WickedBy Jennifer L. Armentrout
A Wicked Saga #1
Ebook: 459 pages
Publication Date: December 8, 2014
Publisher: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rated:
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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Related Reviews: | Lux | Covenant | Stone Cold Touch |
Categories: Faerie, New Adult, JLA
Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.
Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.
But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.
The first word that comes to mind when I think about this book is meh. I didn't realize that this was possible from a JLA book at all, let alone one about the fae. Sigh. The worst part of all of this is the fact that I cannot even pinpoint exactly what it is about Wicked that I don't like. It could possibly be that the synopsis is so similar to The Dark Elements Series that I just wasn't impressed with the idea in general. Or maybe the simple fact that the fae were portrayed to be mindless enemies with a taste for blood and little else. I was taught that the faerie world is a beautiful place; not some hell-like dimension that spawns mutant blood thirsty monster things. Ugh. I hated it, and I hate that I hated it, dammit!
The characters were well written, of course. This is still a JLA book we're talking about here! Ivy is the typical kick-your-ass protagonist that readers have come to know and love from this lady's books. Ivy has no problem with telling you like it is, and drop kicking your ass in the process. She is spunky, mouthy, outgoing, and all the things I wish I was! I thoroughly enjoyed her character, although she is so alike most of JLA's female protagonists. And then there is Ren. Oh, Ren. He is also JLA's typical male love interest; cocky in a confident sort of way, sexy as hell, and a complete pain in the ass. My dream boy wrapped up in a book cover. The fact that I didn't enjoy this book has nothing to do with Ren. Let's face it ladies, JLA can write the kind of book boyfriend that you have dreams about afterward. Sigh.
I really do wish that I could have fallen in love with this story. I wanted to. Maybe I unfairly built it up in my mind so much that let-down was inevitable? Or maybe it was just that repetitive and uneventful? Maybe I read far too many JLA books..?! If you read it and have an opinion, leave me a comment! I would love to hear what you folks thought of this one. Is it just me, or did this book kind of suck?! Muah!
“Why in the world was I going to college? I could be in bed, all cuddled up and shit, dreaming about hot men with abs covered in powdered sugar.” -Ivy by Jennifer L. Armentrout
"“If you tell me to leave, I'll turn and walk away. I swear that, Ivy, but I had to try one more time. I'm not going to possibly go to my grave without trying. Please. Don't let me go.”" -Ren by Jennifer L. Armentrout
"“I bet you have the softest pair of lips out there. And I bet you taste sweet—sweeter than one of those beignets you've got me addicted to." His hand squeezed around the back of my neck. "But you got one hell of a bite—a kick to that sweetness. It'll be rough getting in there, and you're going to fight it every step of the way, but it'll be smooth once I'm there.”" -Ren by Jennifer L. Armentrout
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Ah no!!! I just picked up a copy of this last week. I was hoping it would be a good one since I've loved all her other books. I hope I find this one a little less "meh" than you did :P
ReplyDeleteAneta @ Angelic Reviews
I really do hope that you like it more than I did Aneta! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this one. Although I could be a bit biased to the faerie world, I just don't really like the way that she portrays the fae!
DeleteGood luck
This was an unremarkable read for me as well, but unlike you, I don't read too many JLA books. In fact, this is my first JLA read since I've read Half Blood (may 2011) and Obsidian (Sept 2011).
ReplyDeleteI do love JLA's Covenant and Lux Series both.. but I'm just not feeling this one! You didn't finish either series Joy?!
DeleteI read Wicked last week and I really enjoyed it. I've only recently discovered JLA's writing and now I have a bad case of serious book addiction. 22 books down so far. I love her work, her writing is sublime. Her Covenent series is my all time favorite, closely followed by Lux and Dark Elements. There is a pattern after you've read a few, similar characters and traits etc. But as you've pointed out she does create the best book boyfriends and I certainly haven't tired of them yet. Though I felt Wicked was predictable in parts, I still raced through it like a mad sugar rush. Then again I haven't read many books with faeries, so perhaps that makes the difference. Interested to see what other reviewers thought of this one.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1088361221?book_show_action=false
I am so glad you enjoy her writing! I am a huge fan of JLA; especially her Covenant and Lux Series. This one just wasn't a favorite of mine for a lot of reasons! I hope you continue to enjoy her writing style. I am absolutely looking forward to the final book in the Dark Elements Series this summer! She had better end up with Roth.. I still think Zayne is a douch canoe.. haha!
DeleteGood luck in the new year!
Thanks Morrighan, same to you. I missed out on the opportunity to vote on the whole Roth vs. Zayne ending, but it looked like Roth was definitely leading the charge. He's my pick for Layla, though I did fall in love with Zayne too (although he is such a walk-over in parts). I can't believe we have to wait until July for Every Last Breath! I'm looking forward to the February release of The Return, can't wait to see what Seth is up to! Great blog by the way.
DeleteI've only read her Lux series (excluding the last book which is really annoying me!) anyways, I loved them so I'm really hoping I'll have better luck with this one than you when I eventually pick it up. While it's a beautiful cover I never took much notice of it because it looked like a romance until I saw who it was by! Same with her white hot kiss series actually... as an author she has rubbish luck with covers!
ReplyDeleteMost recent post: http://enchantedbyya.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/the-taylor-swift-book-tag.html
I'm sorry you didn't like it. I've never read anything from this author, but I do own Wicked, so I'm planning on reading that sometimes. Have you read that? And if so, what did you think of it?
ReplyDelete- Love, Felicia
( http://asillygirlsthoughts.weebly.com/ )
I hate it when a book I am really excited about ends up disappointing me. I usually only read JLA's YA books, so I haven't read this one yet.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I finally wrote the post for the Sisterhood of the World Blogger's Award. I know it's super late, but I have been very busy with school these last few months and just didn't get around to it. Sorry about that. But it was fun answering your questions and a nice way to start off the new year. Thanks again for the nomination.
You can read my post HERE if you want. :)
Authors always seem to write such similar characters, and it's super difficult to get over that! Like John Green's books are great the first two times but then you read more and its like bad de ja vu, ya know?? Great bloggy review!!!
ReplyDeleteI actually tagged you in my latest Reader Problems Tag, it was super fun! Here it is for the questions: http://prescriptionfiction.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/reader-problems-tag.html
Aww, what a shame. This was actually one that I was looking forward to, seeing as I've never read a JLA book. I guess I should start with Obsidian, then. Great review, though!
ReplyDeleteBrittany @ http://www.spacebetweenthespines.com/
This is so random . . . but I've been reading a wholeeeee lot of fantasy lately and I'm loving it! I haven't picked up the Lux series just yet, mainly because I'm nervous about the whole alien thing lol, but I def trust your word, especially since you put me on to the Raven Cycle! Soooo, I promise I'll pick it up soon. But yeah, fantasy is pretty damn good lol.
ReplyDeleteI've seen a couple of reviews of this novel - it does seem interesting though. Great review!
ReplyDeleteBenish | Feminist Reflections
I love the sound of this!
ReplyDeleteI am just letting you know that I nominated you for the Versatile Bloggers Award. You can check out my post with all the information at that link. I look forward to reading your posts - and congrats!
Rachel @ Rachel's Reading Corner