The Sweet Dead Life by Joy Preble (review)

Hardcover, 244 pages
Expected publication: May 14th 2013 by Soho Teen
Source: Edelweiss

Synopsis:
“I found out two things today. One, I think I’m dying. And two, my brother is a perv.”

So begins the diary of 14-year-old Jenna Samuels, who is having a very bad eighth-grade year. Her single mother spends all day in bed. Dad vanished when she was eight. Her 16-year-old brother, Casey, tries to hold together what’s left of the family by working two after-school jobs— difficult, as he’s stoned all the time. To make matters worse, Jenna is sick. When she collapses one day, Casey tries to race her to the hospital in their beat-up Prius and crashes instead.

Jenna wakes up in the ER to find Casey beside her. Beatified. Literally. The flab and zits? Gone. Before long, Jenna figures out that Casey didn’t survive the accident at all. He’s an “A-word.” (She can’t bring herself to utter the truth.) Soon they discover that Jenna isn’t just dying: she’s being poisoned. And Casey has been sent back to help solve the mystery that not only holds the key to her survival, but also to their mother’s mysterious depression and father’s disappearance.

Review:

The synopsis for this book is pretty convincing and I was sold as soon as I read it. We don’t read as much about brothers and sisters as we should or perhaps I should, possibly because I have two older brothers and I’ve lived the experience in real life and do not seek to repeat it in fictional life. Big brothers are often gross, coarse and mean. They are also unexpectedly sweet and caring, protective and warm. They scare away prospective boyfriends with a glower and have the weirdest tastes in music and movies. I have some questionable music tastes thanks to my brothers.

What makes The Sweet Dead Life so sweet is the relationship between Jenna and Casey. They are in a terrible situation where the adults of their lives have checked out leaving them to fend for themselves. Their father possibly pulled a runner and their mother seems to be sinking further and further into depression. Oh and Jenna is on her way to dying. She’s almost there when Casey crashes the car on their way to the hospital and the game changes dramatically.

Despite the presence of a feathered human being (not a werebird), there is very little holiness present in the novel. It is funny, poignant and disarmingly real. Jenna’s familial situation is narrated without romanticizing anything. From the mold growing in her mother’s bathroom to her brother’s uh…recreational activities under his blanket, Jenna narrates everything in an authentic fourteen year old voice. When her life takes a turn for the weird, she manages to convey disbelief without going overboard and her gradual acceptance of the A-word is believable.

The weakest part of the novel is the so called mystery and the resolution of it. While it is not terribly done, it could have been stronger. I wish the mystery portions of the novel had been better woven into the rest of the narrative. However, I appreciated that the resolution is not neat and tidy. There is a sense of time having past and that some irretrievable losses have occurred. I liked that the ending is ambiguous in certain details and that though there is an emotional payoff, it is not in your face and explicit.

I really liked this one, you guys. I recommend it.

Skellig – David Almond (review)

Paperback, 208 pages
Published September 11th 2001 by Laurel Leaf
Source: Library

Synopsis:
Michael was looking forward to moving into a new house. But now his baby sister is ill, his parents are frantic, and Doctor Death has come to call. Michael feels helpless. Then he steps into the crumbling garage and encounters a strange being who changes his world forever.

Review:

Skellig came rather enthusiastically recommended by our MACL chair and so I read it because it seemed interesting and well, because I am on a mission to immerse myself in all sorts of literature for children. In a genre that is overflowing with teen angels who are more angsty than you would think, Skellig is refreshingly different. This is middle grade rather than YA and not exactly paranormal in the ordinary sense of the word. The titular character is one of the most fascinating characters I have come across in literature – complex layers, ambiguous origins that remain obdurate even at the end, contradictory personality that successfully shows the vulnerability in the character.

For a children’s novel, Skellig is extremely sophisticated in its character construction. It is sensitive to gender issues and tackles themes of actual learning (which can be done anywhere and perhaps with greater richness) and school learning (that occurs in the rarified air of a classroom and is a particular type of learning that does not have the richness of learning that should be present in childhood). The main character is going through tough times – moving, a very sick baby sister and general isolation from things and people he is familiar to and absent parents. His fascination with what looks like a hobo in the garden shed is instantly worrying. Who is this odd character? Does he mean harm? Skellig is presented as an adult in this children’s world and to modern readers, there will be shades of villainy in his presence in the story.

However, Almond succeeds in narrating Skellig as this owl/angel character that defies all stereotypes one may have of his species. The book is almost uncomfortably realistic in its portrayal and yet there is this element of hope that becomes turgid with each revelation. The portion where the owls feed Skellig is one of my favourite sections of the novel. It just adds so  much potential to his character.

Michael’s friendships with the girl next door and his school friends are realistically  portrayed. I liked how Almond avoided melodrama and pathos but sustained this genuine feeling of grief where the sick baby is concerned. All in all, this was a worthy piece of literature that lingers long after the last page has been turned. It is also a short read so if you have time and are curious about owl/angels, I reckon you should give this a try.

Days of Blood and Starlight – Laini Taylor (A Review)

Hardcover, 528 pages
Published November 6th 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher

Synopsis:

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster’s apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

Review:

I wasn’t as enamored with Daughter of Smoke and Bone as some of my friends were and, in fact, I am still conflicted over the first novel. Usually, when I don’t enjoy the first novel a lot, I don’t read the sequel because I don’t feel the urge to do so. However, the title of the sequel captured my interest. It is so evocative – the title alone built splendid worlds in my mind. Some people are attracted by covers, I go for titles. It’s normal!

So with that entirely useless introduction, let me begin my length deconstruction of the sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone. There are many things I want to talk about but let’s ground my review (if you want to call it that) in this statement: I liked Days of Blood and Starlight a lot. I didn’t expect to do so but I did.

Whereas the first novel had a narrow perspective through which the world was viewed (the story is mainly narrated from Karou and Akiva’s perspectives), DoBaS utilizes many different perspectives to relate the story. This has a universalizing effect – the world of Eretz seems so much more vibrant than it would have been had we not seen it through the eyes of the deerlike Chimaera, the Silversword who dies for no reason, heck, even Jael. It’s like you are standing in the center of a ballroom and listening to the whispers cascading through the crowds reiterating their presence in the room. Without these whispers, you would still be in the room and people would still be present around you but they could be a figment of your imagination. So, that was well done.

The world building is exquisite here. I recently tried to read a so-called YA high fantasy novel and the biggest thing lacking in it was the world building. Even in fantastic settings, there needs to be a logic to the world. Even to its ecology. Eretz comes alive to the reader in colours, in the terror of the fleeing Chimaera and in the violence of the angels. The imperfectly reconstructed city is just as intriguing as the Stelians about whom no one knows a thing.

One of the troubles I had with DoSaB (the first) was that Madrigal seemed less developed than Karou. I know that they are the same person, at least on paper, but honestly? They are not. A person or a sentient living being is shaped by the experiences that she has, the relationships she has and if you think about it carefully, Karou has not had the same kind of relationships and experiences as Madrigal even though she has the memory of them. So while I was invested in Karou, I felt I didn’t have a chance to get to know Madrigal when she is herself and not half of a pair of a doomed couple. This disparity is addressed somewhat in DoBaS but I think that there still remains room for more development – I would like to read about Karou being faced with Madrigal – it would be so awesome to see her haunted by a ghost of herself. Moving right along to some spoilery bits, avert your eyes! (I wasn’t as emotionally invested in Hazael so while his death was sad, I wasn’t as sad as I felt I could have been. I think that a bit more time spent developing Hazael’s character would have solved this. However, I recognized his importance to Akiva and I wonder how his death will affect him. I also wonder what happens to them when they die? Do the angels believe in God?)

Zuzana and Mik were awesome. Perhaps my favourite parts in the novel. They brought a necessary lightness to the otherwise tension filled narrative. Karou was annoyingly submissive for the first half of the book but her actions were understandable and therefore did not fill me with rage and frustration as passive heroines are wont to do. On the other hand, I was disappointed by how…anticlimactic the meeting with Joram turned out to be. I expected Joram to be much more monstrous than he was…his hubris finally got him however, and yay for that.

The romance is, thankfully, toned down. I, who am allergic to mush, had a hard time with DoSaB precisely because it was chockfull of sweet moments that made me want to gag. It’s just a thing, okay? Days of Blood and Starlight had a lot of romantic angst, a lot of tortured longing but it was modulated and not melodramatic. I thought that Taylor managed to convey Karou and Akiva’s pain without dipping into pathos. The White Wolf was never a contender for Karou’s feelings, thank goodness but I think this new character, Ziri, may be a serious rival for her affections.

The plot twisted in ways that I didn’t expect it to and that is always fun. I like not being able to predict the author’s mind. The end is particularly brilliant as it forces two enemies to unite over a common enemy. I really liked this novel, it dealt with themes of betrayal, strength, death and humanity. It creates tense moments where the well being of one has to be sacrificed for the good of hundreds. It shows that love is so much more than just different sides in a war. Being a woman transcends species and strength is more than just the muscles in your arm. Days of Blood and Starlight was a splendid follow up to Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I recommend it.

Shadows (The Rephaim #1) – Paula Weston (review)

Paperback, 388 pages
Published July 2nd 2012 by Text Publishing
Source: Friend

Synopsis:

It’s almost a year since Gaby Winters was in the car crash that killed her twin brother, Jude. Her body has healed in the sunshine of Pandanus Beach, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn’t help that every night in her dreams she kills demons and other hell-spawn.

And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams—he claims a history with her brother that makes no sense. Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her life is only a shadow of the truth—and that the truth is more likely to be
found in the shadows of her nightmares.

Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And most importantly, who can she trust?

 

Review:

Paula Weston’s debut novel Shadows, the first in a series, is about angels. To be specific, waters, nephilim (though they do not call themselves that) and features a main character who is a bit older than the heroines who usually populate young adult novels set in North America. She’s also far less angelic than you’d expect but she has the angst down pat. As Gaby remembers, she lost her twin brother in a car accident not too long ago and she’s still coming to terms with her loss.

The novel does not bring anything startlingly new to the table. The mythology is familiar and I will not lie, I did sigh a bit about the never dying nephilim. However, the organization of the “good” angels versus the “bad” angels is very interesting. I thought it was anyway. There are differences in ideologies and philosophies, a hint that not everyone has been forthcoming about certain important matters and the very real bad guys, that is the demons, who present a very large and tangible threat – enough that all angels/nephilim unite to fight them.

The most appealing thing about the novel is the narrative voice. Gaby is an engaging main character and Weston very quickly makes her relatable to the reader. There is tons of chemistry and lots of pretty boys around – the upstanding citizen nephilim as well as the resident bad boy nephilim that Gaby cannot help but kiss (I don’t blame her, he sounds hot). There’s even a human boy. So lots of romance. There is friendship – genuine friendship and some mean girl-ery (I’m resigned to the mean girls, yo, they are a standard feature now).

I liked this novel. Quite a bit. It was very easy to read and very entertaining. It wasn’t out of this world but it does present angels in a slightly different way than usual. I am certainly looking forward to the sequel because I want to know where the brother is. Or rather, what happened to him. Do I recommend it? Definitely. It’s entertaining and a whole lot more fun and better written than some angel novels out there. Trust me.

A Want So Wicked (A Need So Beautiful #2) – Suzanne Young

Hardcover, 288 pages
Published June 26th 2012 by Balzer + Bray
Source: Library

Synopsis:

Elise is a normal seventeen-year-old girl until the day she wakes up in a desert park, with no idea who she is.

After that episode, her life takes a bizarre turn. She’s experiencing unexpected flashes of insight into people’s lives—people she’s never met before. Strangers frighten her with warnings about the approaching Shadows. And although Elise has never had a boyfriend, she suddenly finds herself torn between two handsome but very different young men: Abe, the charming bad boy whose effect on her both seduces and frightens her, and the mysterious Harlin, who’s new to town but with whom Elise feels an urgent, elemental connection—almost as if they are soul mates.

Now Elise begins to question everything about her life. Why do these guys both want her so desperately? What are the Shadows? Why does the name Charlotte inspire a terrifying familiarity? And who is Elise, really?

Review:

I was looking forward to this novel. The first one had such an effect on me – I found the ending of the first one to be so compelling, so poignant that I read it multiple times. A Want So Wicked failed to bring the same sort of magic to me. I enjoyed it. Especially the portions that included Harlin. I thought Elise’s relationship with her father and sister was heartwarming and well portrayed and I liked the writing and the general flow of the narrative. I just wasn’t too impressed by where the novel went. The love triangle which wasn’t much of a triangle and the ending…I don’t know, you guys. The book was okay but it wasn’t the brilliant I wanted it to be. I would still recommend it to you but now I kind of wish I had stopped at the end of the first so I could contain the memory  of it and it alone. Ah well.

Unspoken – Sarah Rees Brennan (The Lynburn Legacy #1)

Hardcover, 370 pages
Expected publication: September 11th 2012 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Source: Net Galley

Synopsis:

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

Review:

I think one of my status updates for this novel was:

“If you don’t like this novel, I don’t think we can be friends.”

That’s how much I liked it when I started it. I haven’t read anything by Brennan before so I didn’t know what to expect from the novel but the synopsis was so quirky, I decided to request it from Net Galley and did a victory dance when I got approved for it. Anyway, this book has some of the most awesome characterizations I have read for a very, very long time. The characterization and writing style is reminiscent of the much lauded (and loved) Jaclyn Moriarty – in fact, I could have sworn I was reading one of her books had I not been aware I wasn’t.

Kami is such a fun character as are her friends and both the love interest and the non-love-interest-but-something-more-than-love-interest character. I love how Brennan gave them all very distinct voices and characters and I love the added absurdism that is present aplenty in the novel. Their dialogues and their wit is of the variety that will make you chuckle out loud and then reread the piece appreciatively.

The writing made me very happy with its smoothness and the plot and pacing were definitely moving in the right direction. I also understood the major conflict in the novel. About being an individual when you don’t even know what it means and for the record, I think Kami’s decision, though not a happy one, was the right one. With all this said, however, I feel like I must talk at least a bit about the latter part of the novel and how it somehow lost me. I understand what happened. I just don’t know why it happened or why it happened so abruptly. I wasn’t exactly surprised by the twist but I felt that Brennan, after devoting so much time to creating these characters, very abruptly, told us that this is  how they were and that’s the way the cookie is going to crumble. Kami’s character too undergoes an almost radical change and Jared becomes someone I don’t even know at the end. I don’t like where she ended and how she ended and I wish I had the second and third books already so I can find out what happens next and why.

Do I recommend it to you? Hell yeah. It’s too good not to read but just read it with the knowledge that the endinging is somewhat iffy. And will probably make you scowl but the journey to the ending is full of laughter and just plain awesomesauciness. So go, read it!

Sweet Evil – Wendy Higgins

Paperback, 447 pages
Published May 1st 2012 by HarperTeen
Source: Library

Synopsis:

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?

Review:

I don’t know but when I began this book, I thought it was about vampires. No, really, I did. I don’t know why. Perhaps it is the red dress on the cover. As you may know, if you have read my other reviews, I am not an avid fan of angels in YA paranormal novels because…they really don’t do anything new with the mythology. I mean, okay, there are slight differences but at the end of it all, there are nephilim present. And mentions of Watchers, those lusty feathered fiends who have a thing for human women. Right then. The review.

There’s Anna Whit who is quite a readable character though annoyingly good at times though she fights her darker nature. And then there’s Kaidan Rowe who, despite everything, has a better nature. He is the resident bad boy. He and Anna meet, there are sparks and chemistry and tears and kisses though not necessarily in that order. There may also be a road trip and inexplicable changes of mind that I will blame on hormones and yeah. The romance portion is nothing new. It is quite intriguing and sparks do fly and I may have swooned once or twice but really nothing new. I wish the romance had been toned down in fact. I mean, I can only do heartbreak once in a novel. Twice is really pushing it. Seriously.

What I did like was the presence of the demons and the very very disturbing nature of the ‘work” that the Nephilim do for their “fathers.” Very disturbing. I mean, I didn’t like the work they do, I just thought it was an interesting variation from the norm. I also liked the presence of a caring father – may we all have a halleluiah? – okay, it was kind of…charming. Sweet. The ending is a copout. A deus ex machina that really deflated the climax rather effectively. Meh. And then there’s more romance. Oh and there was no point to the rather late love triangle. I really did not see any point in that. It just seemed, let’s give the girl some choices!

I don’t know. I really liked it while I was reading the novel. It’s very entertaining, pushes all the right buttons but once you are done reading and have a moment to sort of, parse through all the stuff you read, you see the holes. And um. Will I be reading the next one? I don’t know. I mean, if there’s going to be a lot of wibbling about broken hearts and other stuff, I will not. I shall read some reviews first. I recommend you do the same.

Wildcat Fireflies – Amber Kizer (Review)

Library Binding, 528 pages
Published July 12th 2011 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: Library

Synopsis:

Meridian Sozu is a Fenestra—the half-human, half-angel link between the living and the dead. She has the dark responsibility of helping souls transition safely into the afterlife. If people die without the help of a Fenestra, their souls are left vulnerable to be stolen by the Aternocti, a dark band of forces who disrupt the balance of good and evil in the world and cause chaos.

Having recently lost her beloved Auntie—the woman who showed her what it meant to be a Fenestra—Meridian has hit the road with Tens, her love and sworn protector, in hopes of finding another Fenestra. Their search leads them to Indiana, where Juliet, a responsible and loving teenager, works tirelessly in the nursing home where she and several other foster kids are housed. Surrounded by death, Juliet struggles to make a loving home for the younger kids, and to protect them from the violent whims of their foster mother. But she is struggling against forces she can’t understand . . . and even as she feels a pull toward the dying, their sickness seems to infect her, weighing her down. . . .

Will Meri and Tens find Juliet in time to save her from a life of misery and illness? And will Meri and Tens’ own romance weather the storms of new discoveries?

Review:

I have been wanting to read the sequel to Meridian for a long while now but only just got around to it. Despite it getting mixed reviews, I really liked Meridian and thought it presented an intriguing mix of magic and a new twist on the overdone and very stale trope of angels in YA novels. But unfortunately Wildcat Fireflies suffers greatly from second book (in a series) syndrome. While the book does not suck horribly, it does have several things that bothered me a whole lot.

The first thing was the length of the novel. I don’t mind reading long novels. In fact, I would go so far as to claim that I prefer reading thick tomes that tell a story well and unhurriedly rather than thin books that rush through the narrative. However, Wildcat Fireflies, at 528 pages, was unnecessarily long. It could have easily been shortened by more than a hundred pages. There were whole unnecessary portions where the horridness of the mistress was reiterated once and again. Then there was Juliet. I don’t know what Kizer intended. Was she trying to develop Juliet as some kind of paragon of mercy by laboriously describing the horrors she went through under the mistress of the care house/orphanage?

Because let me tell you, Juliet was insufferable. She made me detest the novel a whole lot. I like Meridian, I still do. And I liked the development of her relationship with Tens. It was interesting to observe a relationship that was already underway and not have to go through that “he likes me, oh he really likes me!” brouhaha again. I thought the mythology was well developed and carried on where Meridian had left off.

However, considering my considerable (insurmountable, perhaps) distaste of Juliet’s character (she is TSTL) and the dragging pace of the novel along with the fact that the next novel stars Juliet as an important character making more stupid decisions, I believe I’m done with the series. I might read book four if a new character comes and replaces Juliet but until then, eh.

Devine Intervention – Martha Brockenbrough (review)

Hardcover, 304 pages
Published June 1st 2012 by Arthur A. Levine Books
Source: Publisher

Synopsis:

There is a great legend of the guardian angel who traveled across time and space for the human girl he loved, slaying those who would threaten her with a gleaming sword made of heavenly light.

This is not that story.

Jerome Hancock is Heidi Devine’s guardian angel. Sort of. He’s more of an angel trainee, in heaven’s soul-rehabilitation program for wayward teens. And he’s just about to get kicked out for having too many absences and for violating too many of the Ten Commandments for the Dead.

Heidi, meanwhile, is a high school junior who dreams of being an artist, but has been drafted onto her basketball team because she’s taller than many a grown man. For as long as she can remember, she’s heard a voice in her head – one that sings Lynyrd Skynyrd, offers up bad advice, and yet is company during those hours she feels most alone.

When the unthinkable happens, these two lost souls must figure out where they went wrong and whether they can make things right before Heidi’s time is up and her soul is lost forever.

Martha Brockenbrough’s debut novel is hilarious, heartbreaking, and hopeful, with a sense of humor that’s wicked as hell, and writing that’s just heavenly.

Review:

I didn’t think I would like Devine Intervention until about a quarter of the way in. At first meeting, Jerome is such a boy that it seems impossible that I will ever get to willingly comprehend him. However, as the novel progresses, his character while retaining its boy-ness and boy-isms, also grows and evolves in ways that are endearing and awkward. As readers of the YA novels, we have come across angels often, a bit too often for my taste and that was what made me hesitant to begin Devine Intervention but I needn’t have worried because this novel is refreshingly innovative.

Yeah, he’s a guardian angel but Jerome is in no way similar to Patch. Instead, he is bumbling his way through his guardian-angel-ship in much the same manner that his “soul” Heidi is bumbling her way through adolescence. The author manages to juxtapose the divine and the mundane in a way that makes it seem probable and believable.

The writing is also full of gems that sometimes catch you unaware. The plot and the pacing are two parts that need work as I believe that the scenes after Heidi has her accident are unnecessarily convoluted and lengthy but that’s just a personal thing. All in all, I felt that Devine Intervention was a refreshing tale about two souls who both had things to learn and things to teach to the other. The ending is particularly poignant and bittersweet. I recommend this to anyone who wants a book that is both heartwarming and substantial. A book about second chances, forgiveness, letting go and moving on.

Dark Kiss – Michelle Rowen

Paperback, 348 pages
Expected publication: May 22nd 2012 by Harlequin Teen
Source: Net Galley

Synopsis:

I don’t do dangerous.  Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that’s me. But I just couldn’t pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me…something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It’s like part of me is missing-and I don’t know if I can get it back. Then there’s Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he’s keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he’s what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me…. NIGHTWATCHERS When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising..

Review:

I am a somewhat cautious fangirl of Rowen’s so despite my current state of oversaturation where angels are concerned, I decided to give Dark Kiss a go because hey, Michelle Rowen! In hindsight, I probably should have not. I can promise you that this novel is aimed at audiences who are not me. However, since I am the one who read this, I am forced to give a review that is a reflection of my reaction. Keep in mind, however, that you might react quite different to this novel than I, ultimately, did.

Samantha’s character is quite an interesting one. She, as is characteristic of Rowen’s heroines, manages to skate the fine line between annoying and likable. She actually thinks things out, goes through a process of thinking before reacting simply on instinct and emotion that almost always make me yell at the average YA heroine about her ever growing stupidity. Stupid heroines are not attractive, in case you weren’t aware.

The thing is though, while Sam is not perfect in some ways, she is perfect in other ways. In fact, the word that is very frequently used to describe her is “special.” This term is used so frequently that it fast loses whatever sarcastic/humourous tinge it was supposed to have and becomes annoying and far from making me snigger resignedly  every time it is used, it made me roll my eyes. Repeatedly. Not what the protagonist of a novel should make you do, if you think about it. She is special, she is a rare kind of supernatural who may have been prophesized for all I know about it. Anyway, that whole “special” thing is a very old trope that doesn’t present itself in any new and innovative way.

That said, I really really REALLY like that Rowen abstained from using the tired trope of the Mean Girls. She did have a mean girl but she reworked it and I was left feeling with a warm fuzzy feeling (well okay, not really but you know what I mean) by the fact that for once, girls were girls instead of a cardboard stereotype of mean girl and nice girl.

The whole angel mythology was, again, nothing terribly new but there were some interesting reinventions of the soul story. I liked that. The love interest – there is no love triangle, I can hear angels singing, pun somewhat intended, but the love interest is disturbing in some ways, mostly by being crazy-ish. And Sam frequently has people trying to kill her but that’s normal for paranormal YA heroines, poor creatures, so let’s get back to the romance, damn it.

The romance in the novel consumes everything else that might have been interesting. Why is romance the most important thing in the world for teenage girls? The dreaded word was used here so really, I had to stop and pause for a long moment before I could continue reading (the word here would be “soul mate”). You are sixteen years old and you are already looking for a soul mate. Ugh, I hate that term. So yeah, my already lagging enthusiasm for the book took a sharp dip when I came across that term. Thankfully the ending was near but it  felt a bit too neat with some conflict leftover to segue into the next installment in the series.

We would be here for a long time were we to go into other aspects of the novel besides the romance, the violence and the gray area between right and wrong. However, since this is supposed to be a review in the loosest sense of the word, let me tell that you that if you want to read something light, frothy romance with a not so annoying protagonist and angels and demons, this might be the book for you.