Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Goodreads:
Embrace the Forbidden
What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?
This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.
Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?
***
Date Read: February 24, 2013
Rating: 4 Stars
Fallen angels? Bad boys? Where have we read that before? Aaahh… Everywhere!
Sweet Evil did not really capture my interest back when it was buzzing around goodreads. To read another angel book was not on my priority list, and the cover did not really tickle my tastebuds. Good reviews from friends and their adoration for Kaidan made me want to try and give it a chance. And I am thankful I did.
What I really like about Sweet Evil was the concept of what angels and the fallen ones do on earth. There are dukes powered by deadly sins and demons spreading havoc on earth, guardian angels who protect and watch over the human race, and the nephilims who are mostly sons or daughters of fallen angels. So nephilims are generally bad here because they all grew up with their fathers (or the duke of whatever sin that may be). Wendy Higgins created an interesting concept that sets the book apart from the other angel books I have read.
The flow of the story was also good. From beginning to end, it will really hold a reader’s interest if you’re into this kind of story. The ending surprised and disappointed me a bit, because I thought there would be more. Everything was just left hanging there without any explanation as to what, how or why. I was just a little bummed out by that.
Kaidan’s character is very interesting. Aside from the fact that he is extremely good-looking and talented, he is a good person considering that he was raised by the duke of lust. Anna, on the other hand, was a little annoying near the end of the book. She seemed too desperate, like she can’t hold back and be patient. But in general, she was okay. I actually admired her (and the book) for not being hypocritical when it came to matters related to the Almighty. It did not seem fake or forced.
All in all, a great read. I will definitely watch out for Sweet Peril this coming April.
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Unearthly by
Cynthia Hand
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
Goodreads:
In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.
Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.
As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?
Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.
***
Date Read: January 18, 2013
Rating: 3.5 stars
I have read a few of Angel/Nephilim books before, and I personally like most of them. Some of them were okay, some were a bit darker than the others, some were really good, but they were all quite different from each other. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, thankfully, also separates itself from all the other angel books.
Despite the fact that it also had a different taste from all other angel books, the first half of the story was a bit boring. It introduced the angel-bloods, their purpose, how they came to be, their characteristics. The book started with most of the explanations about the them. In my opinion, the beginning of the book was a bit weak.
Aside from the fact that it was mostly narration of angel stuff, I didn't really get Clara. She even seemed annoying sometimes. I just didn't connect with her. Plus, the obsession with the guy in the vision was a bit too much. I was already debating with myself if I should still continue the book or not. Thankfully, the story picked up just a little before prom season and...
THANK YOU TUCKER AVERY FOR SAVING EVERYTHING!
Tucker did not really stand out when he first appeared in book. But gosh, did he change my mind about wanting to stop reading! He was actually one of the major reasons I kept on reading. And thank heavens I did because the story was actually good. I like that the whole story was somehow driven my Clara's purpose, and not entirely by the romance. The cute love story was great as well. And the ending was nicely put up. It wasn't really a cliffhanger, but it will leave you wanting to read the next books (if you liked Unearthly).
I don't know if I should give it the complete four stars or what.. I got ticked off by the beginning. So 3.5ish... :D
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