Exposing Ele

by Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels

[layawaydragon]

The Good:
Found out more about Tony
Willow's character progression and realizations
Original villain returns
Found out more about their powers and the shelter
Funny, light moments amid the trauma and drama
Twists & turns while being suspenseful and mysterious

The Bad & The Other:
Cliffhanger
Love (tri-)angle with Willow and Tony's side being instalove
Absentee parents
I'd completely forgotten about her photographic memory from the first book, which conveniently rears its head again

It's great getting back into the over-arching plot. Of course, the full truth and resolution won't come until the last book.
But the blurb is SO wrong about it being gritty. It's still clean with goody-two shoe teens. There's some violence but it's happy and hopeful. It's not harsh at all. It's get a PG rating at worse.
It's a fun, sweet escapist adventure following Willow, who gets all the powers, the boy(s) she wants, leads people and saves the day with a loyal group of friends.
Willow is a special snowflake and could be called a Mary-Sue. TBH, I can't think of any flaws or permanent setbacks she faces. Things pop up but they are handled and come out on top.
So, if that's going to irritate you, steer clear. I'm usually more cynical but I really got into this series when I read it 2 years ago. I do wish Claire or someone gave her the what-for once in a while.



Romance
This was the fucking worst aspect. It's angst-y love angle drama took focus with macho men pissing contests.
But never fear, Willow saves the day. She makes her men shakes hands and it's **Kumbaya**! It was just so perfect, in a long line of perfect, it just feels so fake. Usually I'd love the maturity but I couldn't buy into with Willow walking in Mary Sue's footsteps at the moment.
I'm so done with the sensitive vs. strong partner, especially when it comes to men. Toss in a meant-to-be microwavable romance with cheese and a jealous first to complete a disaster recipe for me.