Review: Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

 

WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

 

Goodreads:

It starts with a whisper: “It’s time for you to know who you are…”

Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. As if that wasn’t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn’t there before.

Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her.

A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden...

 

Review:

 

What drew me to this book was the cover. I love the angel wings on Violet's back, and how she's crunched down. And the black feathers. Love it. And the blurb made the book sound amazing. I love angels. They are unearthly, different, unique, and fun to read about, because their tales can be spun in different directions. This book sounded like there would be a lot of action and drama. Love both. And there was plenty, but I wasn't impressed as much as I thought I would be. I know a lot of other people loved this book a lot, but I didn't love it, just liked it.

 

Plot: So Violet, our hero, finds out she's half angel, and that she's a mega super powered angel because who her parent is. Anyway, most of the book is about her fighting not to embrace her angel side and trying not to die from all the crap the exiled angels send her. Yeah, that's it. Yes, there is a lot of action, fights between the exiles, her and Lincoln, and her and Phoenix. Then the drama that follows her because she doesn't want to embrace. About 3/4 of the way through, she decides to embrace, and then she goes out with her friend Steph (note: this book is kinda like Hush Hush) and some bad angels show up, and Vi find out that she's some super halfbreed. Blah blah blah. In all honesty, the whole book was mostly Violet fighting against her nature and getting attacked, and then embracing and fighting the bad guys and finding out her angel parent, whose very powerful. Nothing really........different. It's a bit like Unearthly. I was hoping for something to go BAM! and not her fighting herself to embrace or not the whole book. Gag. Besides this little problem, it was okay.

 

One other thing I didn't like about this book was the way it rush. It was the third or forth chapter when Violet found out about what she is. And the chapters aren't that long. The longest one was maybe eight pages.

 

Okay, negative out the way, positive. The concept of the angels. That is what makes this book different from other books. Angels put a part of themselves in a baby if the baby's mother or father dies within twelve days of their life. Then the child grows up, and at seventeen, he/she can embrace. Embracing enhances their senses and special power if they have one. I wasn't a fan of the way Violet had to control hers, but it did create a lot of tension between the love triangle of the book.

 

Characters: I dont' know if it's me, or that I've just read to many books, but these characters are just like most. The determined, stubborn, strong, and caring heroine. The sweet and loving but secretive guy that loves the heroine but screwed up. The bad boy that has his own secret that screws over for him and the heroine. The bitchy mean girl that hates the heroine. The understanding best friend. And the evil villain(s) that want to take over humanity. Typical, but was hoping for more.

 

Don't get me wrong, I liked this book and it's characters. I loved Lincoln, even though he seemed more like a lovesick guard dog. Violet, well, read other YA heroines and she just like them, except I don't like her as much. The only reason why she didn't embrace was that she was mad at Lincoln. In the book it says she wanted a normal life, but she didn't think of the danger she was putting herself in, and that the only way she didn't have to see Linc was not embracing, until a situation made her. Selfish, yes she is. She annoyed me a bit.

 

Romance: Okay, this is where I'm actually going to rant rant. In this book, it was the stupid, shitty (excuse my language) insta-love. Lincoln and Violet's relationship I was fine with. They hung out and they fell in love, without telling each other. Violet's and Phoenix's relationship was the insta-love. It was: hang out twice, kiss on second date, hang/date/kiss for a few days, go to embrace but needs comforting and has sex (gag), and then poof! LOVE! Not. I'm not a fan of Phoenix, mostly because of what's revealed about him in the end. Sure, he did that, but that didnt' make the book any better.

 

Most of the book mentioned Violet hating Lincoln for lying to her. Always saying why too. "I hate him because he lied to me, so I'll get back at him by dating someone hotter than him." Yeah. There's the summary. But, it was clear that the boys loved Violet, or Lincoln did, and I love a good fight.

 

Ending: It was good. This was the part where I did have some emotions towards it. I hated Phoenix. I mean, manipulation? Guys are idiots (no offense to any reading this review). But it did leave an opening for the next book.

 

Future: Entice comes out this September 4th, 2012. I will read it. Usually after all of the discoveries are found and secrets come out, then the series gets better. That's my view.

 

Rating & Ending:

 

Cover:

 

 

*won this book

 

 

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