ARC Review: Cracked by Eliza Crewe

 

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Author: Eliza Crewe
Pages: 653 pages
Release Date: November 5th, 2013
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Recieved From: NetGalley
Status: Ebook, Soul Eaters #1

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Meet Meda. She eats people.

Well, technically, she eats their soul. But she totally promises to only go for people who deserve it. She’s special. It’s not her fault she enjoys it. She can’t help being a bad guy. Besides, what else can she do? Her mother was killed and it’s not like there are any other “soul-eaters” around to show her how to be different. That is, until the three men in suits show up.

They can do what she can do. They’re like her. Meda might finally have a chance to figure out what she is. The problem? They kind of want to kill her. Before they get the chance Meda is rescued by crusaders, members of an elite group dedicated to wiping out Meda’s kind. This is her chance! Play along with the “good guys” and she’ll finally figure out what, exactly, her ‘kind’ is.

Be careful what you wish for. Playing capture the flag with her mortal enemies, babysitting a teenage boy with a hero complex, and trying to keep one step ahead of a too-clever girl are bad enough. But the Hunger is gaining on her.

The more she learns, the worse it gets. And when Meda uncovers a shocking secret about her mother, her past, and her destiny… she may finally give into it

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Review:

This book was really an enjoyable read! Instead of giving us endless pages of back story and making us go through the patterns of hating the heroine, loving the heroine, seeing her being completely useless then all of a sudden- wham!- she gets a personality, Eliza Crewe delivers by giving us an action packed, totally sarcastic and humorous debut novel with an edgy side!

 

Meda was an enjoyable character for me; I actually had a hard time getting used to her narrating, but I got over it quickly. She always had something witty or sarcastic to say (whether it be in her head or out loud), and I love how she is able to take care of herself, and knows how to play her 'part' well while living in the school. She totally reminded me of Rose Hathaway from the Vampire Academy series!

 

Another thing I loved about this book is its plot and backstory- the whole Crusader/Templar thing was hard to wrap my head around at first, but once I got used to the terms, it made more sense and fed into the goodness of the story!

 

The concept of eating souls, not being totally human then having your life recorded like an experiment, and having characters being brought up as soliders to erradicate demons is not something you would have in one book. Especially in a debut. But Eliza wraps it all together nicely, and makes the story totally enjoyable!

 

There were times when I thought parts were too slow or uneeded for (but I always had to remind myself that I was reading an ARC), but it was still a good story overall. I even got teary when I read that part about Uri. Another thing I like about this story is the fact that it doesn't have a conventional love story or love triangle! This story was really good, and I really can't wait for the next books!

 

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Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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ARC Review: Defy by Sara B. Larson

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Author: Sara B. Larson

Pages: 337 pages

Release Date: January 7th, 2014

Publisher: Scolastic Press

Recieved From: NetGalley

Status: Ebook, Defy (#1)

 

Synopsis (from Amazon.com):

A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and heart-racing romance.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

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Review

Firstly, I'd like to thank Sara for making such an amazing book! Defy is everything-and so much more.

Defy is a lovely story about adventure, magic, revolution, love, friendship, family, loyalty, and of course: freedom.

Alex Hollen (born Alexa Hollen), is from Antion with roots from Blevon, the enemy county. She is part of the king's guard, but after a murder, she's left alone with a dangerous secret and even more dangerous enemies. 

Alexa is a narrator I loved from the start, mostly because she could hold her own. When she loses her closest confidant, and is left alone with Rylan and Prince Damian, I started to feel sorry for her. She is tough, she is smart, she is deadly, but when she's left alone with the guys while their captured, she doesn't exactly know who she is. She's lived 3 years as a boy, and doesn't completely remember how to be just her, just an ordinary girl. We see wonderful character development in Alexa that I know will just get better in the second book!

The overall story plot was very interesting, and kept me really interested. For me, I was able to pick up on some of the foreshadowing early on and figured everything out fairly quickly, but nonetheless, everything was plotted beautifully. 

The conflict between the two warring countries was really interesting. The fallout of the war was really dark, and you see a lot of that dark tone throughout the story. I really felt sorry for the kingdom of Antion, I really did. What I loved the most was that the overall plot didn't get out shined by the romance happening between the characters (which, by the way, was a lot). 

The romance was a typical YA romance- a girl stuck between choosing two impossibly (hot) loyal guys who love her. But Alexa is her own person, and I was really happy with the way Sara tied up the romance and all the loose ends (for this book). I was a little upset for a couple of minutes, but if Sara ended the story the way I wanted her to (for the first couple of minutes while I was upset), I would've been more upset.

Sara B. Larson is an amazing author, she keeps her characters in check (for the lack of a better word), and keeps them true to themselves.

This book is DEFINITLY one to look out for in 2014! And I highly recommend this book!

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         Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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