Sunday, April 29, 2012

Review ~ SWEET EVIL, by Wendy Higgins


Sweet Evil
What if there were teens whose lives depended on being bad influences? This is life for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil. 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 will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna. A cross-country trip to meet her father forces Anna to face the reality that hope and love are not options for her kind. When she confronts her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns? ~From GoodReads



Did SWEET EVIL pass my "ONE HUNDRED PAGES OR DIE" test: Oh. Yeah.


My faith in the YA paranormal romance genre has recently grown a bit shaky. Instant love connections, reused paranormal elements, and unbelievable characters have played havoc with my patience. To be sure, there are plenty of awesome YA PNR out there, but there are a lot that fall flat for me. So, I was hopeful, but a bit wary when I began SWEET EVIL, despite the hype. I was even skeptical of trusted fellow readers. Could this book really be that good? Yeah, it can and it was. I shut my skeptical mouth after the prologue.

So what was it that I loved about this book?

~Author Wendy Higgins' take on the Nephilim. There are so, so many books with Nephilim. So many that I didn't think I could take one more. But the Nephilim of SWEET EVIL are different. Higgins gave them a particular twist that I hadn't seen before. They are pawns in the struggle between good and evil. They each have a vice that is their "specialty". Those specialties are relevant to the era. There's addictioin, envy, gluttony, vanity, and yes, lust. Which leads me to...

~Kaiden. I loved all of the characters for what they brought to the table. But, Kaiden? He's gorgeous. He's British. His father is a Lust Demon, which makes for some serious sexy times where Kai is concerned. Kai was just...Wow. I am sort of over book jerks. You know, the guys who do nothing but smirk and shoot off at the mouth, which is all a cover for their secret pain. But Kai wasn't that guy. Sure, he can be distant and a bit off-putting, but there's a depth in him that I haven't seen in a lot of book guys lately.

~Anna was well-written, as well. She's a true sweetheart, like a lot of heroines. Anna is an innocent girl thrown into a tumultuous situation. She was kind and thoughtful and did struggle to remain true to herself. She doesn't always say the right thing or make the right decision. A lot of readers complain when the heroine reacts poorly to a situation. I call that realism. Who among us hasn't flipped the eff out when the pooh hits the fan? Now, I'm not one for hand-wringing and obsessive whining, but I like a character who is realistic. Anna is written in such a genuine manner and I adored her throughout the story.

~Lastly, and most importantly, is the writing. I've followed Higgins' story to publishing a bit. I'm so happy SWEET EVIL found a home. The love for her work, the story and the characters, shines brilliantly. Her words flow beautifully, the pacing is perfect, and the story is simply lush and gorgeous. The ending is beautiful torment. I am ecstatic about this book and cannot wait to continue the series. There better be a book two. Please, please buy the book Harper!

This is a gorgeous, seductive book. And just as the title indicates, SWEET EVIL is pure, torturous pleasure.

Favorite Quote:

" 'Because all I could think about was you, Anna, and how good you are, and what you'd think of me. You put thoughts into my head a Neph shouldn't have!' " Poor, tortured Kaiden... (pg. 250, ARC)





Expected publication: May 1st 2012 by HarperTeen

You can purchase SWEET EVIL at:
Barnes & Noble  |  Amazon  |  Book Depository (Best Price!)

You can find Wendy Higgins at:
her website  |  Twitter  |  GoodReads

Be on the lookout for my SWEET EVIL GIVEAWAY tonight!


Source: Received from publisher for review.

21 comments:

  1. Your whole first paragraph just described exactly how I'm feeling with just about everything YA at the moment. I had plans to pre-order Sweet Evil but then I didn't because of my worries with it just being another in the crowd but I'm seriousy reconsidering that now, thanks to your review :)

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  2. I was thinking the same thing.. Ugh, another YA paranormal romance!? Really? So I'm glad this one stands out because I love the cover! bahaha. Looks to have great characters though and I'm a bi character oriented reader so I'm definitely going to give it a go!

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  3. My faith has been pretty shaky too tbh, but this is one pr I am actually looking forward to read! Kaiden sounds like my kind of guy. ;) Anna sounds awesome too, I like heroines who are sweet and kind as opposed to overly sarcastic.

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  4. Love this review!! Your opening paragraph could not be better. With so many YA Paranormal romances, it is getting harder to really make something stand out and be different and awesome! I am glad that you really enjoyed this one. I love your new 100 pages or die test. I think that is a good policy to go by. It's hard to keep up with so many books, and if it's not pulling you in by then, it's totally expected that you shouldn't force yourself through it. Thanks for the fab review chick!! I will have to read this book!!

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  5. I am always cautious of Nephilim books...

    I love your review, and this book has been added to my "wishlist" with all the great reviews out recently.

    -Jac @ For Love and Books

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  6. Yay! I have this requested from the library, now I'm double excited to get it. And I am right there with you on being on shaky ground with PNR lately. Love triangles and insta-love are just bringing me to the brink right now.

    I need to adopt your 100 pages or die policy. I will DNF books but a lot of times I'm halfway through or more because I just kept waiting for it to get better.

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  7. OMG I really can't wait for my copy to arrive in my mailbox because this book sounds amazing !! Thank you so much for the great review Andrea :)

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  8. Looks like something I'll be adding to my tbr pile. Thanks for the review!

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  9. oh my gosh! Grrrr I want this book so bad!! It's ridiculous how much I want it.
    And it helped restore your love for YA paranormal, so it has to be really good. No doubt. I love how you describe the ending: Beautiful torment. :)
    Anna seems like a great character --with a lovely name If I do say so myself ;)) haha-- all I've read about her is that she a lovely and genuine main character.

    I'm glad to know that is a great writting, YAY! I hope Harper buys book 2.

    Of course Kaiden, can not wait to meet him!!! ;)) Lovely review btw! :)

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  10. I might have to give this a try. I have to admit I have been avoiding it because of the hype and the cover just screams standard bad boy YA. I know that's a little shallow on my part - I shouldn't judge without reading but like you I've been burned out by YA.
    Nice review.

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  11. I had already planned on getting it but now I'm even more anxious to dive in. "Lust Demons" - ohh laaa laaa. ;)

    I'm really glad the heroine "Anna" has some depth to her and that you found her very realistic. Great review! :)

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  12. I'm so over book jerks too! I'm glad that this books brings a whole new concept to Nephilim and that Kai and Anna are very enjoyable characters.

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  13. LOL, I hear ya about the YA PNR's out there today! Read one or two of them, and you've read them all. Nice to know this one's different, and that take on the Nephilim sounds interesting. Definitely different and that is good. Why does every book have to be Twilight all over again? We need something else.

    Great review!

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  14. Great review and I too are feeling a bit burnt out from YA. I enjoyed this twist too, but overall I enjoyed this story too.

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  15. Great review. And don't you just love when the main guy has that British Accent LOL. I fangirl every time. I'm reading this right and you echo a lot of the feelings I have about it as I'm reading along. :)

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  16. "Who among us hasn't flipped the eff out when the pooh hits the fan?" Preach, sistah, preach! So, this is two for two. I'm guessing this really is a good book. Not a fan of the title, or the cover but according to you, what's inside the book is damn worth it. Thanks for this :)

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  17. I just got this book and am soooooooo excited to read it. I love the cover!! Great review twinsie!!

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  18. Lol I passed up this book because of all the paranormal YA stories out there. I didn't think this one could manage to be original but I guess it did just that. I'm going to have to take a chance on this one :)

    Thanks for the fantastic review! I can't wait to read a YA PNR book that blows me away because its been a while since that happened.

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  19. I have to say, I love your 100 page rule. I rarely finish reading a book if I dislike it, but I never really set myself to a page limit.. I should.. I may have to use this rule myself. Oh, and so glad you are sticking to it!!! You are, aren't you? you better.

    I originaly wasn't planning to read this, the cover is too, " look am pretty and a vampire boy is about to bite my neck, oh my!" looking. but I guess since reading your review, it does sound like a good book.

    this cover also kinda reminds me of that show Point pleasant. it wasn't on for long before it was canceled. :( I liked it though .

    great review my love! Miss you

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  20. Awesome review I can not wait to read this book Love those kinds of romance/dramas
    http://izzylovesbooks.blogspot.com/

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