Emblaze Review

TITLE Emblaze (The Violet Eden Chapters #3)
AUTHOR Jessica Shirvington
PUBLICATION March 5th 2013 by Sourcebooks Fire
READ February 23 to 24, 2013
SOURCE From Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review

Once again Violet Eden faces an impossible choice ... and the consequences are unimaginable.

Violet has come to terms with the fact that being part angel, part human, means her life will never be as it was.

Now Violet has something Phoenix - the exiled angel who betrayed her - will do anything for, and she has no intention of letting it fall into his hands. The only problem is that he has something she needs too.

Not afraid to raise the stakes, Phoenix seemingly holds all the power, always one step ahead. And when he puts the final pieces of the prophecy together, it doesn't take him long to realise exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.

With the help of surprising new allies, ancient prophecies are deciphered, a destination set and, after a shattering confrontation with her father, Violet leaves for the islands of Greece without knowing if she will have a home to return to...

I don’t know if I have ever been as conflicted as I am right now by this book. I read Embrace last year and became a fast fan of The Violet Eden Chapters and I loved Entice even more than the first. Did I really like Emblaze? Yes. Will I continue on with the series? I don’t think so. So I am going to do this review in two parts, I’ll start off with what made me like Emblaze and then move onto why, even though I really liked the book, I won’t continue on with the series.

So, what did I love about Emblaze? This series so so action packed and Violet is one of the most kick-ass female MC’s I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. She is so head strong and physical, it’s awesome. She takes charge of every knife in the road that is thrown at her and refuses to sit back and be protected by the men around her. She is more than capable of kicking ass and taking names and is by no means afraid to do so. I also adore Lincoln, he is a total alpha and utterly oozes sexiness to me. He knows Violet so well and is perfectly willing to take a back seat because he recognizes just how capable she is and is constantly praising her for it. Those are the two characters that are most talked about from the series but I have to say that the supporting characters here are just as great as the main ones. Everyone from Hades bar owner, Dapper to Violet’s father are so well developed and feel like they are just as important as the heads of the tale.

I also have come to really love the unique angel lore that Shirvington has so expertly weaved. The back history of the exiles and the role of the Grigori in the grand scheme of things all comes together so well to create a backdrop of an epic war of the worlds. I definitely appreciate that while this is a tale of angels and those that have fallen, it does not feel like a religious tale at all. There was even a scene where Violet had mentioned seeing someone praying and was uncomfortable with doing so herself because that had never been a part of her life. I am always so pleased with the authors ability to have such religious figures be so present in the story and yet make religion feel like a subtle undertone to it all.

So at this point you are probably thinking “that is all so positive, why would you not continue on with the series?” Well I really think that the angst is what has killed it for me. Through the three books in this series that I have read I have loved Lincoln and Violet and thought that there reason for fighting their attraction to one another was well done and believable. I understood why they fought it so adamantly and while I wanted them to be together it made sense why they weren’t. But by the end of Emblaze I have to say I am over it. I am done with the back and forth. I mean these two people KNOW that they are soul mates, they ache when they are around each other and they ache even more when they are apart. I had hoped that we would get some resolution and togetherness from them by the end of this one but I really felt like there relationship went no where, and I can’t deal with them fighting it anymore. The worst part is, had they decided to stop fighting the attraction when Emblaze ended, I most definitely would have continued on with the series so I could have had the pleasure of finally reading about them together. But this is an instance where it’s just getting dragged out far too long and it’s really becoming quite tedious and too annoying for my taste.

My reason for not continuing on is totally a personal reason and I know a lot of people probably won’t agree with it but I am just ready to say goodbye to the characters. I will definitely read spoilers to see where these characters go in the last two (possibly 3) books in the series but I won’t be putting myself through them, that’s for sure. So take this review as you will, it’s a positive review that ends in an unhappy way I guess.

Entice Blog Tour Stop (Review)

TITLE Entice (The Violet Eden Chapters #2)
AUTHOR Jessica Shirvington
PUBLICATION September 4th 2012 by Sourcebooks Fire
READ November 03 to 04, 2012
SOURCE Sourcebooks Fire for the blog tour

Violet Eden is Grigori - part angel, part human. Her destiny is to protect humans from the vengeance of exiled angels.
Knowing who to trust is key but, when Grigori reinforcements arrive, it becomes clear everyone is hiding something. Even Lincoln. The only thing Violet does know: Phoenix's hold over her is more dangerous than ever.
The race to find the one thing that could tilt the balance of power brings them all to the sacred mountains of Jordan, where Violet's power will be pushed to the extreme. And the ultimate betrayal exposed.

Entice is the second compelling book in The Violet Eden Chapters.

I read Jessica Shirvington's Embrace about a week ago and was so happy to have waited this long to read it because I had Entice sitting on my shelf just waiting for me to grab it and pick up where the action left off. And does it ever, the second instalment in The Violet Eden Chapters is chalk full of hot romance and intense action at a pitch perfect pace. Not only is this novel graced with perfect timing, but it also stands out for the unique angel lore that is beautifully interspersed in the pages.

We definitely got our fair share of action in the previous novel in the series but in this follow up we get to see Vi once she has embraced and is officially an active Grigori. I love Vi's determination and her independence, it really shines through in this novel (even though it gets her into trouble a few times as well.) While she does come across as pretty thick headed at times, she is easily relateable in her constant rollercoaster of emotions. Always there to stir up her emotions is her Grigori partner, Lincoln. Let me just say that Linc is as swoon-worthy as ever, if not even more-so in this one. I love him so much! His constant need to protect Vi but also his ability to step back when he needs to is spot on for a love interest. I love how he is always there for her but fully prepared to let her deal with things on her own if she asks, and she definitely has a lot to deal with as the plot unfolds.

The novel starts off with a bang and there is constantly a mission, filled with action, and new threads to the story being excellently weaved into the plot. We have the grigori and the exiles in a race to be the first to discover the ancient scriptures mentioned at the tail end of Embrace and the path to discovery is filled with forks in the road. Between Onyx feeding them tiny hints of information and a traitor in their midst the grigori have a lot of hurdles to jump over to get to the truth. Also, Violet's past is coming back to haunt her in the form of Phoenix who is back once again and it leading the exiles in their hunt.

I had worried that with the return of Phoenix we would have to suffer through the return of the love triangle, but that wasn't the case at all. The romance is definitely hot and heavy between Vi and Linc and while there is memories of her feelings for Phoenix, it is left at just that, memories. The unique take on angel lore really comes into play in the romance aspect of the novel as we meet Nyla and Rudyard who are grigori partners but are also together in a romantic way as well. But grigori partners can't be together in that way, right? Well a whole new world is opened up here and I loved watching it unfold.

This series is full of likeable characters and action to keep you flipping the pages. Upon finishing up Entice I realized that my love for angel books must be officially solidified. When action, fantastic characters and a unique take on the subject are all present there is a story that I am easily lost in. Those are elements that are strong and at the forefront of Shirvington's novels so I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a good read.

This post is part of the Who Will You Entice? blog tour brought to you by Sourcebooks.

Embrace Review

TITLE Embrace (The Violet Eden Chapters #1)
AUTHOR Jessica Shirvington
PUBLICATION March 6th 2012 by Sourcebooks Fire
READ October 18 to 20, 2012
SOURCE Soucebooks Fire for review

It starts with a whisper: "It's time for you to know who you are..."

On her 17th birthday, everything will change for Violet Eden. The boy she loves will betray her. Her enemy will save her. She will have to decide just how much she's willing to sacrifice.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, EMBRACE is a compelling novel of good and evil, seductive desires and impossible choices. A centuries old war between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity chooses a new fighter. It's a battle Violet doesn't want, but she lives her life by two rules: don't run and don't quit. If angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden.
LINCOLN: He's been Violet's one anchor, her running partner and kickboxing trainer. Only he never told her he's Grigori--part human, part angel--and that he was training her for an ancient battle between Angels and Exiles.
PHOENIX: No one knows where his loyalties lie, yet he's the only one there to pick up the pieces and protect her after Lincoln's lies. In a world of dark and light, he is all shades of gray.
Two sides: Angel or Exile.
Two guys: Lincoln or Phoenix.
The wrong choice could cost not only her life, but her eternity...

I always find myself quite wary going into an angel book. I'm always nervous that the story will delve too heavily into religion and that it will start to feel preachy and begin grating on my nerves. But, really, if I look back at my track record with such books it's actually been quite good. There is most often a unique spin put on everything and it often feels like religion takes a back seat to the drama and romance of the story. Embrace was no exception, the angel lore was utterly unique and the romance was downright swoon worthy. Upon finishing, I admit, I sat there and questioned myself over and over again about why I enjoyed it so much; it was pretty cliché and there was a very predominant love triangle but I think in this case those things just.... worked.

Another thing that just worked for me in Embrace is the characters. Violet was a strong, snarky chick and I really enjoyed that about her. Her flip flopping between her emotions did get the odd eye roll from me but I always have to remind myself that I am reading about a teenage girl, having been one myself, I know all too well that flip flopping and heightened emotions is definitely par for the course. She was a thinker, I didn't find that she was too hasty in her decision making, which is always a relief as well. Her best friend Steph was someone that I enjoyed in every scene as well. Her little quips were hilarious! I do feel that she was way too quick to believe everything about the angels when Vi broke the news to her, I mean it took like 5 minutes for her to believe her. I would have definitely thought she was on some hard drugs before I believed any of the story.

The real gem for me in this story was the romance. Yes, there was a love triangle but for me both of the love interests were pretty swoon worthy and I think I was just due for some good swooning. Phoenix was strong and protecting and while he did get a little possessive at times I could just feel how much he emotion he had for Vi. And Lincoln... LINCOLN.... I loved him. He was so sweet and thoughtful and he just pulled at my heartstrings all throughout. Normally the minute I sense a hint of a triangle I head for the hills but I think it was the set up here that made it work. I loved that we were brought into Vi & Lincoln's relationship once they already had a deep friendship going. That was a great call on the author's part because it didn't feel as if it was moving too fast at all, the foundation was already there and we got to watch it grow and change.

Jessica Shirvington has got me hooked on this series with its pitch perfect pacing and swoon worthy romance. I sat down and before I knew it I had devoured 300 pages and was dreading the end of this fantastic story. I am happy to have read it this late though because as I look at my bookshelf, Entice is sitting there just waiting for me to pick it up and dive in, and I will be doing so very soon!