The Blurb: Demons. My dad hates them. After all, it was demons who killed my mom. But then, why am I falling in love with one?
When a mysterious death disease breaks out in our small town, I suddenly find myself being hunted and accused of the cause...
... and only a demon steps out to save me.
Devilishly, sexy, handsome Hanael, with a face that must be carved by God to perfection. When he shows nothing but kindness to me, I realize there may be more secrets that my dad isn't telling me.
Thrust in a new world where demons, vampires, werewolves, and all other magical creatures exist, I must find the truth about myself, the cause of the mysterious deaths... and decide whether Hanael is even worth trusting at all.
I received this book as an ARC for an honest review.
I rarely dabble in YA/NA novels, but this one peeked my curiosity enough to give it a go. The blurb promised an amazing world and an intriguing plot and I'm happy to say it delivered on both.
After an informative prologue, we understand that we are in the midst of a dispute between the ruling Fae Kings (Dark and Light). And it's all due to a broken promise. Promises and pacts are infused with magic when it comes to the fae, and when this pact is broken, a curse is bound to follow.
Our heroine, Samantha (Sam), has lived a sheltered life. She has literally only met 5 people in her 17 years because her dad has forced her into a life of hiding so that the Dark King can not find her. When children begin to die mysteriously, the blame lands on her and her life begins to unravel as one secret after another is revealed. An unlikely savior, Haneal, comes to her aid and begins to help her understand who she truly is and what her existence means.
Overall, this was a fantastic read. The story flows beautifully and is well thought out. It is written in first-person and from Sam's point of view, but done in a way where not only she, but other characters are well-developed. The story is captivating and action-packed and Ms. Goodway excels at the plot twist.
As the reader, we are learning about this magically dangerous world along with Sam and we are also constantly second guessing who to trust and what to believe. Red herrings are being thrown at us and Sam's growth (mentally, emotionally and physically) is genuine and heart wrenching at times. Naive and dependent at first she slowly sheds that delicate skin for a much tougher one.
Hanael is an amazing hero; delicious and dangerous. He's actually a demon (a fallen angel) and the right-hand man to the Dark King. He was charged with retrieving Sam as a baby but was thwarted in his efforts. A "bond" was forced at their first meeting due to a kiss and he has protected Sam all her life without anyone's knowledge. What started as a chore has turned into devotion and when all the chips are laid out, Hanael must decide where his loyalty lies.
The attraction and pull towards one another is mutual and their growing affection is smoldering, yet sweet. We are in that YA world, so any love scenes are somewhat tame. But they are there and very effective.
Although beautifully written with vivid imagery and an elegant rhythm, a few grammatical issues did bug me from time to time. There were some wording and sentence structure issues (as if it was being translated from a foreign language) that stopped the flow of the story. This was disappointing because there was such a good flow. I would be sailing through the drama and then all of sudden, would hit these bumps. Since I did get this as an ARC, I'm hoping these type of issues were still being worked out before release.
Regardless, these were by no means enough of an issue to have me stop reading. I was glued to the pages and heavily invested in seeing it to the end. The blurb says that this book is in par with Twilight or Mortal Instruments, but I think fans of Dannika Dark or Donna Augustine would really enjoy this series as well.
I read this book in one sitting, 5 straight hours, until 2 in the morning. Like most of us avid readers, this was not the original plan. But, I could not put this book down. It was that good. And it's only the beginning.
This is the first book in the Kissed By Series and I will be waiting impatiently for book 2. Well done, Ms. Goodway! This is an excellent start to what looks to be a thrilling and memorable series.
What did you think?
