Reviews, YA Paranormal

Book Review: Wicked (A Wicked Saga #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Written by: Liz Brooks

GoodReads Summary:

Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.

Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.

Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.

But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.

Review:

As with any Jennifer L. Armentrout book I read, and I’ve read almost all of her books, I loved every second of Wicked. I also loved the fact that the story takes place in New Orleans, so you get the mystery of the city- hauntings, great scenery descriptions, everything New Orleans is known for.

Ivy Morgan is an admirable character. She made me nostalgic for my college days- though I wasn’t trying to kick some faerie butt. She is fiercely independent which is what drew me to her. (Also her red hair is out of this world.) She just wants to be a normal college student but she can’t be. She belongs to a secret society called The Order, dedicated to taking out all faerie life because they basically eat humans and well… that isn’t good. And of course she has a tragic backstory which stunts her personal growth and relationships with other people.

That is until she meets Ren Owens.

Ren is mysterious and hot, hot, hot. And a bad-ass. The chemistry he has with Ivy is swoon worthy. It was definitely a lust at first sight relationship. Ren also has an intriguing backstory which compliments Ivy’s. Ren is sweet and patient. He really pushes Ivy and helps her overcome her past.

Tink is my favorite character. He is an Amazon addict. He eats too much sugar. And he says what’s on his mind.

I was able to predict the ending. This seems to happen a lot to me. Maybe I read too much into what the authors write or maybe I’ve read so much that foreshadowing just jumps out at me.

The next book in the Series is called Torn. No release date as of yet.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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Alternate Reality Giveaway: The Paranormal

Alternate Reality Giveaway

Hey guys!

I’m really sorry for posting this so late, but life got in the way and I also totally blanked out. (I’m so sorry Kayla, please don’t kill me). It is Day 4 and Today I will be talking about the Paranormal Genre within YA.

When you think of the Paranormal genre what do you think? Twilight? At least most people do. They think of shiny sparkly vampires and werewolves. Or you might think of the cliche, lonely (or average) girl meets a hunky mysterious guy who just screams DANGER yet she cannot resist him and he turns out to be a fairy, vampire, werewolf, etc.  The Paranormal genre has gotten such a bad rep that most of us kind of inwardly cringe when recommended a paranormal book. We shy away from it.

Today I don’t really want to touch upon the “bad” of the paranormal, but focus on the GOOD. I want to change your view that not all paranormal books are cringe-worthy and cliche.

First off, we have Vampire Academy. Yes, I know the title is a little cringe worthy, and the covers of the series aren’t one of a kind either, but the written word inside those pages is something you’re going to want to read. Richelle Mead has created this fascinating world where we have good vampires, bad vampires, and something called a dhamphir, a half human, half vampire hybrid. Also, the good vampires have “magical” powers which are connected to the four elements, and one extra one which… you’re going to have to read to find out about it cause it’s a big deal. Kayla was REALLY against reading any vampire book and paranormal stuff (unless we are talking about angels of course), but I convinced her to read this book. How did I accomplish this? I bought her the first book with the new cover. Let’s just say I have made her reconsider her vampire ban.

Second, we have The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. This book is creepy as heck, and the sequel is even creepier. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it is paranormal done well. The book confuses you in a good way. You are just as confused as the main character. You are both experiencing everything at the same time. Honestly though, If I had known they were as creepy as they are, I wouldn’t have read them because I don’t like reading scary stuff, but nonetheless it is good Paranormal YA. We do not see the cliche tropes (she’s is actually the dangerous one *hint*hint*), or the really unbelievable (in a bad way) insta-love.

Third, we have The Morganville Vampire Series. The vampires in this series are more of the traditional kind. The story is a little bland, but in no way is it cliche. I think its the writing style which makes me call it bland, yet I read the first 5 books in two months. I was hooked. At the time when I read them the books were only in that funky trade paperback version, but they were republished not too long ago and will now look beautiful on your bookshelf.

Lastly, I will give two examples of good Paranormal YA that turned bad. The first example is The Blue Bloods Series. The first four books had me at edge of my seat, they were unique and different. Then the fifth book came out and the story spun out of control. Like it went off the path it originally was on. It didn’t feel like I was reading the BB series anymore. I was really bummed. The second example is the House of Night Series. I like to call the HoN series a greek mythology and vampire hybrid. I was in love with this series during the first five books, but then came book 6, and then 7… and then 8…. and you get the picture. The story was stretched out because of the huge fandom (it was riding along the twilight wagon) and the books started going nowhere. I felt like we had been there and done that. Then it started getting really cliche and I lost all interest.

The Paranormal YA genre is a genre one has to tread carefully and search for the diamonds in the rough. They are out there and shouldn’t be judged along with its companions on the shelf.

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Are there any paranormal books that you’ve read recently that you have loved? Do tell! I need to add some books to my never ending TBR pile. 😀