Author: Jessica Shirvington
Series: The Violet Eden Chapters
Number in Series: Book #1
Copyright: 2010; Sourcebooks, Inc. / Artwork 2012
Genre: Young Adult Fiction: Supernatural / Romance
Pages: 369
ISBN: 9781402268403
My Rating: 3.5 / 5
Content Rating: PG-13 (for swearing, some alcohol use, and implied sensuality)
First of all, I have noticed a trend in the YA fiction. Of course we started with vampires and then slowly moved to more werewolves. I often found myself asking the question, "What will be the next 'big thing'?" We've already covered wizards (Harry Potter) so what was the field going to do next?
I'll tell you.
Angels. Yep. I have seen so many angel novels it is starting to get redonkulous (oh yes, I did just go there!). However, seeing as I myself am writing an angel series, I have an invested interest in the genre and have read several of these angel novels that are currently "popular."
Here is what the book states on the inside flap:
It starts with a whisper.
"It's time for you to know who you are..."
Strange dreams leave her with very real injuries and there's a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms. The guy she thought she could fall in love with just told her he's only half-human--oh, and same goes for her. And she keeps hearing a distant fluttering of wings.
Violet Eden is having a very bad 17th birthday.
But if angels seek vengeance and humans are warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden...
Personally, now having read the book, the flap does not accurately describe what's going on. It's too vague. Plus there's absolutely no reference to the love triangle (that's so very popular these days). Here is the text from the book trailer.
Violet turns 17 today.
And finds she is more than human.
The boy she loves will betray her.
Her enemy will defend her.
In a timeless war, where angels seek vengeance, and humans are the warriors...
It will end with a choice...
Who will she... "Embrace"?
That's a little better, in my opinion.
Now, like with all other angel books I have read, 17 is the age their "powers" are revealed to them. This story is no different. However, the way Shrvington went about it was different.
Instead of simply finding out she is half-angel, Violet learns she has powers to become what is called a Grigori (half angel, half human for lack of a better definition). You see, her own mother died shortly after giving birth, and there are forces at work that if either parent dies within 12 days of birth, the child's aura allows an angel to impart a portion of its essence. These powers are then awoken at the age of 17 and the child gets to choose whether to "embrace" these new powers and fight a war, or to choose to go back to their own life... unprotected.
Shirvington also goes into great detail talking about dark and light angels (not exactly "good" or "bad" for they have a little bit of each). She also explains that what we would call "fallen angels" are actually "exiled angels" that have chosen this life over their angel life--either for the sake of power (they are always thirsty for power) or to simply experience the world as we humans do (with the five senses). They then can take human form however, the longer they are in that form the more their power slowly deteriorates.
There continues to be a great war between angels and exiles, for the exiles want to destroy all Grigori for they are the ones protecting humanity. Grigori defend themselves by sending back the exiles to the angel realm or turning them completely human. Not to mention the battle between the light and dark exiles themselves (for light an dark do not get along very well).
Violet's powers are such that she is unique. She doesn't know which rank of angel she comes from (for there are nine different ranks classified by strength, and then a tenth unclassified rank called the Sole), and all her senses are ignited when an exile is near (most Grigori only have one or two senses triggered).
So welcome to Violet's world.
Her desired "boyfriend" is Lincoln, who just happens to be her Grigori partner but they are forbidden to get close--for their powers start to drain (sounds like Hancock to me). He's extremely loyal and sweet... perfect boyfriend material! But they are forbidden to be together and the secret he has kept from Violet for over two years causes hurt feelings whens she finds out the truth.
Enter Phoenix. He's mysterious, dark, and extremely powerful. Also... an exile. If Violet is to embrace her Grigori powers, Phoenix would become her enemy. However, she is drawn to him because he has been truthful with her about her questions regarding this new life she had been thrown into. There appears to be no dishonesty (unlike with Lincoln).
So what will she choose?
If she stays human (chooses not to embrace her Grigori powers) she will become vulnerable to the exile's attacks, but she can be with Lincoln. If she embraces, she not only can't be with the one her heart belongs with (Lincoln), but the one she desires most will become her enemy (Phoenix).
Overall, I found this story entertaining and unique--especially the part about the creation story with Adam (it gave the story a unique spin, but obvious clues were dropped during that scene, which solved a big mystery of the book for me--making it rather predictable when the moment of truth arrived).
One of the biggest things I had a problem with was the swearing. There's quite a bit more than I would like to see in a YA novel. That I am certainly not fond of.
My other issue has to do with the arc of the story. Now, normally a book will start out low and then gradually climb with little climaxes that accelerate the story to one final climax, at which point it will taper back down. However, the way Shirvington did it, there were "smaller" climaxes that seemed too large, and when the story continued on--to build toward another climax--I almost had to stop and take a breath. Because of this, when the final climax did occur, it was shadowed by the previous ones and therefore losing its luster. I personally would have liked to see the final climax more dramatic, more memorable.
Also, by the end of the book I didn't feel like the story had ended. Granted, I know this is a series, but even with a series there needs to be a sense of closure at the end of each book. There were far too many loose strings to even possibly pass for a rounded story. If you're going for the cliff-hanger, do it like Becca Fitzpatrick did with Hush, Hush series and really give us a cliff-hanger of an ending...
Overall, the concept of the story was unique enough in its own way to stand out, however the story arc needed some more work: making the truly "epic" moments more epic so they stand out in brilliant color next to the rest of the story.
Is this a book I'll read over and over again? No. Will I continue the series? Possibly. Depends on what's in store for book 2 (out later this year in September). If anything, I'm just interested in what Phoenix is going to do next... (I have a thing for the "bad boys").
To summarize, I feel the following quote is very applicable and sums up this book very nicely:
"At some point, we all have to try to have a little faith that, even in the chaos, there's a purpose." - Griffin, p. 362
No comments:
Post a Comment