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wombat_88's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
iheartya311's review
3.0
I won this book through Good Reads. It was interesting. I really like Airel. The writing flowed very well and the descriptions were captivating. The chapters regarding the past lost my interest a little and I couldn't wait to read about Airel again. I will read the next book in the series.
thebacklistbook's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
this book was dull as toast. It read like watching paint dry. It was provided to me by netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
bookbriefs's review
4.0
This is an intense book! In a good way. A lot is going on, and there is a lot to catch your interest. First there is Airel and you have no idea what is happening to her for most of the book. Then there is a killer, possibly two, a stalker, a guy, and a whole lotta mystery. Mix in a secondary story that goes back thousands of years and you have one heck of a book.
One of the first things I noticed about this book is that it's a good bit longer than most of the books I have been reading lately. It's about 425 pages, and most of the books I have been reading in the past few months have been right around the 300 page mark or shorter. So it was nice to mix in a longer book. You can really get a lot more detail in those extra 100 pages. And a lot of unanswered questions. I both loved, and hated the amount of unanswered questions in this book. The mystery surrounding Airel was awesome and I loved reading along, trying to find out what was going on, but so much was left up in the air for so long that I started to get frustrated at how little had been revealed to the readers, even up to the half way point of the book. After you get about half way done, you start to get some answers but 220 pages is a long time to wait.
I loved Airel. I thought she was the cutest little thing. She is smart and strong and you just can't help but root for her. I liked Michael too, even though I felt like their romance was a bit cheesy at parts. It wasn't exactly insta love, but it was not too far off. Still, there is just something about the two of them that I responded positively to.
I will admit that there were a few points in the book where I was confused. There are multiple new "guys" introduced and a few times I got them mixed up. Once I got the hang of how the story was shifting back and forth between the different people and places and fell into a better reading pattern and really started enjoying the story. The story of Airel is really great, and a worth while read. I thought they focused a little too much on the past, but maybe that is just because I don't love long battle scenes. The story is well written and very well developed, and other than a few confusing moments I really really liked it! I can't wait to see what is going to happen next in book 2, Michael. The ending of this book certainly shocked me, so I am really interested to see were we go from here.
One of the first things I noticed about this book is that it's a good bit longer than most of the books I have been reading lately. It's about 425 pages, and most of the books I have been reading in the past few months have been right around the 300 page mark or shorter. So it was nice to mix in a longer book. You can really get a lot more detail in those extra 100 pages. And a lot of unanswered questions. I both loved, and hated the amount of unanswered questions in this book. The mystery surrounding Airel was awesome and I loved reading along, trying to find out what was going on, but so much was left up in the air for so long that I started to get frustrated at how little had been revealed to the readers, even up to the half way point of the book. After you get about half way done, you start to get some answers but 220 pages is a long time to wait.
I loved Airel. I thought she was the cutest little thing. She is smart and strong and you just can't help but root for her. I liked Michael too, even though I felt like their romance was a bit cheesy at parts. It wasn't exactly insta love, but it was not too far off. Still, there is just something about the two of them that I responded positively to.
I will admit that there were a few points in the book where I was confused. There are multiple new "guys" introduced and a few times I got them mixed up. Once I got the hang of how the story was shifting back and forth between the different people and places and fell into a better reading pattern and really started enjoying the story. The story of Airel is really great, and a worth while read. I thought they focused a little too much on the past, but maybe that is just because I don't love long battle scenes. The story is well written and very well developed, and other than a few confusing moments I really really liked it! I can't wait to see what is going to happen next in book 2, Michael. The ending of this book certainly shocked me, so I am really interested to see were we go from here.
tdina's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
3.5
The romance was cute and high school-ey - He required all of her trust and she fell deep and hard. The ending was frustrating. The books ends right as character development begins. Pretty funny book.
rwtlobooks's review
1.0
I don't know if I can fairly review this book since I never made it past Chapters II. however that was all I could stand of it. terrible absolutely terrible. and it had such great reviews too! the story seemed interesting but the execution was lacking. I really hate when books are written in first person. it makes it sound so trite. also the writer failed to capture the voice of a homeschool female. or at least one I want to read about. the writing made her come across as extremely self absorbed and she kept constantly contradicting herself within the first several paragraphs. "headed off to school or as I call it "hell". I don't really think it's hell." then why did you even write it?! I'm sorry but if I can't get through the first couple of paragraphs much less the first chapters without cringing...there is no amount of plot excitement that can draw my interest. SHOW who your character is. don't slap me in the face with your very obvious character development. Oh and the part in I think the first chapter when she answers herself out loud "cheeyah!" (supposed teen girl speak for "yeah") just shows how out of touch the MALE writer is with the young female archetype. apparently they are all valley girls? I want to read a story about a strong female character with some substance. not just some annoying chick whose level of character development doesn't go any further than "I like coconut lattes. I like to read." (not actual quotes). Noel at gripe. the overuse of stupid metaphors made me want to punch him in the face. I do not recommend this book.
emakay's review
3.0
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
I went into it not expecting much, and it lived up to that for most of the first half. Then about halfway through, it started to pick up, and wow was I surprised. It started moving, and it started moving fast.
I really enjoyed it after that — I didn't want to put it down! However, the random flashbacks that often took two or three chapters could get annoying, and I felt that they would be much better if out at the beginning of the book. All in all, it's a really great book.
I do wish it would have been just as exciting in the beginning. The first several chapters were very slow and boring, I almost put it down.
As for characters: Kim was probably my favorite. She had real personality, despite it just seeming as though she was first presented to fulfill the "empty-headed best friend" trope. Airel herself (what is up with that name) was a decent character, though she made some poor decisions throughout the book, her choices made sense in the moment. The male characters were also pretty fleshed-out, for how little screen time they had.
All in all, I enjoyed the book and was shocked by the ending, though I wish the beginning could have gone faster!
I went into it not expecting much, and it lived up to that for most of the first half. Then about halfway through, it started to pick up, and wow was I surprised. It started moving, and it started moving fast.
I really enjoyed it after that — I didn't want to put it down! However, the random flashbacks that often took two or three chapters could get annoying, and I felt that they would be much better if out at the beginning of the book. All in all, it's a really great book.
I do wish it would have been just as exciting in the beginning. The first several chapters were very slow and boring, I almost put it down.
As for characters: Kim was probably my favorite. She had real personality, despite it just seeming as though she was first presented to fulfill the "empty-headed best friend" trope. Airel herself (what is up with that name) was a decent character, though she made some poor decisions throughout the book, her choices made sense in the moment. The male characters were also pretty fleshed-out, for how little screen time they had.
All in all, I enjoyed the book and was shocked by the ending, though I wish the beginning could have gone faster!
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