Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

Title: Sweet Peril (The Sweet Trilogy, #2)

Author: Wendy Higgins

Pages: 371

Publication Date: April 30th, 2013

Publisher: HarperTeen

The Basic Summary: Anna White used to be your typical good girl. Now? Not so much. After finding out that her father, Belial, is a demon, everything she thought she knew about herself and the world has changed. In order to keep herself safe, Anna must carry out her father's work - mainly tempting others into sin by getting them to drink. Anna, however, is different from the other Nephilim. How? She's prophesied to be the girl saves the world, and defeats the demons. Join Anna, Belial, and old and new friends as they continue on their quest to save the world.

My Review: I can't tell if the writing got worse, or if I've just gotten more critical of the books I read. Either way, this book was just kind of.. Average. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything that would stick out in my mind. I'm writing this review a day after I finished reading this book, and I'm already starting to forget what happened. There were a few spots that had some very unexciting action, but mainly this book was about Anna and Kaidan denying their love for each other until they finally suck it the hell up and work things out. I honestly don't have much to say about this one because it was boring. I was so disappointed after reading this because it just didn't live up to the amazingness that was Sweet Evil. The entire book basically went:

Anna parties with people
Anna feels guilty about partying with people
Belial sends Anna and Kope to go recruit Nephs for their cause
Anna pines after Kaidan
Kaidan tells Anna to screw off
Anna does something that Kaidan finds offensive. Awkwardness follows.
Anna continues to pine after Kaidan
Anna visits Kaidan
Anna and Kaidan pine after each other not so secretly
*spoilery stuff that I won't share. Read the book ;D*
Kope and Kaidan go on a mission
*lots and lots of drama. This scene actually made me sad. When it happened, I was just like "NO BABY COME BACK! LET ME LOVE YOU!"
HAPPILY EVER AFTER! Sort of.

So basically it's kind of like Sweet Evil but watered down and not as exciting. I think that I built this book up in my head, and by the time I finally got the book, I had it on such a high pedestal that there was no possible way that this book wouldn't disappoint me. While I think this book was boring, I do take full responsibility for my part in the disappointment. Either way, read it and tell me what y'all think about it.

My Overall Opinion: I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. It was just a meh for me. Even then, I'd still recommend the book to anyone who asks for an angel story that doesn't read like a bad Stephenie Meyer novel *AHEM* FALLEN was that mean? That was mean. At least the concept of the book is original, and the writing is eloquent enough that it can keep you interested.

Unleashed by Nancy Holder

Title: Unleashed

Author: Nancy Holder

Pages: 382

Publication Date: November 22, 2011

Publisher: Delacorte Books

The Basic Summary: After the death of Katelyn McBride's mother, Katelyn goes to live with her Grandfather in Arkansas where she quickly realizes that something is amiss in the small town of Wolf Springs. As Katelyn tries to adjust to a new life in a strange place, she must also discover the secrets that the town is hiding.

My Review: Have any of you ever had that moment where you start a book with hope that it might be a good book, only to have those hopes bludgeoned over the head with a two by four? Yes? Then you probably know how I feel. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece, but I was expecting something entertaining, and this book failed to deliver. I'm sure you can all guess what the book is about just from looking at the cover (isn't the cover gorgeous?). If not, then I'll help you out and tell you. It's about werewolves, and this is one of the major things that pissed me the heck off. Any person with a brain in their head would know what the secret of Wolf Springs is. Seriously. It's even in the name of the town. Did Katelyn know this though? Nope. When she saw and heard werewolves, she just kinda went "Eh. Big dogs!" or she'd assume that the howling was from a group camping in the woods trying to release their inner wolves yes, it was as stupid as it sounds. No one is that stupid. I don't care who you are, where you're from, or what you do. It is not possible to be as stupid as Holder made Katelyn. We start the novel off with Katelyn watching her mother die. Sad, right? Yea, no. Holder does this thing where instead of showing you and letting you  come to your own conclusions, she just kind of.. tells you. I didn't feel particularly sad about her mother dying because the scene wasn't written in a way that would make the reader feel any kind of sympathy. After her mother dies, Katelyn goes off to live with her Grandfather, and things just go downhill from there. While in Wolf Springs, Katelyn makes a new friend named Cordelia who happens to have a crazy family. I know what you're thinking, they can't be that bad, right? Wrong. The first thing one of Cordelia's sisters said to Katelyn? "It looks like a stranger." The first thing the other sister said? "Smells like a stranger," all of this while circling around Katelyn like predators. Any normal person would have hightailed it out of there, but since Katelyn is an idiot, she just kind of stayed. Cordelia's dad is crazy as well, but he's more of a sneak-up-behind-you-and-stab-you-in-the-back crazy than a run-towards-you-with-an-ax-screaming-like-a-banshee crazy like Cordelia's sisters. They're all crazy, just different brands. I think my biggest issue with this book was that you never really saw Katelyn grow as a person. We get told that she's grown, but you never really witness it. Katelyn says stupid things, lies, and makes incredibly stupid mistakes throughout the book, but she doesn't ever learn any lessons. Everyone just forgives her for her screw-up and she moves on to something new. Basically, nothing in this book was believable. If I read a book, I want to be able to see character development. I want to see the character realize that his/her actions are stupid, and I want to see that character evolve. I don't want to read a bok about a character that refuses to take responsibility for their actions, and I don't want to be told that the character has grown as a person when it's clear that the character has not grown.

My Overall Opinion: I know it doesn't seem like it in this review, but I hated this book with  fiery burning passion. If you're looking for a good book, I'd suggest looking elsewhere. If you're looking for fluff that you don't have to think about, this book is perfect for you.

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Title: Sweet Evil
Author: Wendy Higgins
Pages: 454
Publication Date: May 1st, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen

The Basic Summary: Anna Whitt is your typical good girl. You know, the one who calls her adoptive mom to let her know she's safe, the one who turns in her homework on time, every day. She's the girl who Just Says No to drugs, an it's a good thing she does, because her well being, and the well being of the ones she loves depends on it. Anna has always known that she's, shall we say, different from everyone else. She can see the "colors" of everyone she meets, a secret she reveals to no one. When Anna meets Kaidan Rowe, everything she thought she knew about herself, and the world changes, and she's left struggling to keep the ones she loves safe.

My Review: I actually enjoyed this book a lot. Lately, I've been reading a lot of fallen angel books, and this one is by far the best I've encountered. At first, i wasn't particularly fond of Anna, she was just too.. Good. But as I continued reading, she evolved as a character, and by the end I was rooting for a happy ending. Basically, Anna encounters Kaidan ("Kai, like Thai, but yummier." Anna's words, not mine) while at a concert with her best friend, and she's immediately drawn to him. As the relationship develops between the two, Anna learns about a whole world she never knew existed, and is introduced to a life she neither wanted, or is prepared for. While there were parts where Anna was naive to the point of stupidity, she was an overall likable character, as was Kaidan. Kaidan is the bad boy of the book. As the son of the Baron of Lust (oh yes, they're not called demons in this book, the head honchos are called Barons of whatever particular sin they're supposed to tempt people to), his job is to tempt unwitting teen girls into his bed. At first, Kaidan enjoyed his role, and he excelled at it; but once he met Anna, all of that changed. This is actually one of the few things that annoyed me about the book- it's completely unrealistic that he'd sudden have a change of heart so quickly after meeting Anna. I wish that Higgins had given it more transition time instead of having Kaidan meet Anna and about a week later, suddenly having a change of heart about what he does.


My Overall Opinion: I really enjoyed this book overall, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who asked.