Published: October 4th 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Count: Paperback, 342
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book: Amazon
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Their love was meant to be.I saw this book popping up throughout the book blogging community and I fell in love with the cover, the synopsis and the author Leigh Fallon, who is the cutest thing ever and has an amazing online personality! I can honestly say I had some high expectations of this novel and while it wasn't perfect, I did really enjoy it, but mostly because I'm interested in how it will unfold in the next book.
When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRÍs.
But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction. - Good Reads
In this there is.... let me warn ya....
Yes, there is some major instaluv. But it didn't necessarily distract from the story... and I'm thinking (and hoping) there is more to the relationship than meets the eye. I did find myself more attracted to the love interests brother and hoping there would be some sparks - it almost felt like some were stirring, but I think it might have been my imagination, because they quickly disappeared. I can handle instaluv sometimes, but normally it isn't my cup of tea and I often find myself attracted to those series where the love grows over time, because it makes that moment where they finally realize it or overcome obstacles all the sweeter. But as I said, I think there is something a little sneaky and something that will be potentially surprising to this instaluv attraction, so I'm going to let it go and ride it out until the next book and see where Leigh takes us, because I still have this little feeling in the back of my mind that this is not going to be a cut and dry love story.
The big winner of this novel was the lore and the setting. I was totally taken by Ireland and the entire mythology of the novel. It was fascinating and quite different than a lot of what I've read recently or really ever. I'm totally into it and I can wait to learn more. Sometimes it felt a little bit like there was a big information dump, but in all honesty, I would totally have 152 questions if I was in Megan's shoes. And in a way, I kind of liked the information dump, because it laid a lot of it out on the table, unlike another book I read recently (hmph) that totally withheld, which completely disappointed me. Giving information > Withholding information. There was still enough information withheld to keep you wanting to learn more though, but it worked in a good way.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. I even slept on my opinion and let it stew, just to be sure, because last night I had some small issues with the book and wasn't exactly sure how I felt, but after much thought, I really think this series has potential and I'm excited to see where it takes me (and I definitely don't regret buying it)!
4 out of 5 Hello Kitties!
LMAO at the "instaluv" warning. That's awesome.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I'll read Carrier of the Mark or not...I hear many good things, but I have a pretty low tolerance for InstaLuv...instalust, I can handle, because that's closer to reality. Instaluv, though, is pushing it, at least for me...
Ahaha, thank you! I spent over an hour working on that! I actually studied graphic design when I was younger, but it's been a long time since I've played around on Photoshop. ;)
ReplyDeleteInstalust totally makes sense! That's usually how relationships start. ;D Yeah... I don't want to spoil this, but there is an underlying hint (an outright stated by some characters in the novel) that this is a "false" attraction (not exactly true love, but perhaps it might be because of their paranormal powers, which I'll leave out in case of spoilers), so I'm interested to see if there is any truth to that! Because if there is, there might be redemption as far as the love story goes, because as of now... it's not doing much for me.
Thanks for commenting, BJ! Hope you have a good week! :)
The curious case of instaluv :) Great review Liza! I admit I always cringe when I read about instaluv, but I'm still pretty interested in this book. As you said the setting is interesting and not many books apart from Fever feature Ireland.
ReplyDeleteThat's it! I need to read this book! :) Great review.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same. Sometimes I can handle insta love, but most times not.
ReplyDeleteSeems like this book is a hit or miss based on other reviews I've read. Glad you enjoyed it overall. I usually sleep on my thoughts too, just to be sure
I'm super tempted to steal your Insta-Luv graphic. It's so perfect for those books where heroine meets hero and SUDDENLY A WILD DECLARATION OF LOVE APPEARS.
ReplyDeleteBut that aside, great review. I pretty much agree with everything you said. I'm interested to see what happens in Dawn of the Knights!
Me and Instaluv aren't friends. However, if I know about it before hand I go in prepped for it and I tend to like a novel better. The world-building sounds pretty amazing. I've heard good and bad on this one, but I think I'll see if the library has it. Awesome review, Liza!
ReplyDeleteThe instaluv aspect has me worried. I've read that in review after review and most say they were able to get past it. So... maybe I can too. The setting and the mythology and all that DOES sound awesome though! So we'll see if I pick this one up, I'm not quite sure yet.
ReplyDeleteOh awesome! You liked it after all. :) Will have try to read this soon.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so we both totally shared the same opinion about the book! I'm not always a fan of instant love stories, but you're right, you can definitely tell there's more going on at that we're told so it works. And I loved the setting and paranormal aspects as well... it made the book fun. And while we're told a lot of information at once, I liked how it kept the plot moving so there was always a fast pace.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!! :)
I love books. I love the smell, the feel of paper on my fingers. BUT... *cries* I hate instaluv. Words cannot express how much I hate instaluv. That's why I didn't like this book. The transition from avoidance to kissing (in this book) is unbelievable. *cries harder* It's good that you enjoyed it though. In fact, I'm glad someone enjoyed it. haha!
ReplyDeleteOkay... I will stop this now.
Great review, I've had this on my mind for a while so this may be in the next buy list =)
ReplyDelete-Shellie
I'm really looking forward to this one. Insta-love is annoying but almost expected in YA! Great review. I'll be reading it soon.
ReplyDeleteGiselle
Xpresso Reads
I've heard a lot of mixed reviews on this one... I can't wait to start it!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like Carrier. I have a feeling there's "more to the story" in regards to Megan & Adam. I think Rian will def play a huge part in book two.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited for Carrier of the Mark because of the Irish stuff, which I adore. But the instalove definitely is a concern for me. Hopefully it's like you said and there's more to it or a change of direction coming somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad that you enjoyed this! :D
ReplyDeleteI really don't like insta-love, I can stomach it sometimes, depending on the author and how its written, but usually it will annoy me.
So I'm glad to see that you enjoyed it anyway! & now I'm not so scared to pick it up off my shelf haha.
Great Review!
-Kate