Burn Bright Book Club: Embrace by Jessica Shirvington
Belinda:
Cover
I have a 4th edition copy (I think), with thanks to Renee. It has a black backdrop, purple flourishes, eye popping title font and an beautiful innocent brown eyed brunette representing Violet.
Characters
I liked that the players were relatively few in numbers. Their roles were well defined and I couldn’t imagine the story working as well as it did without each and every one of them.
Favourite
Phoenix – An odd choice. Granted he’s not a model exile, but he makes Violet smile when not much else is.
Least Favourite
Violet’s Dad – I realise he’s an absentee parent for a reason, but that is no excuse. In the real world I would hope that someone would call family services on someone as self-centered as he is.
Beginning
Violet is dreading her 17th birthday, mainly because it is a constant reminder of the day her Mother died. The people in her life begin acting weirdly and she’s expected to do a whole lot of growing up in an incredibly short period of time.
Storyline
As far as ultimatums go, Violet is left with a life or death situation. Life isn’t supposed to be fair … but seriously?
Ending
The ending is sweet, and makes a nice change from the emotional upheaval of the last half of the book.
Thoughts
I think this book would have been more appealing if Violet was able to create a bond with Magda. Considering there were really only 3 female characters in the book, Violet spends most of it looking for justification and validation from only the guys. I felt she was overly reliant on male leadership, and not enough value was placed on the vital role of a really good girlfriend.
That being said, I did enjoy the book for its unique take on angels and I applaud Jessica for not sending me to the dentist with sickly sweet overtures.
I have a feeling in future books Violet will kick some serious exile butt. I just hope she learns to do it without the constant need for approval by her male counterparts.
Quote
“Jesus.”
“No. He wasn’t there.” ~ Steph and Violet talking.
Krista:
Cover
I love the color purple. For the U.S. cover it shows her back to us, with pretty white wings and feathers to represent the story.
Characters
There is a love triangle between Lincoln, Phoenix and Violet. With some minor characters to help support their stories.
Favourite
I was going to say Phoenix, like Belinda. But I am going to say Griffin, kind of grumpy but brings some fun to the story I wasn’t expecting.
Least Favourite
Here I do have to agree it’s Violet’s dad. It always gets to me when parents are so mean; gets my emotions all riled up.
Beginning
With all the emotions and changes that Violet’s going though she frustrated me in the beginning. Her impulsiveness was frustrating for me at times. As the story progresses her emotions become more understandable to the reader. On her birthday, things with Violet will start with a bang, so many things to deal with all at once.
Storyline
Centuries old war, fallen angels and the protectors of humanity. Lincoln is her trainer and love interest. Phoenix is there to pick up the pieces when she breaks – also a love interest, bad boy. And a battle between Angels and Exiles which catches Violet in the middle. If she trusts the wrong person, it could be detrimental.
Ending
Loved the ending. It was on a high note for me. Something that will definitely get you wanting to pick up the next book in the series.
Thoughts
I have read a lot of Angel stories over the past 2 years. It becomes overwhelming, but when you get a story like this one that has a very great mythological twist to it, that’s unique to the rest of them, it’s worth the read. I have to say that I was not a huge fan of some of the characters, and their relationships to each other. What I really enjoyed was the world building and stories behind the different beings, what they stand for and the battle that must happen. There is also a lot of lusty, more mature sexual adventures in this story than in most YA. Some heavier topics, like rape. And the battle is handled a little more darkly as well. It will be interesting to see where the rest of the series goes.
Quote
Smiling at the phone, my fingers fumbling over the keypad quickly. ‘Yup-see you there!’
I deleted the exclamation mark and counted to thirty before I allowed myself to press send.
Lisa:
Cover
We all know the saying, “don’t judge a book by it’s cover”, and we all also know, that we all do it anyways! Looking at the cover of a book, I’m looking for three main things, originality (it shouldn’t be able to match any other book in its genre; it shouldn’t be generic), it has to give the readers a hint or idea of what the story inside might be inside, and lastly it should give off a good vibe. The cover of a book is like a first impression, it’s everything. And I’m glad to say Embrace has all three! The cover is unique, and it lets the readers know a little about the story.
Characters
There were a lot of interesting characters in Embrace.
Favourite
Two characters really stuck out to me and caught my liking! Both in different ways. While Lincoln had me going “awwh!” out loud while reading Embrace, Phoenix was dark, sexy and mysterious!
Least Favourite
I can’t really say thatI dislike any of the characters, but I do wish the reader could learn more about some of them. How did Lincoln become an angel?What’s his story? Who is Phoenix really? Did Violet’s mother know that Violet was going to be an angel? I just had a lot of questions while reading, but I’m sure they’ll all be answered in the second book!
Beginning
With her seventh birthday coming up fast, Violet is already dreading it. Birthdays aren’t just birthdays for her, instead every year they just remind her of the death of her mother. But things this year aren’t the same, and won’t ever be again. Violet’s life changes dramatically!
Story Line
Throughout Embrace, Violet has to make the decision of whether to accept becoming an angel. Many factors come into play, but when Violet’s close friend and angel partner, Lincoln is badly hurt and laying in his death bed, Violet has to decide quickly what she wants to do. Become an angel and save Lincoln, or forget everything and go back to a normal life, leaving Lincoln left to die.
End
The ending is nothing like I thought it would be. I don’t want to say anything at all, because I don’t even want to give a little bit of it away!
Overall Thoughts
Embrace was something totally new, and fresh! I’ve never read anything like it, and I couldn’t get enough! If you haven’t read it yet, and are looking for something about angels and don’t mind it being over 300 pages long, this book is for you!
http://www.jessicashirvington.com/
Paperback, 382 pages
Published March 13th 2012 by Hachette Australia (first published March 6th 2012)
ISBN139780734412393
