Jazmine Marie

i really wanted to like this. it sounded like it had a decent premise– love the mixing of werewolves and vampires, who doesn't, right? it was more intriguing because of one werewolf and more vamps. it just couldn't really get behind it. to be honest, a lot happened and yet nothing at all happened. there were things that moved the plot along, but like, nothing of interest. it also seemed rushed towards the end; more could have happened or at least, it could have happened in more detail. luckily, it was a quick read, but it did take some time i could have used on something else. i've read another series by this author and really liked it, so i was expecting the same, but it really was just lacking...

SPOILER
the main character was not very likable; i don't really appreciate people who say that reading classics is really the only valid thing to read. and she barely changed her mind about romances by the end. the fear of spiders thing seemed to be resolved so suddenly even though it's a major plot point for causing summer to lose her job. and the finding her father thing felt random to even really bring up and solve in the first place. the book is supposed to be a mystery, but i felt like i figured out that it was doris long before she was even considered a suspect–by the end it wasn't even a surprise. the beginning really had my interest piqued, but it didn't take long to feel like the main character kept having the same thoughts over and over. i had high hopes for the book, but it just fell flat for me.

this one had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! i finished it in two days; that's how much i needed to get to the end. i'm so glad that faith finally knows about zara and the boys– i was seriously waiting for that to happen. and of course, the cliffhanger is just uuuugggghhh! i need the next book now!

wow, wow, wow, this books was really beautiful. it was such a wonderful journey about grief and self-acceptance. and it wasn't tragic. sure, it didn't necessarily have a “happy ending”, but like the main character says, “We'll be all right.” i really enjoyed the writing as a whole–lots of great sensory imagery, personification, similes, and repetition. the author really created a particular tone with the specific types of literary devices they used. this was a small portion of it, but i loved that kacen callender took time to talk about forgiveness and what that looks like–and how hard it is to say sorry and how hard it is to accept apologies. king's journey to his own truth was so well done. it wasn't done hastily; it took the majority of the book. but, when he arrived to the end, it was, like he said, scary, he did it with courage. king was a really well-written character. his grief caused him to be blind to a lot, but throughout the book, he recognized that he wasn't the only one who was grieving. i just appreciated his own willingness to accept, not only himself, but those around him. and one monumental moment was when king's dad told him it was okay to cry–it may have seemed small, but it spoke volumes. and of course, i cried each time king told his dad he loved him, and finally, when his dad said he learn because, “[there] isn't really anything to struggle with, when you love someone as much as I love you.” and although i didn't cry, it was certainly a hard pill to swallow when king came to the realization that his brother wasn't a dragonfly, but i definitely cried when he realized that his brother, “[would] stay with [him] until the end of time.”

i won't lie; i had a hard time getting into this book. i'm not the biggest fan of books in verse so i found that i read a few pages and then took a huge break. i knew i needed to give it a chance though, so i picked it up again. and wow, i could not put it down. it was emotionally driven and had me on the edge of my seat. i just wanted to know what would happen next to the main character. it really had me by the heartstrings. i highly recommend this book!