good. My expectations for Cold Kiss were normal, average...a fairly good young adult novel. I was tremendously wrong. After the first chapter--no, the prologue--I knew Cold Kiss would be amazing, and I was right. Amy Garvey set the tone for the entire book in the prologue and I instantly knew that Cold Kiss was going to be that book--the book that leaves you in a snotty, teary mess with a gaping hole in your chest. Cold Kiss blew me off my feet with a force so strong that I had so sit and just ponder the book long after finishing it.
Even after the last page of Cold Kiss is turned, you are eerily haunted and plagued by the beautiful imagery expressed in the book.
Cold Kiss tells the story of a seventeen-year-old girl named Wren, living in New England (even though her exact location was never specified, you knew she lived in New England and based on the rich, thriving imagery and descriptions, I was 99.9% sure that the book took place in New York City, New York) with her mother and younger sister, Robin. A few months prior to the time that the novel takes place, Wren's loving boyfriend, Danny, dies in a tragic car crash and she is so overcome with pain and agony that she uses the magical powers that every woman in her family possesses to bring him back to life. However, he is only an empty shell of the boy she loved and he is more like a mindless zombie (a cold, hard gorgeous zombie) who sits in a neighbor's garage and waits by the window for Wren's daily visit. Danny--or his physical shell, anyway--is obsessed with Wren and the more time she spends with a new boy named Gabriel, the more Danny becomes jealous and possessive. While the plot of the book is Wren bringing her dead boyfriend back to life, the underlying plot/theme, in my opinion, was Wren dealing with the emotional havoc that losing Danny caused her, and dealing with the consequences of love and loss.
As Wren and Gabriel become closer and closer, Wren's captive heart becomes wild and free and she returns to the girl she used to be before Danny's untimely demise and I found the transition from pessimistic and depressed to optimistic and alive to be very interesting. Throughout the novel, Wren and Gabriel's relationship unfurls like a delicate flower and by the end, I felt as if the flower had bloomed into a bond so strong, a force so powerful, that nothing could break it.
I loved the magic in this book. At first, you're wondering why and how Wren managed to resurrect Danny, but as the book continues, you're left with what is Wren. She seems to be a normal, teenage girl who fights with her mom often and has an annoying little sister but Wren is so much more than that. She has thoughts and emotions far beyond her years and I loved how Wren managed to overcome many things that were currently happening in her life. The concept of witchcraft is often speculated in the book, but Wren promptly denies calling herself a witch.
I thought that the characters were amazing. I have never read a book with characters that felt so real that they could just pop out from the pages and shake your hand. Every single character had individual personalities and continuously developed throughout the book. Wren was a strong, independent heroine who harnessed the magic, bravery, courage, and acceptance within and managed to "save the day" in a sense. Wren often has flashbacks of her time with Danny when he was alive and well, and in those scenes, you got a taste of who Danny was and I could completely understand why Wren loved him so much and was willing to risk so much just to have him back; Danny was sensitive, kind, and caring and I couldn't help but find my heart aching for both Danny and Wren. Gabriel, at first, seemed like a platonic void but page after page, he began to transform into something more--something more romantic, and you feel the instant chemistry between Wren and Gabriel from the start. I thought that, for "supporting characters" Robin and Mom helped support the foundation of the novel and I found myself wanting to know more about them.
As the story unravels, Wren, a ball of pent-up energy, begins to release excess amounts of emotional luggage and magic harvested within her veins. You may think Wren was stupid for bringing Danny back to life, but who hasn't bargained something in our lives to bring back or keep hold of something--or someone--that we love? I know that if I lost the man I loved, I'd do anything and everything in my power to bring him back to life.
I think that one of the main things that makes Cold Kiss such a phenomenon is the writing style. For a debut author, Garvey sure knew exactly what she was doing and where she wanted to go with the story. Throughout the entire book, Garvey never lost sight of who she was or the voice she was using to write Cold Kiss. I thought that the prose-like writing in Cold Kiss was melodic, harmonious, beautiful, haunting, and poetic. The writing was raw and drug out emotions straight from the human soul.
All in all, this book was utterly amazing and touched a part of me that I will never forget, or loose sight of. Cold Kiss made me laugh, cry, fall in love, and get angry; the book tore me apart--and I loved every minute of it.
Cold Kiss was a beautiful, tragic love story and I know that it will stay with me forever.
“Love doesn’t break easily, I found. But people do.”
-Amy Garvey, Cold Kiss
Up next: City of Bones (Mortal Instruments, #1) by Cassandra Clare
Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before.
When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures.
Title: Elixir
Author: Hilary Duff, Elise Allen (Contributor)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 327
Release Date: October 12, 2010
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Rating: 3/5
*I received a review copy of Elixir by Hilary Duff from the publisher, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, in exchange for a 100% honest book review.
Elixir tells the story of Clea Raymond, a very privileged girl--daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent politician. The book opens with Clea in Paris, France with her best friend, Rayna. Clea and Rayna are in Paris, attempting to clear Clea's worried and frazzled mind shortly after the strange and bizarre disappearance of Clea's eccentric father. Clea and Rayna are at a Paris nightclub when the two girls meet up with two foreign men and Rayna decides to spend the night with her gentleman caller while Clea turns down her date and returns to her hotel room where she debriefs from a busy, exciting night that she would've loved if her conscience wasn't filled with worry for her missing father. The only way Clea can forget momentarily about her father and all of the horrors he may've faced on his humanitarian mission to Brazil, the site of his disappearance, is photography, so Clea retrieves her camera and takes pictures of the Paris skyline until dawn.
Frozen and chilled to the bone, Clea--tired and stressed, crashes into bed and sleeps the day away. Clea awakens to a grim announcement on the news: the apartment that Rayna stayed overnight caught on fire and was currently burning to the ground. After countless attempts to call Rayna on her cell phone, Clea rushes to the apartment address where she witnesses the apartment transform into a blazing inferno. When Clea finds out that Rayna and her hook-up had gone out for coffee earlier that morning, Clea's photojournalist mind tells her to take a few photos of the burning apartment building for the magazine in which she is employed. After taking some pictures and making sure that Rayna was in perfect health, the two girls returned to their homes in Connecticut.
Up in her grand bedroom in her massive mansion, Clea uploads all of the photos from her European getaway onto her computer and begins to sort through them--that's when something interesting catches her eye. Clea notices a black mark in every single one of her pictures, so when she sees a definite shape in the photo of the burning apartment building, Clea zooms in to the maximum size and can make out the shape of a man--a beautiful, tortured man--standing beside a fire truck wearing jeans, a gray T-shirt, and a black leather jacket. After closer inspection, Clea realizes that all of her photos have traces of this man.
Clea proceeds to take a photo of her bedroom, and when she uploads the picture onto her computer, she sees the man from all of her previous photos standing inside of her closet. Weirded out, Clea inspects her closet and finds nothing there but designer clothes, fancy purses, and expensive shoes. After hours upon hours of investigating, Clea can't help but pass out into bed...with the lights on.
Clea wakes up the next morning and shares her findings with her best (guy) friend, Ben, whom she suddenly begins to find very handsome and cute. Shrugging aside her feelings for Ben, Clea focuses on the photographic evidence of this man and Ben begins to act very weird and urges Clea to show him the photos. Clea obeys, and Ben wants to know more and takes Clea down to her father's office/studio where they word furiously to uncover something--anything--that could help them make sense of this phantom in the pictures. Clea and Ben mull over many theories, including vampire, (guardian) angel, demon, succubus, etc.
Eventually, Ben reveals to Clea that her father hired Ben to be Clea's assistant not because of his knowledge of the mundane, but for the exact opposite. Clea's father may have been a surgeon, but he was in love with mythology and literature and knew of the man in the photographs ever since Clea was a little girl and took a picture with her very first camera, exposing a dark image hiding in the picture but with the same beautiful, tortured facial expression.
After many revelations and secrets come to light, Clea and Ben jet-set across the globe, traveling from Connecticut to Brazil to Tokyo and more in a frantic search of Clea's father and the secret man in the photograph. And when Clea and Ben find out who this man really is, Clea knows her life will never be the same....
My thoughts on this book that it was a pretty good book. It is the first in a series of young-adult novels written by Hilary Duff with contributions made by Elise Allen (author of Poppulazzi.) When I found out that Hilary Duff had written a book, I was really excited because I love Hilary Duff as an actress and a singer, and I thought it'd be neat to see her take on the roll as an author. You may think that Hilary Duff wouldn't be a very good writer, based off of the stereotype of a blonde pop star.
When you read this book, forget those stereotypes and read Elixir as if it was written by a normal writer. I thought that the concept of this book was amazing, and it slightly reminded me of Fallen by Lauren Kate, minus the fallen angels/demons. Elixir is basically about soul mates and star crossed lovers who are reincarnated over and over again, lifetime after lifetime, each life and each love ending in tragedy, with Sage aka mystery man in the photographs, living an eternal life as an immortal, tortured by his haunting past and lured to live with the promise that he will one day be reunited with his one true love and soul mate.
I loved how mythology, soul mates, star crossed lovers, reincarnation/past lives, magic, action, adventure, and romance were all blended into this book to create a quick, easy read but leaving you wanting--needing--to know more about Clea and Sage, and their many lives and loves, all entwining to create a long, never-ending cycle.
I found the characters to be slightly disappointing. I thought that Clea could be whiny at times; Ben got on my nerves many times because of his know-it-all/big brother personality; Rayna was very repetitive and was very fake and plastic; and Sage, the male love interest, complained about many things and wasn't the type of hero that I love in novels.
I thought that Duff's writing style was fine, if not slightly shallow and care-free. I wished there was more depth to the storyline, but I felt that the plot and its contents were strong enough that it held its ground and manages to keep the book chugging along at a steady pace.
All things considered, and Elixir being a debut novel, I gave the book 3 out of 5 stars and suggest that if you like books with romance, action, and adventure then you should read this book. I suggest that you read the beginning, and if it suits you then get it but if you naturally assume that you won't enjoy it very much, then borrow it from a friend or check it out from the library.
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
Title: The Iron King
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 363
Release Date: February 1, 2010
Source: Publisher/Gift
Rating: 5/5
*I received a review copy of The Iron King from my good friend and fellow book blogger, Stacey, from Sassy Book Lovers shortly after being sent a review copy from the publisher, in exchange for a 100% honest book review.
The Iron King opens with a little back story detailing the bizarre disappearance of Meghan Chase's father, which I thought set the tone for the rest of the book. The real beginning of the book was when Meghan turns sixteen. Around this time, Meghan begins to see and hear things that normal, ordinary humans are completely oblivious to, due to the Mist (or glamour).
I enjoyed the transgression from Meghan's mundane live into her fantastical life. As I read the book and learned more and more about Meghan, I felt more connected to her and I enjoyed the bond that I shared with all of the characters.
I loved the concept for The Iron King. The plot revolves around a sixteen-year-old, half-Faerie girl traveling into Faeryland in an attempt to rescue her kidnapped, four-year-old brother, Ethan, while running from a league of faeries known as the Winter Court who want to capture her with her best friend, Puck, who just happens to be an arch-nemesis of Ash, the gorgeous Winter Prince who wants to bring Meghan to the Winter Court for Queen Titania's personal use.
At first, Puck seemed really sweet and caring and acted like a true best friend towards Meghan and that's all he was to me throughout the novel: a caring best friend. Puck loves Meghan romantically, but she only sees him as a platonic friend and she feels bad that she doesn't feel the same way and that she feels such a deep connection to Ash, who is best described as icy. Despite Ash's attitude in the beginning, I loved him right from the start and am proud to say that I am Team Ash, 100%.
I loved Julie Kagawa's writing style which was very easy to read and flowed great. I never once felt the need to stop reading and I was glued to this book. I read and read at any free moment, just because the action, suspense, and romance was so great.
I have never been a fan of epic fantasies such as The Chronicles of Narnia or The Spiderwick Chronicles, but I fell in love instantly with fantasy when I read The Iron King. My preferred genres are paranormal/supernatural romance but now I can add fantasy to the list. My favorite thing about The Iron King was the fantastical plot line and theme. I loved how Meghan, Puck, and Ash all encountered mystical creatures such as mermaids, kelpies, trolls, goblins, grimlins, brownies, selkies, and more along their journey.
The Iron King has some of the best characters that I have ever read in a book. I loved Meghan as a character because I love strong, independent heroines. Puck, I felt, was the comical relief of the book and brought humor to the story. Ash is brooding and mysterious and seems to be tortured by his immortality as a Faerie prince. Grimalkin aka "Grim" is a talking cat who accompanies Meghan, Ash, and Puck on their journey throughout Faery. Grimalkin was one of my favorite characters and his sullen sense of humor made me laugh numerous times throughout the book.
Overall, this book was amazing. I love, love, loved every single minute of The Iron King and cannot wait to read the second installment, The Iron Daughter. I couldn't help but obsess over this book and think about it constantly. I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading. The Iron King has it all: action, adventure, romance, suspense, and much, much more but you'll have to read the book to unlock all of the secrets buried past the pages.
Luce would die for Daniel.
And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .
Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.
Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.
Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever.
Sweeping across centuries, PASSION is the third novel in the unforgettably epic FALLEN series.
Rating: 3.5/5
Title: Passion
Author: Lauren Kate
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Pages: 420
Release Date: June 14, 2011
Source: Won
I won a signed copy of Passion from a giveaway a while back and I was so psyched to find out that I won this book. I'm a fan of the Fallen series, and it being signed makes it all the more special. In Fallen, Luce met Daniel and their romance caught flame. In Torment, they were painfully torn apart and reunited to only be torn apart once more. In Passion, Luce travels through centuries of her past lives and reincarnations to find something, anything that could help break the curse that tears her away from Daniel when they prove their love for each other with a kiss.
I found the whole concept of starcrossed lovers racing through centuries of past lives and reincarnations to be very, very exciting and thrilling, but Passion itself didn't quite live up to the throat-gripping, attention-grabbing explosion I was expecting. I love romance--the epic love that spans across centuries and has enough power and fuel behind it to ignite an eternal flame. However, I felt as if the author, Lauren Kate, tried too hard to make Luce and Daniel's love "epic" and "dramatic". Even for a fictional romance, their love seemed fake and brittle--like a deceiving facade of the truth.
The characters in this book were slightly annoying and I found that Luce is a very whiny character and not one chapter went by without Luce having something to complain about. The only character that brought some development to this novel was Daniel. I love Daniel; I think Daniel is a really great character and a dashing love interest. I felt like Daniel was the only person making sacrifices in this book, and Luce was merely witnessing it all through a lens. Despite the fact that Luce zip-zapped through all of these Announcers and tried to break the curse forever binding her to Daniel, I felt like she could've broken the curse without the hastle of time traveling and cause present-day Daniel much less pain that he had to go through and experience throughout the course of the novel.
I enjoyed the introduction of a new character, Bill--a very raspy, mischevious gargoyle who helps guide Luce through the Announcers and development of old ones such as Luce, Daniel, Roland, Arriane, Gabbe, Molly, Shelby, and Miles.
I liked this cover; however, it felt very plain and dull compared to the previous two covers of Fallen and Torment. I also missed the mystery and intrigue that the previous covers brought to the table. In this cover, Luce's face is revealed for the first time, which I wish wouldn't have been done because the mystery of Luce seemed unraveled with the cover reveal of Passion.
It was not until the end of the novel until I felt Luce's personality and characteristics throughout the novel finally come into play and settle down. Many questions I had from the first page slid into place and everything clicked. I felt that the ending of the novel left many, many opportunities open for the future and the sequel to Passion and the fourth and final book, Rapture, due out Spring 2012.
One thing I did like about this novel was the angel mythology and folklore as well as the romance (until the pages became saturated with phony love.) I only hope that the romance in Rapture is more realistic and paced.
One thing I didn't like, as stated above, was the pacing of the romance, which I thought could've been toned down many, many levels.
