Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1)
By Wendy Higgins
Published: May 1, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Paperback, 453 Pages
Embrace the Forbidden
What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?
This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.
Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns? --GoodReads
 |
| 4 stars |
Review
Hrm. This one is gonna be tough to review. It's great, but it's also not great. Bnaiovmaklfjopekmbko!!!! I am so not in a writing mood today. This is quite difficult for me to put into words, but here goes nothing.
Let's start with the cover and summary.
Cover: so cheesy, I can taste it. Seriously. Girls in long flowy dresses have become so overrated these past few years. Come on, especially with a creepy guy in the background!
Summary: equal cheesiness level. It tells us close to nothing and is so repelling. It's hilarious to watch my friends read it and ask me why I even bothered to read it. However, it's still really worth reading.
In this story, Satan is in charge of a committee of 7 Dukes, each representing one of the 7 sins. These dukes are "fallen angels" = demons. As Dukes, it is their job to influence humans to make bad decisions. Although they cannot directly make a person choose something, the Dukes can whisper into their ears. These Dukes can produce offspring by possessing human females, who usually die after/during labor from the strain of giving birth to a nonhuman soul. These half demon children are called Nephilim; it is their duty to continue their father's legacies by continuing the spread of the Duke's influence. If they don't follow their orders, they are killed (and unfortunately, they always end up in hell). Anna, the main female POV is born from a guardian angel mother and demonic father. Anna's father is the Duke of Substances (drug dealer) while Kaidan's father is Duke of Lust/Pleasure. Anna, as the female heroine, naturally falls in love with the kid that oozes pheromones and danger.
Not many others are too enthusiastic about the the two main characters - Kai[den], and Anna. It's really funny how stereotypical these two are. Anna is a goodie-two shoes girl who can't possibly do anything wrong in her life like, ever. She's a devout daughter of God, she gets good grades, she never lies and she always follows the rules. She's SO not the person you'd expect to fall in love with bad-boy.
That's right. A half-demon boy that sleeps with other women on a daily basis to relieve his "needs." Yup, you heard me right. His needs. As a man. Er- Demon...thing. Ya know.
I really don't understand what's so attractive about a guy who JUST HAS THIS BURNING PASSION AND NEED to sleep with other women every night. Oh, Anna, where did yo' common sense go?
Tone: Was very dramatic. Uber dramatic. Like, kind of hilariously dramatic. But because this story is so captivating, it's really unnoticeable until you take a step back and really look at it.
I do have a confession to make. I love it when the main characters have super powers. I loved the fact that all Nephilim, induding Anna and Kaidan, had super senses and special abilities, which vary depending on their father's "sin." A big check in my book when it comes to the fact that Anna and Kaidan never get sick and are able to withstand high levels of alcohol, not to mention other harmful physical attacks. Nothing is worse than a super heroine defeated by a glass of alcohol.
Then again, Anna and Kaidan DO make somestupid questionable decisions here and there....but you'll have to read the book to find out. *wink wink*
Style: I really like Wendy Higgins' writing style, and it's so easy to get lost in the story [ good "lost" ] - no matter how unrealistic or fake the characters are. It's so natural and so easy to relate to. Sweet Evil is narrated, first person, by Anna. I love reading first person POVs because I like reading how the character feels and thinks at a certain moment in the story. It allows me to connect with the character on a deeper level than with an omniscient narrator. (Which is why Harry Potter should have been written in first POV!!!!) I kept flipping and flipping the pages, until, whoa! Am I finished already?! If only physical exercise time went that fast, amirite?
I did not, however, enjoy this book's conclusion. It was a job left unfinished. Obviously, not as much time was taken in the end of the story compared to the wonderful beginning of the story. It's really quite a shame, because Higgins was really going somewhere. She probably ended it so quickly in order to scrape up as many readers as she could to read the rest of the trilogy. There are more elegant ways you can end the first book of your trilogy! Find a conclusion that slyly leads readers in for more.
I'm really wondering how she will write the second book because I don't see where this book is leading. It got especially confusing in the last 100 pages or so when Higgins introduced 4 other characters. Clearly made to separate the two love interests, these poor characters just muddle the pile of who'sitsandwhatitsgalore even further. Love triangles that are comprised completely of Nephilim (the worst kind of relationships according to Dukes) are S-C-R-E-W-E-D with a capital SCREWED. There's no real plot line other than the fact that Anna has to survive being half angel and *gasp* half demon. Anna basically has to look like a bad girl in order to not get in trouble with the other demons. I found it equally ironic that Demons praise the mischievous, but punish the angelic.
Goodness I'm tired. Okay, time to wrap this up. Overall: it's okay. I would recommend it because I like the idea of angels and demons and Nephilim in the world that Higgins creates and I love it when female POVs have superpowers. Read it if you like fluffy LONG pleasure reads, but don't read it if you're looking for something really *cough* intellectual....or quick. The second and third books don't come out for quite a while. So don't read it if you are impatient. Hrm. Well, that's a wrap.
Happy reading everyone!
Purchase Sweet Evil here: Amazon/ B&N/ TBD
Let's start with the cover and summary.
Cover: so cheesy, I can taste it. Seriously. Girls in long flowy dresses have become so overrated these past few years. Come on, especially with a creepy guy in the background!
Summary: equal cheesiness level. It tells us close to nothing and is so repelling. It's hilarious to watch my friends read it and ask me why I even bothered to read it. However, it's still really worth reading.
In this story, Satan is in charge of a committee of 7 Dukes, each representing one of the 7 sins. These dukes are "fallen angels" = demons. As Dukes, it is their job to influence humans to make bad decisions. Although they cannot directly make a person choose something, the Dukes can whisper into their ears. These Dukes can produce offspring by possessing human females, who usually die after/during labor from the strain of giving birth to a nonhuman soul. These half demon children are called Nephilim; it is their duty to continue their father's legacies by continuing the spread of the Duke's influence. If they don't follow their orders, they are killed (and unfortunately, they always end up in hell). Anna, the main female POV is born from a guardian angel mother and demonic father. Anna's father is the Duke of Substances (drug dealer) while Kaidan's father is Duke of Lust/Pleasure. Anna, as the female heroine, naturally falls in love with the kid that oozes pheromones and danger.
Not many others are too enthusiastic about the the two main characters - Kai[den], and Anna. It's really funny how stereotypical these two are. Anna is a goodie-two shoes girl who can't possibly do anything wrong in her life like, ever. She's a devout daughter of God, she gets good grades, she never lies and she always follows the rules. She's SO not the person you'd expect to fall in love with bad-boy.
An Ode to the British Guy Named Kaiden Who Also Happens To Be the Main Love Interest
Kai is a guy
Oh Me OH MY.
He's really quite English
Oh my gawd, he's delish
He's on the top rung!
With his proper tongue
He woos the gals
And loses his pals
He's outgoing - not shy!
He'd be a really nice guy-
But - (with that butt...)
He's just a man-slut
That's right. A half-demon boy that sleeps with other women on a daily basis to relieve his "needs." Yup, you heard me right. His needs. As a man. Er- Demon...thing. Ya know.
I really don't understand what's so attractive about a guy who JUST HAS THIS BURNING PASSION AND NEED to sleep with other women every night. Oh, Anna, where did yo' common sense go?
Tone: Was very dramatic. Uber dramatic. Like, kind of hilariously dramatic. But because this story is so captivating, it's really unnoticeable until you take a step back and really look at it.
I do have a confession to make. I love it when the main characters have super powers. I loved the fact that all Nephilim, induding Anna and Kaidan, had super senses and special abilities, which vary depending on their father's "sin." A big check in my book when it comes to the fact that Anna and Kaidan never get sick and are able to withstand high levels of alcohol, not to mention other harmful physical attacks. Nothing is worse than a super heroine defeated by a glass of alcohol.
Then again, Anna and Kaidan DO make some
Style: I really like Wendy Higgins' writing style, and it's so easy to get lost in the story [ good "lost" ] - no matter how unrealistic or fake the characters are. It's so natural and so easy to relate to. Sweet Evil is narrated, first person, by Anna. I love reading first person POVs because I like reading how the character feels and thinks at a certain moment in the story. It allows me to connect with the character on a deeper level than with an omniscient narrator. (Which is why Harry Potter should have been written in first POV!!!!) I kept flipping and flipping the pages, until, whoa! Am I finished already?! If only physical exercise time went that fast, amirite?
I did not, however, enjoy this book's conclusion. It was a job left unfinished. Obviously, not as much time was taken in the end of the story compared to the wonderful beginning of the story. It's really quite a shame, because Higgins was really going somewhere. She probably ended it so quickly in order to scrape up as many readers as she could to read the rest of the trilogy. There are more elegant ways you can end the first book of your trilogy! Find a conclusion that slyly leads readers in for more.
I'm really wondering how she will write the second book because I don't see where this book is leading. It got especially confusing in the last 100 pages or so when Higgins introduced 4 other characters. Clearly made to separate the two love interests, these poor characters just muddle the pile of who'sitsandwhatitsgalore even further. Love triangles that are comprised completely of Nephilim (the worst kind of relationships according to Dukes) are S-C-R-E-W-E-D with a capital SCREWED. There's no real plot line other than the fact that Anna has to survive being half angel and *gasp* half demon. Anna basically has to look like a bad girl in order to not get in trouble with the other demons. I found it equally ironic that Demons praise the mischievous, but punish the angelic.
Goodness I'm tired. Okay, time to wrap this up. Overall: it's okay. I would recommend it because I like the idea of angels and demons and Nephilim in the world that Higgins creates and I love it when female POVs have superpowers. Read it if you like fluffy LONG pleasure reads, but don't read it if you're looking for something really *cough* intellectual....or quick. The second and third books don't come out for quite a while. So don't read it if you are impatient. Hrm. Well, that's a wrap.
Happy reading everyone!
Purchase Sweet Evil here: Amazon/ B&N/ TBD
I really liked this book. I usually don't go for angel books because they're all pretty cheesy, but I thought this one was pretty good! Great review :)
ReplyDeleteJesse @ Pretty In Fiction
Yep, I hear ya! Thank you! Happy Valentines Day!
Delete-Rosie
Well, Anna and Kai sound like they have an interesting dymanic to say the least. I am not sure how I would feel about the cheese and stereotype factor...
ReplyDeleteBrandi @ Blkosiner’s Book Blog
Yep. I mean, you should give it a try, it's actually not a bad pleasure read. Good luck!
Delete-Rosie