Review: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Title:  Sweet Evil 

Author: Wendy Higgins
Publisher:  HarperTeen 
Publishing Date: May 1st 2012

Pages: 453
Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance 

Series: The Sweet Trilogy #1
Source: Audio

  

     

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 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?

I have been putting this book off for a while, not really for any real reason, it just wasn’t one I was in a rush for. I have heard really good things about it but it never struck me as a book that I would particularly enjoy. I was worried this book may hit the books with too much hype list. I finally read the book…well really listened to it and I did enjoy it very much. I had a hard time defining if I loved the book or just liked the book. I am still somewhere in between but I did like it enough to grab up the next installment when I get the chance. I will not wait forever on the second book. I don’t think I loved it as much as some others I have read recently, but it was a good read.

Anna has been different all her life. She has had extra sensitive senses coming in at different ages, touch, hearing, seeing... She has some other talents too. She can sense what people are feeling and see their colors. She knows her father is in prison and her mother died giving birth. She knows the mother that adopted her is amazing and loves as she was her own. What Anna doesn't know is why she is different. Truths come out when she meets the one boy she is drawn to that makes her behave differently, brings out the worst of her, and knows why she is so different. He is bad for her but she can't stand to be a far from him. She is thrown into his world and it changes who she is and the life she lives. 

I really did like the story. It has the same ring as most of the Angel and Nephilim stories out there but had enough of its own tune to set it apart. I liked the fact that it wasn't totally off from myth but could definitely stand on its own. I liked the writing… the author has a great talent for storytelling. I was intrigued and excited to see what would happen next and I was pulled in pretty tightly. I know that this is just the beginning, it was the first stepping stone to what feels like a pretty intense story to me and it had enough in this installment to satisfy me and make me hungry for more. The author did an excellent job capturing the readers.

The characters are really what kept me from deciding if I liked it or loved it . There were times I adored the characters and other times they really infuriated me.  Anna was one of those characters that I didn't like or dislike, I either hated her or loved her. She was great for most of the book, but there were times she just really got on my nerves. She whined a bit much for my liking, but she still had her tough moments. It was so hot and cold with her. The middle of the book she was at her worst and as the book progressed she started to whine less and respond more. So in the end she grew on me and grew up a little.

I wasn’t really big on Kaiden either. I know his character is supposed to be harsh and Anna is the one to change that but he was way too wishy washy for me. He did have some swoon moments but most of the time I just wanted to slap him. In the end he did redeem himself but I still don’t feel a real strong pull to him. I did like Kopano though. He wasn't in the book all that much but I did fall for him and hope to see so much more of him in the future. He was the true bad boy gone sweet and he was less broody and more stable than Kaiden.

My favorite characters had to of been Anna’s dad and her adoptive mom. I do love how Anna’s adoptive mom was so loving, accepting, trusting, encouraging, and understanding. She was such a wonderful role model and the author dit it just right with her. She was one of the main reasons that Anna was so good hearted. Anna knew something other Nephilims did not… real love … I love how that made a huge difference. I also really liked Anna’s dad. He was a big character… he seemed to dominate the pages for me. I just adored him and the way he handled things.

There are so many characters in this book I could go on and on, but I only highlighted the ones that really stood out for me. The characters were all so unique and that was good for the story. Some I liked, some I didn’t, others I loved and hated. It was a great blend of personalities and they complimented each other most of the story. 

The other thing that really kept me in between loving and liking was the love story. I am not one that usually jumps on the band wagon about disliking insta love. I understand why it happens in books and I am OK with it most of the time but this one just didn’t feel right to me. Four days is a bit much for me. I understand that some of it had to do with Kaiden and his "talents"  but that should have been lust, addiction, nothing deep, but with Anna it was made to be deep. It didn’t fit. Even with her addictive personality and Kaiden’s lust factor, it felt forced and rushed for me. I was able to endure it though, because the story captured me… but I really didn't like or feel the love story.

I did, however, love the action scenes, the friendship, the road trip fun, sweet moments between mother and daughter, the story of mother and father, the crazy times with father, the evil, the not so evil, the good.... there were many many excellent scenes filled with lots of emotions... especially laugh out loud emotion. I am so hoping the characters grow and the love story goes a bit different int he next book to really keep me going... because the rest of the story really did rock. 

So there it is… this book is filled with lots of good stuff and not such great stuff. I did like it… a lot. I had a hard time between 3 and 4 hearts and 4 hearts won because in the end I wanted more. The book for sure brought out many emotions in me and I really couldn't walk away from it. I have high hopes for Anna and her friends further into the series. 

I really think this is a love hate relationship that lives on passion. It brought out the worst in me but I couldn't separate myself from the book. A very volatile relationship but I will make it work.