***

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The blurb and the cover image didn’t reveal anything particularly unique or intriguing, and if anything, I was instantly put off by the the one-two punch of clichéd high school romance and religious undertones. I’ve been overwhelmed by the former as of late, and although I don’t seek it out, the latter tends to leave a bad taste in my mouth, with my ultimate takeaway being that the author is trying to preach to me rather than entertain me (somewhat relevant note: I am nonreligious).

Despite my misgivings, I found myself riveted by the simple, skillful writing style, the character development and the heartfelt romance and message that form Lexy Quinn’s story.

The characters are all endearing in their own way. Lexy is a sweet and well-meaning protagonist who I can easily identify with even without the whole journalist thing. By the end of the novel she has become a strong, confident young woman and I feel confident cheering along. Female characters in romance writing sometimes get that weepy, helpless, useless-without-a-man-on-her-arm syndrome – not Lexy. Even though she finds herself falling hard for the handsome rich kid as per usual in the genre, she also learns her worth as a whole person. 

And what can I say about Ash Preston… again, he could’ve gone the way of the generic hero, but despite being the Handsome, Rich Jock That Teaches the Frumpy Girl How to Love™, I quickly found myself cooing over how dreamy he is. He’s smart, sensitive, chivalrous, and funny. He’s also the first openly religious character – he ends up giving Lexy a copy of “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” so she can pay attention to the Christian analogies. At the same time, he runs hot and cold… sometimes he’s passionate and open with Lexy, other times he closes himself off and becomes inexplicably distant. Ironically, that makes me like him even more, because that’s exactly how real hormonal teenage guys behave. I mean, who wants to swoon over a fictional character that’s perfect? Give me a sweet, flawed boy any day.

Funny thing is, Jesus isn’t mentioned even once in the whole book – “God” is said countless times and Christianity is implied, but no one ever says outright, “Jesus died for your sins, ask and you will be saved, etc.” which I actually think is a point in the novel’s favor because its message can be applicable to other monotheistic religions, or general spirituality, as well. In that way, the story doesn’t alienate anyone. There were two conversations between Lexy and her friend Peyton that struck me as overly preachy, a la After School Specials or a church PSA, but I chuckled about it and went on reading anyway. Honestly though, the spiritual lessons are pretty universal, so I still felt myself taking something away from it.

The author does an admirable job of combining her belief in God with the reality of high school. Yes, many characters in the story openly talk of going to church, and ministering (complete with recital of Biblical passages) does occur. But ultimately, we’re still talking about teenagers… you know, drama everywhere. No one is flawless, no one is self-righteous or “holier-than-thou.” The guys still talk about how hot so-and-so is, the girls squabble and stab each other in the back… This, I think, is the best way a faith-based story should be told. Not that I’m particularly experienced in this area, but still!

Final verdict: This isn’t going to win awards for originality or gravitas, but the great thing about Prodigal is that it doesn’t have to. It succeeds at painting an engrossing, genuine picture of a teenage love affair along with the trials and triumphs of growing up and coming into your own. 4/5 stars. I would recommend this to my lovesick romantic types regardless of their religious affiliation (or lack thereof). 

Disclosure notes: The publisher of this book contacted me via email requesting a review and a paperback copy was sent to me free of charge. I did not receive any other compensation for reading and reviewing this book. Blurb and cover image courtesy of author’s website. 

“History is on repeat, and things didn’t go so well the last time.” – Deity ARC blurb 

First reaction after finishing: “WHAT? You could’ve ended at any place, and you ended- WHAT? A pox against your house! Well, not really, this is pure awesomeness, but… I have to wait a whole ‘nother year for the next book? YOU MASOCHISTIC FIEND-”

Ahem. Well, that’s embarrassing. I apologize for that, Jennifer. I enjoyed meeting you at BEA and getting my copy signed- *cough, dusts self off*

Anyway. I suppose an actual review, would be helpful here.

Summary: Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout (November 2012 from Spencer Hill Press), the third installation (see reviews for the first and second books here and here) in the Covenant series, follows 17-18 year old Alex Andros in a paranormal romance dealing with the Greek gods and goddesses of mythology with a modern twist. As a half-blood, a diluted mixture of demigod and mortal (which is an even more diluted version of the Pure-bloods, the original spawns of a demigod and mortal pair), Alex battles questions of duty, love, and fate as her 18th birthday approaches and she becomes the second Apollyon, a super powered energy sink linked to her “other half”, Seth. While her birthday is the ultimate course for the action, the star crossed love triangle between Alex, Seth and pure-blooded Aiden creates crucial romantic tension and development of the high stakes, life-and-death kind.

The nitty gritty: Although I would definitely characterize this series as plot-driven, this novel would be nothing without the characters. There are some eye-roll inducing moments with teenage displays of testosterone (I think we can all fill the blanks on this one), but overall, all the main characters give the impression of awesome and flawed flesh and blood people who just happen to be extremely gorgeous. I love Alex, love-love-love Aiden, and hate-hate-hate Seth, and these feelings bolster my investment in the good moments and the bad. I read this book weeks ago and my heart still dissolves into puddles when I think of Aiden; I can’t remember the last time a novel character made me feel like that. Feels weird.

Over the years, as an aficionado of romance novels I’ve noticed that the romance often seems to take precedence over everything else, even common sense. The main couple usually forsakes everything, including loved ones and duty, because they’re so “madly in love” that they become selfish and vapid, or the heroes are so “perfect” that instead of rallying for their love I want to stab them in the eye with a fork. I’m happy to say that with Deity, this isn’t the case. Even when their relationship escalates halfway through (i.e. they become a couple OMGWATFINALLY), Alex and Aiden don’t change much, and their love scenes are done tastefully but with a dash of sexy just big enough to still scorch the page. Seeing them be tender/sensual together just makes me smile (well, and wish very hard for an Aiden clone, but still). And that’s what true love is supposed to be about, right?

At some point I broke out in a cold sweat – I can’t quite remember if it was because of sexual tension or pulse-pounding action at the time, probably both – so Armentrout’s writing, written in Alex’s perspective, definitely needs to be praised for being so damn vivid and engrossing. The greatness of a novelist’s prose is determined, in my opinion, by how easily you can ignore it. Here, you never lose grasp of Alex’s personality, but at the same time, in the pivotal scenes it’s easy for her snark and musings to fade away until you feel you’re watching the novel scroll by in widescreen cinema format.

As I hinted at above, the novel stops just short of the next key conflict in the plot, pitching the reader off a cliff(hanger) so intense that they’ll still want to keep flipping feebly at the pages even though there’s nothing left to read. Although cliffhangers usually irritate me to no end, Deity still possesses enough plot and character development to stand alone, leaving me satisfied to the point that after the initial shock, I actually don’t mind the wait… no, that’s totally a lie – I’m practically foaming at the mouth for Elixir to get here. But either way, I know that when I finally get hands on the next novel (or novella, as it were), it’ll definitely be worth it.

I really can’t remember the last time I was this hooked on a series, or a book, period. It’s been awhile, and although it’s nice to know I’m still capable of getting the feels, the intensity of my obsession is starting to concern me. Please, for the love of God Jennifer, release the rest post haste and put me out of my misery.

Final verdict: As the third book in a planned series of six, Deity ramps up the action, suspense, and romance without ever losing a step, and it makes me crave the sequel like I need it to breathe. I’ll make due somehow until the next installment, but I assure you Aiden and Alex will be haunting (soothing?) my dreams for a long, long time.

Sometimes I read a book that leaves a more subtle impression– i.e., one that doesn’t require 500-600 words (which is the usual length of one of my reviews; a professional editor I worked with a while back told me that 500 words is the most in-depth you can get without boring someone). I feel kind of silly making a blog post review that is shorter than that, but I discovered a solution: put a bunch of bite-sized reviews together in one post! So here you go, reviews of What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang, Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon, and Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.

Each book was received at Book Expo America 2012.

What’s Left of Me (Sept. 18, 2012 by HarperTeen): The plot is really unique — basically, each human that’s born naturally holds two souls, and one of them (the recessive soul) is expected to fade away in childhood so the dominant soul can live on alone. Fifteen year old Eva is the recessive soul, and she tells she and ‘sister’ Ava’s story in a beautifully understated, heartbreaking way. Unlike many novels, the romance here is sweet and unobtrusive. The ending is satisfying enough to standalone, which is important, but reading the rest of the series isn’t a requirement for me. Recommended for dystopian fans. 3/5 stars

Don’t Turn Around (Aug. 28, 2012 by HarperCollins): I was extremely disappointed with this novel. The blurb pegs it as a ‘tense thriller’ but the book completely lacks tension or thrills. There was no point while reading where I felt even the slightest bit invested in the storyline or the characters despite the gravity of the situation and the stakes involved. The author had a tendency to include large chunks of exposition right in the middle of pivotal scenes, making the pacing sputter. I did end up ‘finishing’ the novel… if you count skimming, that is. 1/5 stars. 

Codename Verity ( May 15, 2012 by Hyperion): This book filled me with equal parts rage and sorrow. Although I knew (vaguely) that this book dealt with young female spies before I started reading, I had no clue that the setting was World War II, and so I wasn’t prepared for the devastation and depravity of the Nazi’s Gestapo. The story is told in exhaustive detail with impeccable research of the times, but the author’s effort was somewhat lost on me – I’m not familiar with earlier twentieth century weapons, planes, or British landscapes, so even with everything that was described I still couldn’t quite visualize it. Nevertheless, this is a beautiful, heart wrenching tale that paints a shocking picture of how far we’ve come… but also of how easily we could fall again. This will make you cry, but it’s worth it. 4/5 Stars.