Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (Graceling Realm #3)

Genres: Young Adult, High Fantasy, Romance
Publication Date: May 1st 2012
POV: Alternating - Third-person, Past tense
My Rating: 3 out of 5

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Eight years have passed since the young Princess Bitterblue, and her country, were saved from the vicious King Leck. Now Bitterblue is the queen of Monsea, and her land is at peace.

But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisers, who have run the country on her behalf since Leck's death, believe in a forward-thinking plan: to pardon all of those who committed terrible acts during Leck's reign; and to forget every dark event that ever happened. Monsea's past has become shrouded in mystery, and it's only when Bitterblue begins sneaking out of her castle - curious, disguised and alone - to walk the streets of her own city, that she begins to realise the truth. Her kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year long spell of a madman, and now their only chance to move forward is to revisit the past.

Whatever that past holds.

Two thieves, who have sworn only to steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, who possesses an unidentified Grace, may also hold a key to her heart...

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I found this quite disappointing. This was more similar to Fire than Graceling, in that it was a court intrigue. Although, it returns to the world of Graceling, with Po and Katsa and several other familiar characters. I was pleasantly surprised to even see Fire again. Bitterblue is now queen. Nine years have passed since her father's death and she is 18.

The story was decently interesting, and I enjoyed seeing the worlds of Graceling and Fire brought together, but the intrigue was not as captivating as in Fire, and it is not for those who found Leck disturbing. I heard some couldn't enjoy Graceling because they found Leck so evil that they couldn't stomach it. Well, in Bitterblue Leck is explored in great detail. It is all about his kingdom trying to recover from his reign, and so many people who can't, who were permanently damaged by what he did to them. It is about Bitterblue's search for truth of what her father did in order to know how to help her people move on from it. Several of his most disturbing crimes are described.

Bitterblue is a decent character but nowhere near as kick-ass as Katsa or Fire. Po was in it a lot. He was a supporting character throughout. Katsa appeared on occasion but not as much as Po. Also Giddon, who I remember not liking in Graceling, but he has changed a lot since then and is now good friends with Po. I loved him in this and actually think he would have been a much better match for Bitterblue than Saf.

I was seriously disappointed by her love interest, Saf. They met near the beginning of the book, and things began to progress as I would have expected. But just as they were starting to show an interest in each other, Saf discovered that Bitterblue had been lying to him and stopped talking to her. A huge portion of the book took place without any appearance from Saf at all. Bitterblue continued to battle her court issues without him and the book as a whole dealt with these issues, not with any romance. Then, out-of-the-blue, Saf decides to forgive her and they have sex. They were just starting to like each other when their disagreement began, so they should have started where they left off, just being friends. Or even restart at the beginning, if Saf felt Bitterblue had to re-earn his trust. Instead, they jump ahead. It really did not feel like they were at that place in their relationship yet.

I am reminded of the casual way sex was dealt with in Fire, in regards to Archer and the multiple women he impregnated, the strong promotion of birth control, and also the promotion of sex without marriage in Graceling. I remembered a lot of people complaining about that, but it never bothered me since you rarely see characters marry in PNR anyway, which is what I usually read. And birth control in itself isn't a bad thing. If you are gonna do it, be smart about it. But now that I look back at the series as a whole, I feel like Kristin Cashore's message is too clear. Its as if she is trying to say "as long as you don't get pregnant, sleep with whoever you want." This is definitely not a message I would want to give teens.

The ending was also very disappointing. It felt incomplete. Bitterblue solved her court mystery, but she is still a very inexperienced queen with a kingdom that still has a lot of healing to do, and there might be new mysteries to solve. But she is alone. All of her friends, Katsa, Po, Giddon, Fire, even Saf, have moved on to new adventures in their lives, leaving Bitterblue in her castle alone. It is horribly sad. Like the ending of Inheritance.

“I hear you're supposed to be good at manipulating people. Try a little harder to make me like you, all right? I'm the queen. Your life will be nicer if I like you.”

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Lux #2)

Genres: Young Adult, Sci-fi, Romance
Publication Date: August 14th 2012
POV: Female - First-person, Past tenseMy Rating: 4 out of 5

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Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

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I enjoyed this much more than Obsidian, but I don't know how it ended up with the same rating. Like Katy, I had trouble forgiving Daemon for the way he treated her when they first met. He had to win me over too, and he definitely did. Daemon is like a different person in this book. If you were one of the people who didn't like Daemon and thought he was a jerk, because I know I wasn't the only one, I suggest you give him another chance. His jerkiness turned into cocky and funny and 'oh so sweet'. I really like funny guys. They are not my favourite type of YA boy, but they are definitely better than the bad boys. I cant even see Daemon as a bad boy anymore. The only thing bad about him is his willingness to kill for people he loves. But that isn't because he has a bad attitude, it is because he is passionate and fierce.

I know a lot of people found Katy annoying, but mostly I liked her. There were two times I was pretty upset

at her, but that's it. I love how she is a book nerd. There is no better way to make readers love a character than to make them exactly like us. And she is super spunky. And like Daemon, she would do pretty much anything for people she loves. What really bugged me though was when Blake took her out past the rocks and made her fight an Arum, and she didn't text Daemon. It was so obvious Blake was up to something and she even considered texting Daemon, but didn't. Stupid move. And again when Blake showed up in her bedroom. He even left her alone to get dressed giving her the perfect opportunity to get Daemon over there in case Blake tried something, which might have prevented the tragedy it led to.

Oh, and for those who just loved Katy and Daemon's chemistry, this was certainly not lacking. Just those couple of scenes in Obsidian had woman all over the world fainting and swooning. But in Onyx, it was x10! Ok, maybe that much, but I can't even remember how many times they made out in this book. It was pretty awesomely hilarious.

I love how the story has expanded so much from what we thought we knew. So much is going on now and the enemy is so much more dangerous than we thought, and not even who we thought. I can only guess where things will go from here and I cannot wait for Opal. Thankfully, its not too far away.

"Oh, I still want to strangle you. But I'm insane. You're crazy. Maybe that's why. We just make crazy together.”

Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Divergent #2)

Genres: Young Adult, Sci-fi, Dystopian, Romance
My Rating: 4 out of 5

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One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

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I rarely have as high hopes as I did for this. Its not a good idea to let your hopes get so high but I couldn't help it. I ended up not getting what I expected. I was so unjustifiably upset while reading this that it can only be because of my ridiculously high expectations. I couldn't get over how sad everything was. Everything was going to sh#*s and I wasn't enjoying it. Tris was being a big baby and antagonizing Four at every opportunity, Four was being stiff and stand-offish, no one trusted them, the world was falling apart, and I almost cried. But its Insurgent! I had to finish it.

Things ended up getting better, and what Tris and Four went through together in the Erudite headquarters seemed to strengthen their bond again. But I am still really disappointed in them both. I know Tris' parents

died and she couldn't deal with it, but it really didn't make for good reading IMO, to see her falling apart. I blame her behaviour for most of her troubles with Four, but he is not without fault. I was really upset about the way he treated her after their meeting with the factionless. He brought her because of her perceptiveness, but then he didn't even ask for her opinion, and when she gave it, he ignored it and accused her of being biased. What?! Tris and Four were always the epitome of YA couples for me. The couple that all other couples were compared to. It hurt me personally, to see them fighting. I really hope it means that they have worked through all their problems and it will never happen again.

But needless to say the writing and story were great. Besides all the confusion at the end, and Tris and Four's relationship, I was impressed with where this went. Lots of action, and twists and turns. Even though the ending was way too abrupt and I didn't fully understand it, it was ambitious and I did not see it coming.

“We're all right, you know,' he says quietly. 'You and me. Okay?' My chest aches, and I nod. 'Nothing else is all right.' His whisper tickles my cheek. 'But we are.”

The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova (The Vicious Deep #1)

Genres: Young Adult, Adventure, Fantasy/Mythology
Publication Date: May 1st 2012
POV: Male - First-person, Present tense
My Rating: 3 out of 5

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For Tristan Hart, everything changes with one crashing wave.

He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth.

His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he's heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he's suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods.

Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea...and now it wants him back.

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This was a bit disappointing. It was from a male POV. Tristan was interesting and I mostly liked him. He was a bit of a whore, but he was funny. The story was interesting but not amazing. They spent too much time on land for my liking. And he spend too much time just at school and hanging around with friends when he should have been completing his quest. I would have preferred to be more immersed in the mer world.

But I like Tristan, mostly because he amuses me. Because I am laughing at him, not with him. He is supposed to be so cool and popular and girls are throwing themselves at him, but I find him to be a tad silly and awkward. I guess that's because he's 16 and I'm not. I also really like Layla, Thalia, and Kurt. A great cast of characters. Tristan was pining after Layla for the whole book, but he was so passive about it, it was kinda sad. He thinks he loves her, and he says he always sees her face when he is in trouble, but he doesn't do anything about it. It was a very uneventful romance. All thought, no action. 

And then they introduced the Gwen character to complicate things. Maybe in The Savage Blue Layla will decide she likes Tristan and a love-triangle will be introduced with Gwen. As long as something happens I wont complain. Gwen was interesting but there is no comparing to the bond Tristan and Layla have. I am so Team Layla. I've never had to team with a girl before. Unless I take Kurt into consideration. I am not sure if maybe Kurt likes Layla, or maybe Layla likes Kurt. It's unclear, but if there is something going on there, I am Team Tristan.

Anyway, this was decently entertaining but I am not super excited for more, but I will still read The Savage Blue.

“Our kind, we don't leave many traces behind in this world.”

Leif by Abbi Glines (Existence Trilogy #2.5)

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Novella
My Rating: 4 out of 5

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"She was mine. I owned her soul…until Death stole her heart."

Leif is a novella from the Existence series. It is glimpses into Leif's point-of-view during both Existence and Predestined.

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While reading this I couldn't recall how I felt about Leif in Predestined. I liked him enough in Existence, but just in a Puck or Matt (TVD) sort of way. I had to reread my reviews to remind myself. Apparently I hated Leif after Predestined. Now I kind of feel bad for hating him. And I also felt bad for how much Pagan clearly hated him. He so didn't deserve it. He definitely made a lot of mistakes and went about trying to woo her all wrong, and he lied to her too much. But can you imagine being any better after having the parents he has? No, he is lucky he turned out so good. And he really loves her. When Pagan was in Vilokan during Predestined and she told Leif that if he loved her he wouldn't hold her against her will, I agreed with her. But now I see he was telling her the truth. He was doing his best to protect her from his father, hoping she would choose him, but he never intended to force her to.

In most love-triangles I still like the other guy and wish he could be happy, but do not want him to move on because I still admire his feelings and don't want his love to be cheapened by being forgotten too quickly. Such as Puck. He still loved Meghan in the end and says he is leaving for decades in order to get over her. If he had found another girl in the end I would have been disappointed in him. There are a few instances when I found the other guy to be just an annoyance and a distraction and I could care less if he fell for someone else, in fact I would prefer it, such as Will Herondale. I know, I know, I am alone in that, but that is a discussion for another day. That is how I used to feel about Leif, but now he has switched to the other category. He tried so hard to win Pagan that it is unforgettable, and I don't want him to forget it either. I don't know if that is unfair of me, but as I said, I feel like his love would be cheapened otherwise, affecting how I view his character.

But I wish more had been covered from Existence. The last scene was when they made out on her couch (which was super hot from Leif POV btw), then it skipped to the end when she picked Dank. But when did Leif realize that Pagan was in love with Dank? Did he know she was in love with him all along? Did he realize that his kisses hadn't ever excited her? We don't know. I wouldn't mind having another book about Leif. One that isnt just Pagan's story from his POV, but a book that is actually his story and his HEA.

Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith

Genres: Adult, Adventure, Humour, Historical Fiction, Paranormal
Publication Date: April 10th 2012
POV: Male - Third-person, Past tense
Smut-O-Meter: 2 out of 10

My Rating: 4 out of 5

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They're an iconic part of history's most celebrated birth. But what do we really know about the Three Kings of the Nativity, besides the fact that they followed a star to Bethlehem bearing strange gifts? The Bible has little to say about this enigmatic trio. But leave it to Seth Grahame-Smith, the brilliant and twisted mind behind Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to take a little mystery, bend a little history, and weave an epic tale.

In Grahame-Smith's telling, the so-called "Three Wise Men" are infamous thieves, led by the dark, murderous Balthazar. After a daring escape from Herod's prison, they stumble upon the famous manger and its newborn king. The last thing Balthazar needs is to be slowed down by young Joseph, Mary and their infant. But when Herod's men begin to slaughter the first born in Judea, he has no choice but to help them escape to Egypt.

It's the beginning of an adventure that will see them fight the last magical creatures of the Old Testament; cross paths with biblical figures like Pontius Pilate and John the Baptist; and finally deliver them to Egypt. It may just be the greatest story never told.

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I found this book strangely moving. It was my first Seth Grahame-Smith book and I didn't know what to expect. Although there was some humour, I thought it would be more 'out there', and ridiculing the whole story. But really he just expanded on the story that already exists in the Bible, filling in the blanks with his own ideas. There was very little that was altered from the original story, mostly just the timeline and a few other details (Mary and Joseph met Simeon in Jerusalem not Hebron, Jesus only forgave one of the criminals crucified with him not both). I am a Christian myself so I am quite familiar with the story.

Although I am a Christian, I am not an overly sensitive Christian, so I decided to read this thinking it would be a bit of fun. But that's not why I ended up enjoying it at all. I don't know what Grahame-Smith intended, if he has a positive or negative view of Christians, but I actually found this motivational. I love the way God brought them through everything, and how changed Balthazar was in the end.

For those who don't like the idea of a Christian book, it reads mostly as an adventure; a great, violent, historical adventure with supernatural elements that could be considered mythology. It also has the feel of a high fantasy at times, with the many sword fights, dungeons, and evil kings. I definitely recommend it for fans of fantasy and adventure.

Balthazar was the only character that we really got to know, but I really felt for him, and I actually cried three times throughout this book. The last time was in the epilogue. It was such a clever and satisfying ending. I love the way Grahame-Smith used real historical events to accent the story, as he did in the epilogue, and I imagine it is the same in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Although I am not very familiar with American history so I may not be able to appreciate the work once I get around to reading that one.

Despite all the violence, I would consider this a 'feel good' book. I feel uplifted, but also impressed. Very smartly done.

“Even if it meant the most painful, hideous death a human being had ever experienced, they weren't getting the baby, and they weren't getting her. Twenty yards… He gripped the handle of his sword tightly…​breathed deep of the desert air. Okay, Balthazar…let’s die.”

Eona by Alison Goodman (Eon #2)

Genres: Young Adult, High Fantasy, Mythology, Romance
Publication Date: April 19th 2011
POV: Female - First-person, Past tense
My Rating: 4 out of 5

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Eon has been revealed as Eona, the first female Dragoneye in hundreds of years. Along with fellow rebels Ryko and Lady Dela, she is on the run from High Lord Sethon's army. The renegades are on a quest for the black folio, stolen by the drug-riddled Dillon; they must also find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona's power and the black folio if he is to wrest back his throne from the selfstyled "Emperor" Sethon. Through it all, Eona must come to terms with her new Dragoneye identity and power - and learn to bear the anguish of the ten dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered. As they focus their power through her, she becomes a dangerous conduit for their plans.

Eona, with its pulse-pounding drama and romance, its unforgettable fight scenes, and its surprises, is the conclusion to an epic story only Alison Goodman can create.

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This was as good as the first book and perhaps a little better. It had the mythology that I loved so much about the first book, but more adventure and romance, which were two things I mentioned in my review of Eon that I wished there had been more of. There was so much adventure, and absolutely no court intrigue in this one. Almost the entire book dealt with the dragons' power, Eona trying to understand it, and finding a way to use it to save the kingdom. Perhaps at times I thought there was too much magic and I wished it would stop. There was always a new force to deal with, but it was important to the story.

I feared that most of the book would be about finding Kygo and reuniting with the resistance, but Kygo found them within four chapters. I was very happy to have him back since I anticipated a romance starting. And we got not only romance, but a love-triangle. It was not a bad love-triangle, since its the last book in a short series, we knew it would be quickly resolved. And Ido never really had a chance anyway, even if the scene on the boat was super hot, he was the bad guy after all.

 

One thing that disappointed me about the first book was not resolved in the second. Eona never truly trusted anyone. I always felt so uneasy about the amount of secrets she kept. She couldn't tell Kygo because he could use it against her. She couldn't tell Dela because she was loyal to Ryko and Kygo. She couldn't tell Ido because he would use it for his own gain. It was not fun watching her struggle with it all, but at least she didn't make as many mistakes as she did in Eon.

I really wish more had been resolved in the end. As soon as the main conflict ended, the book ended. It finished with the words, "Balance has been restored to the heavens and earth, but we have work ahead of us to restore order to the empire." I wish we had seen some of the work, at least a glimpse of what became of the kingdom, how the people responded to their new emperor and the lack of his symbol of power, and where Eona's place would be in this new world. One more chapter or an epilogue would have been sufficient, although a whole third novel would have been even better. But I will hope for the best. Eona and Kygo will work hard to make it work, the kingdom as well as being together.

"The She of the dragon will return and ascend 

When the cycle of twelve draws to an end... 

The She of the Dragoneye will restore and defend 

When the Darkforce is mastered with Hua of All Men."

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publication Date: September 13th 2011
POV: Alternating - Third-person, Present tense
Smut-O-Meter: 5 out of 10
My Rating: 4 out of 5

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The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

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I am not sure if this deserves more of a 3 or a 4. Its kinda of hard to rate because the story was absolutely amazing! Honestly one of the most amazing stories I have ever read. But the overall experience was not enjoyable. The way the whole thing was written and laid out was not complimentary in my opinion.

The story takes place over a period of almost exactly 30 years. Several years sometimes go by between chapters, and not all chapters are placed in chronological order (luckily each chapter starts with a date so we can at least try to keep things straight in our heads). There are several alternating POVs, not in any particular pattern. Celia and Marco are clearly the main characters, but besides that any random person can have their POV here or there. Some characters' relevance to the story are not made clear till much later. And although the majority of the book is written in third-person narrative, some interspersed chapters are actually written in second-person. This is by far the most awkward thing I have ever seen. Clearly, second-person narrative exists, but does anyone ever use it? I have never seen it before and I hope to never see it again. The effect was rather awkward and disjointed. Nothing seemed to flow as it should.

Besides the way that the book and its timeline were laid out, I also did not enjoy the way it was written. The narrative was extremely formal and impersonal. It seemed to always be present and always know what was said or done, but rarely knew what was felt. I can think of very few instances where a characters thoughts or feelings were described. I was not drawn into the story at all and felt very little attachment to the characters. It was like I was just watching it from a distance.

The actual story however, is beyond words. Beautiful historical settings, a sweeping romance, and so much magic. It is just the kind of thing that I usually eat up, if only someone else had thought of it and written it, with some emotion and depth. There is no point in trying to describe the story, its like The Matrix. You have to see it to believe it. This will make an amazing movie and I cannot wait! Hopefully the timeline and POV issues will be smoothed over, and any issues I had with the lack of emotions can be fixed automatically by a good director. If done right it could be one of the best movies ever.

"I would have written you, myself, if I could put down in words everything I want to say to you. A sea of ink would not be enough." 

"But you built me dreams instead."

Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay (Juliet Immortal #1)

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Publication Date: August 9th 2011
POV: Female - First-person, Present tense
My Rating: 4 out of 5

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The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.

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I really didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. I am usually not a fan of retellings. But this book was crazy intense! As you can probably guess from a book that deals with love and death. And all the supernatural elements were almost overwhelming. It was one of the most surprisingly original books I have read in a long time. Just change the names from Romeo and Juliet to something else and you wouldn't even be able to tell it was a retelling. If you love YA romance with intense emotions and life or death situations, this is for you!

I also love all the characters. Ben most of all, of course. I love a guy with a protective temper. And Juliet. And Ariel, even though we hardly got to know her, but we saw the life she lived through Juliet. And Romeo. I could not stop myself from falling for Romeo a little bit too, even though he is a psychopath. His life had just been so sad and miserable. He was a tad pathetic at times but I cant really blame him after everything he's been through. Maybe I should be blaming him, but I don't.

But there were several things I didn't understand. Why didn't Nurse appear to explain things to Juliet earlier? When she finally did, she said it wasn't happening quickly enough, and I still don't know what she was talking about or what Juliet was suppose to be accomplishing. And then Nurse showed her how she died the first time, and I don't understand what really happened. What were the circumstances surrounding her death and how did she end up in the tomb? Why was Romeo pretending to be dead and what did he expect to happen?

The ending was good but not perfect, but maybe I am being too picky. They were better off where they ended up, where no one knew where they were and no one was after them. But I wish things could have been different where Ben is concerned. And I guess that might be another thing that I didn't fully understand. What exactly happened to Ben? Was that the same person? They had a lot of chemistry throughout the book, but I think they hit it off a little too quickly in the end. It felt forced compared to the first time they met in Ben's truck, where you could really see the sparks flying. But I guess that moment isn't everything. I have the proof of all the book up to that point that they are meant to be. There is no denying their chemistry, Ben's intensity, or Juliet's pure devotion. And I cannot wait to see more of this world in Romeo Redeemed and more of the great supporting characters.

"I don't care if I'm not the first." His head tilts and his lips move within a whisper of mine. "As long as I'm the last."

Coexist by Julia Crane (Keegan's Chronicles #1)

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Publication Date: June 10th 2011
POV: Alternating - Third-person, Past tense
My Rating: 3 out of 5

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Sixteen-year-old Keegan is struggling to keep her huge secret from her friends--she's an elf, descended from a long line of elves that live in secrecy alongside humans.

In elfin society, mates are predetermined but not allowed to meet until they are eighteen. Against tradition, Keegan's brother Thaddeus told her Rourk's name because his visions warned him she'd need Rourk's protection, especially since Keegan will play a key role in the coming war between the dark and light elves.

Rourk finds himself drawn to Keegan's side every time she thinks his name. He wants to talk to her but remains in the shadows, silently guarding her every time she mentally beckons him. A twist of fate thrusts the two of them together when Rourk is forced to step up his protection and make his presence known.

An ancient prophecy deeply entwines Keegan's family and the future of their society. Somehow they must find a way to thwart fate and win the battle...without losing Keegan. With war brewing, and dark forces aligning, will Keegan and Rourk ever have the life together that they both desire?

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This book was a bit disappointing. The romance was way too easy. It was 100% insta-love. Keegan is an elf, and elves have soulmates that they meet when they turn 18. But Keegan is only 16 and she is having trouble waiting. Also, her brother is a seer, and he told her her soulmate's name is Rourk. Because of their bond, whenever Keegan thinks Rourk's name, he knows. Elf soulmates have a semi-telepathic link. And Keegan's father is the military leader of the elves and gave Rourk permission to guard Keegan even though they are not yet 18. He watches her all the time and keeps her safe. I think he loves her even though they have not met yet in the beginning of the book. The first chapter is from Rourk's POV and he is watching her in the woods as she does her photography. The way he so tenderly describes her makes me think that he already loves her, not only because of their insta-love connection.

Keegan has never met Rourk yet and doesn't even know what he looks like. But when she is attacked at a concert he makes himself known to save her and the second Keegan sees him she knows he is the one. Insta-love. Rourk was not given permission to make contact, so they don't speak. Later, when they officially meet for the firs time, they kiss immediately, before even speaking, and from that moment on their love is a fact and nothing needs to be proven. They are never alone so they just talk about boring stuff in the presence of her parents and have no tender "getting to know each other" moments. Keegan asks him his favourite colour and other boring questions like that, but that is not what matters in a relationship. The romance was so simple and easy that it was dull. The process of falling in love is the best part and they totally skipped it.

But in the end, Keegan has an accident and all her memories of Rourk, as well as her soulmate connection to him, are erased. When she sees him she feels nothing like she did when she saw him the first time. He no longer knows when she thinks his name, and is no longer able to know where she is at all times, as he could before. So this gives the second book a lot of opportunity to make up for what it lacked in the first. In the end, Rourk is determined to win Keegan the old fashioned way. Their love will now be tried and tested and hopefully be proven true.

Although there is a little hiccup. Keegan was always a little boy crazy. She knew she would meet her soulmate when she was 18 but she saw nothing wrong with dating other guys in the meantime. And she was only 16 so she thought she would have awhile. There was a guy that she liked, Donald, but he refused to go out with her because he liked her too much and didn't want to set himself up to get hurt, because he knew she would forget all about him as soon as she met her soulmate. Now that she has forgotten all about Rourk, she is thinking about Donald again. And Donald knows that her connection to Rourk has been broken so he will most likely take advantage of the situation by pursuing Keegan, and messing things up for Rourk.

Aside from the romance, another thing I thought was lacking was the world building, which was almost non-existent. Although the main conflict of this book was resolved in the end, and I have no idea if the next book, Conflicted, will have a new conflict or if it will just be about the newly formed love-triangle, I will still be reading it. I really like Rourk and I want to see him woo his girl.

“Rourk didn't even know her name, but he knew he’d never seen anyone so magnificent in his life. Her wavy hair glistened in the sunlight. She had a delicate, round face with large, blue-green eyes and full lips. With her cheeks flushed from the cold fall air, she reminded him of a porcelain doll. He knew that her looks deceived; her bold, daring eyes gave her away. She constantly observed her surroundings. Rourk smiled to himself; soon they would be together.”