Reviewed by nitzan_schwarz on
So, confession time - I one-clicked this book all the way in 2012. Around that time, this book was getting a lot of attention, and it's flipping free. But I never read it. I never even read the synopsis. I know, I know. WTF, right? Well, no point of crying over spilled milk, I say. Anyway, this year I'm participating in the Freebie's challenge, and this seemed as a good place to start - all the reviews for it are super positive.
And guess what?
I'm in total agreement with all those reviews! this book was absolutely brilliant! It starts off really mysterious - you know it's paranormal from the first pages... but which creature are we dealing with? I had a lot of fun discovering this, and I wasn't disappointed with the reveal or the way these creatures are written here. Quite frankly, this is one of the coolest rendition of them I have ever read of (in my humble opinion). It mashes all my favorite approaches and adds some cool tricks.
And yes, I am being vague on purpose. I don't want to take from your enjoyment, so you'll have to discover all this on your own.
But that's not the only mystery in the book - there are quite a few more. And, not all are solved in this installment. In fact, I'm anxious to find out what's really going on.
My favorite part about the book? Hands down the romance. This book is not like any other - it literally describes a relationship developing over years, jumping from month to month. And despite those time jumps - we don't feel like anything's missing. We feel like we see all the important bits, and more importantly - we understand and believe their love. This is something so many other books fail to do, but there was never a doubt in my mind about it here. And of course, loving both Gio and Beatrice as much as I did does not hurt.
My second favorite part? the side characters. They were just all kinds of awesome and delightful. From Casper (not the ghost!), the grey-haired butler (who reads like a teenager, to me lol), to Carwyn who's just the most unfatherly Father I've ever read of (but it just makes him all the more super) to Tenzin, bird-girl and all around girl-extraordinaire.
The ending was kind of heartbreaking, though it was not overdone or overplayed, and it definitely made me want to read book 2--and dread it. But I honestly can't wait to read it, and I already one-clicked the special limited edition bundle of the entire series! I cannot wait to see where this series is headed, and if the rest of the books are as good as the first... Might just earn it a spot on my favorite series shelf!
So what are you waiting for? If you haven't read this book yet, go do it now! The kindle version is free! (at the time of posting this review, anyway)
Originally posted on my blog, February 15, 2014. Please consider popping by if you like the review! :)
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 15 January, 2014: Finished reading
- 15 January, 2014: Reviewed