Monday, September 12, 2016

Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Review)


Genre:
YA, Supernatural
Publication Date:December 8, 2014
Pages:300
Published By: Author
Series:The Wicked Saga #1
Review copy:E-copy Purchased
Buy it:
Amazon ~ B&N ~ Chapters



Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.

Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.

Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.

But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.



  His brows lifted.  "She could kick ass, therefore she was hot."
  My fingers tightened on the stake.  Okay.  So Merida was a badass, and I guessed that was better than saying I reminded him of Belle, the Stockholm victim, and now I was oddly flattered.  "This conversation has taken a weird turn."
  Oh my God, I was groping him   his shirt.  Could you grope a shirt?  I was pretty sure I was groping his shirt.
  Dropping my hands, I took a step back and bounced into the brick wall.  Total stealth move right there.  I wanted to kick myself.
  I had to act fast.  Cocking my arm back, I threw the dagger.  It spun through the air, hitting the fae in the chest, sinking deep.  A startled look crossed the fae's face, and then he too disappeared in a flash of light.



  I have never not enjoyed a JLA book that I have picked up.  However, I also try not to pick them up when all of the hype flares up and I stick to her paranormal/supernatural books.  Admittedly I picked this one up because the hype for Torn was in the air, and it was on sale.  That doesn't mean that I didn't want to sooner, but more it just felt like the right time.  This YA read was just what I needed when I picked it up.  I guess it's more upper YA, with a little light NA flare.  OH, yes this book has something a little different and I enjoyed the ride.

  Okay, so along with hiding from the hype and not reading the raving reviews, I actually had no idea that this book was about the Fae.  Yup...  Totally for whatever reason thought Vampires.   Not that there is anything wrong with Vampires but it's more I read by what I feel fits at that time and Vamps just weren't it.  So when I picked up Wicked and figured out it was about Fae, I was so believably in.  I loved the characters, I loved the plot, the pacing...  Well, I loved the pacing once it really took off.  I had a slower start, despite the fact that the book picked up in action really quickly.  I also loved the vibrant setting.  It was depicted wonderfully,  without going over board and drowning its beauty.  By the last page I found that this was a marvellously balanced book.

  Ivy was not a damsel in distress by any means.  She's lost everyone that she loved and spent her life fighting for those she lost.  At times I found it a little monotonous, a little predictable.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing but I did pick up on this a couple of times.  What made me enjoy her was, her snark, her consistency and her strength.  Ivy was not a naive little girl or an overly hormonal teenager.  She had lived her life training to fight like many others, yet she did work for more.  Ivy is focused on her 'job' but wants more in her life and I admired that greatly.  She was an anomaly in some ways, and this is what made her original and fun to read.  Confusing take I know but I honestly don't know how else to describe Ivy...

  I think the secondary characters were spectacularly done.  Everyone.  It's so easy to love Val and Ren.  Val because she is quirky, has no filter and is the kind of person you have as you best friend without hesitation.  She is not as big of a part of the book as I would have liked, but she definitely added her own something to the pages.  Ren was your typical save the day, I'm top secret but will share with you kind of guy.  However, I did enjoy what he brought to the table.  He did kick up the steam factor and brought a little extra snark and flare into Ivy's life.  He was also a lot different than I expected from start to finish.

  Wicked is not a book that will ride quietly into the night.  No it has loudly demanded that I find a way to get a physical copy in my hands, and one of its newest partner Torn.  For me Wicked lived up to the hype that was risen because of it (though I didn't read any reviews just saw it everywhere).  I will look more into these books and continue to pick them up well after their release date because I think it gives me the chance to enjoy it for my own reasons, not the reason everyone else did or have it flop because of too much hype.

1 comment:

  1. Glad you enjoyed this one. I did, too, but only mildly so. Lol. I hope you'll enjoy the next book!

    ReplyDelete

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