Literature Loving the Paranormals - the 'Anti-Twilight'
Good, 3.99999/5. There is no Love At First Sight and there are no Love Triangles: it’s clear from the start the stalker ex loses and the cool sweet shapeshifter wins.
Evie’s an Action Girl who wears pink and dresses, which is something I am immensely happy to see. It’s nice to see a female can be strong without dressing like a man. However after a few chapters you see a lot less ass-kicking and more teenager-ness. Unlike the Wangsty teenagers of television, there are real issues: the need to feel normal, the cute nervousness of having a crush, and actually being in situations that are in and out of your control. Teens and (realistic) adults can read this and say ‘Hey, I remember feeling that way’. It’s not all bunnies and kittens though. Tragedy strikes and we get to see things slide out of control. Not to mention Reth: always playing with Evie’s emotions. The crazy Villain is really sympathetic, so… I liked her.
I know lots of people (especially teenagers) don’t like him, but Reth was my favourite character – keep in mind that I’ve had a soft spot for crazy word twisting Faeries since I was about four (they gave me a whole new appreciation for the English language). Reth’s an interesting character because he acts like a villain but isn’t one but kinda is. He certainly is one of the Fair Folk: Amorally Affable, arrogant, powerful, and, well, bleeping hot. And is repelled by iron. Also, dude don't care about sex. Yay! My favourite thing about him is how he twists all his commands. Leads to his own Crowning Moment Of Awesome; though Your Mileage May Vary as to whether its a Moral Event Horizon instead. I will point out that while he was stalking Evie he was actually trying to help her in his own twisted way. So his heart is in the right place… if Faeries have hearts. Lend X Evie 4ever though.
Loved it. Reading it again. Now. It’s not a brilliant piece of literature but it’s good.
Literature Paranormalcy-Not That Bad, I Guess.
For a teen paranormal romance, this book wasn't bad. And coming from someone who hates teen paranormal romance, that's high praise. The lead romantic interest, Lend, was surprisingly likable, as were a number of side characters. Even the characters that were supposed to be repulsive (read: vampires). Even most of bad guys, or, in the case of IPCA, not as good guys, have realistic motivations and are likable themselves.
However, there are some serious problems. The writing style can get annoying, especially since the author has a tendency to describe details before the bigger picture. She also describes some things in great detail and other things not at all. I admire the attempt to make the main character girly, but it was done in cliche and annoying way. Especially her sense of style. A hot-pink bedazzled taser? A hot pink wall with leopard spots? A zebra-stripe dress with high heeled boots? Someone needs to nominate that girl for What Not To Wear. The author tries really hard to sound like/relate to ordinary teenagers, but, as a teenager myself, I can say that it mostly fails. It represents all of the things people think are true about teenagers (loving teen drama, freaking out about the prom, idolizing high school, etc.) that aren't really true. I don't know a single teenager that's as teenager-y as the kids in this book. Admittedly, Evie has an excuse, having essentially grown up in a secret underground bunker, but it still grates my nerves.
And then there's Reth. Creepy, creepy Reth. The book explicitly states that he's not interested in sex, but he sure acts like a rapist. Even if you supposedly have "good intentions", stalking a girl, kidnapping her, taking away her voice, paralyzing her, offering her water that would keep her trapped in the faerie realms (read: drugged), and burning her is not okay. It's not. He's at least as bad as Edward, if not worse. And he's somehow supposed to be likable. I guess that would be the main problem with this book. I love the characters I'm not supposed to and hate the ones I am.
However, overall it was a fairly decent book. It especially gets better towards the end after Evie gets out of IPCA. It's fairly entertaining and worth a read if the mood strikes you. I'll probably read the sequel. But Reth is still a creeper.