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“Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.
Dark Faerie Tales wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Quick & Dirty: This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Emblaze was so action packed, filled with steamy romance, forbidden love, and an amazing cast of characters. Once I started I couldn’t put the book down.
Opening Sentence: She didn’t have to see him to know he was there.
The Review:
Violet’s life has been a roller coaster ever since she found out she was a Grigori, which means that she is part angel and part human. She seems to attract exiles like a magnet and they just keep coming for her. Violet is very powerful, but she has just started learning how to use and control it. There is a big fight coming and she needs to be prepared if she expects to come out of it alive. Things are really rough right now between her and her Grigori partner Lincoln. They happen to be soul mates and are madly in love, but if they act on their feelings it could eventually destroy both of them. But staying apart is proving harder than either of them dreamed. Their souls yearn for each other so much that it is physically painful at times to resist. Can they stay apart and survive the pending doom coming their way?
Phoenix is an exile that Violet once cared about, but he betrayed her and now he is trying to do the unthinkable. He wants to open up the gates of Hell and release his mother Lilith. In order to do this he needs to get his hands on the scriptures that the Grigori currently possess. He is ruthless and will go to any lengths to get them, even hurt people that Violet cares about. It doesn’t take Phoenix long to realize that he will also need Violet if he wants his plan to succeed. As prophecies are deciphered they are lead to the islands of Greece and Violet can’t help but think that she may never make it back home.
Violet is such an awesome heroine. She knows how to take care of herself and she’s not afraid to totally kick butt when she needs to. She has a fun spunky attitude and she is very independent. She tries to put on a tough guy act but she has a vulnerable side as well. She cares deeply about her family and friends and she will do anything to protect them even if it means sacrificing herself. She does have some girl moments that show some of her weakness, but it just made her more relatable. Honestly, I loved being inside Violets head. She is an amazing character with a great voice. I can’t wait to see where her story goes.
Lincoln is Violet’s partner and he happens to be a total hottie, but having a relationship with him is forbidden. Violet has had a crush on Lincoln for years now and they recently found out that they were soul mates. As in their souls actually yearn for each other and they have this unbreakable connection. The more time they are around each other the harder it is for them to stay apart. It’s actually really heartbreaking to see them together, but at the same time it is so sweet. They have this amazing chemistry and they care about each other so much. Lincoln would do anything for Violet and he is an amazing guy. I love him and I hope that they eventually get their happy-ever-after.
So I have to confess that lately I have had a thing for the bad guy in books. Phoenix is the villain in the books, but he also happens to be totally in love with Violet as well. I’m not going to lie, he is my favorite character in the books. In the first book he got his heart totally broken by Violet, but he has never stopped caring about her. He has steamy chemistry with Violet, and I felt my heart break for him when she continually rejects him. Even though he is ruthless at times, he still has a very caring side that shows through at rare moments. He wants to find his place in this world and he feels that by bringing Lilith back he will find it. Probably my favorite chapter in the whole book is the one that is told from Phoenix’s point of view. I know that he’s the bad guy, but I just can’t help but love him.
This was an amazing book. From the very first chapter it is action packed and I was totally hooked. The story is so intriguing and the plot was full of twists and surprises. The romance is steamy and heartbreaking at the same time. I loved all of the characters, they are developed wonderfully and I connected with all of them. Jessica’s writing is captivating and beautiful. I will admit that the ending almost killed me because there is a terrible cliffhanger and I am dying to know what happens next. I would highly recommend this series to anyone that enjoys YA Paranormal, it is honestly amazing and it will not disappoint!!!
Notable Scene:
I stopped outside a department store window and stared at a mannequin wearing a beautiful, strapless, black dress with an intricately laced bodice from which fabric flowed to the floor in a sublime drop, a long slit in one side. The model was emotionless even though it showcased one of the most stunning dresses I’d ever seen. I locked my own reactions down and tried to replicate her numbness while I waited.
I didn’t need to turn to know when he was right behind me. He was so close, I could feel his breath on my back, feel the flickering emotion he was sending me, the kind that wrung my insides in terrible delight. I focused on being like the mannequin.
“Stop it,” I said through gritted teeth.
He moved to stand beside me. The pushing eased and I could breathe again.
“That would look ravishing on you. Would you like me to buy it for you? I could even throw in the ravishing if you like,” he said, teasing and not at the same time.
I looked down the street. A moment before it had been filled with city-goers, hurrying from buildings, heading out for the night or trying to get home. Now, it was quiet. Apart from a few hesitant passersby, it looked like the area had been evacuated. Even the traffic had lightened considerably and seemed to creep past, as though the engine sounds were somehow muted. I knew it was
Phoenix; I just didn’t know if it was an illusion he was creating in my head, trying to give us some sick kind of privacy, or if he had poured something terrible into the minds of those surrounding us, something so awful that they had fled.
I could see our reflections in the window. He was taller than me, though he often slouched. He always dressed smartly these days.
Today he was in black pants and a charcoal shirt. He looked both handsome and dangerous, and I couldn’t help staring at his hair in the glass—the way light danced across the black roots that were illuminated by ripples of deep purple and strands of dazzling silver. Even in the image bouncing off the window, it was mesmerizing.
He was watching me too. I knew what he was thinking, standing there surveying me the way I had him, and I hated that we looked so good together. I could feel that he hated it too.
FTC Advisory: Sourcebooks Fire provided me with a copy of Emblaze. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.”
“Talk about a cliffhanger ending... UGH! When does the next one come out?”
Danielle Benich wrote this review Thursday, April 11, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I liked the 1st book, was disappointed by the 2nd, but the 3rd book was fantastic. I kept my eyes glued to the pages as the characters went through turmoil. It was a rollarcoaster ride of love and lust, mixed in with bad ass action. I loved it from start to finish. ”
devin m wrote this review Tuesday, February 5, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Guilty pleasure, Twilight-like”
myanaga wrote this review Tuesday, January 8, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“CD”
Xtine wrote this review Tuesday, November 20, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book was the best yet!!! AMAZING”
Naomi wrote this review Friday, October 19, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“That really weird to have the third on already written, but I have to read the second one first”
Kobi wrote this review Tuesday, July 24, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I loved this series! It was amazing! I always suggest this book to people. The violet eden chapters are so addictive and totally unputdownable. Dont let the cover discourage you. ”
Christina J wrote this review Saturday, May 19, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“With the scriptures in hand Violet has a terrible decision to make, hand over to Phoenix the instructions to opening the gates of Hell or risk the life of someone she cares for. But after the first failed attempt to hand over a dummy copy to Phoenix, Violet is not willing to risk anyone's life. So, with the scriptures now in Phoenix's possession Violet and her Grigori friends are now on their way to Greece to try to prevent the end of the world, but they don't go alone.
Larissa wrote this review Monday, April 2, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
With her every move being watched by both sides, and her soul connection to Lincoln becoming increasingly more painful then pleasure the more they are together, the thought of taking out Phoenix was becoming ever more an option to her, despite what it would mean to her own life. But there is more then just her relationship with Lincoln and her connection with Phoenix to worry about, there is also the thought of what she will tell her father when, or if, she returns home.
Emblaze fires her soul, torturing Violet for denying it the one thing she wants so badly but will never have, Lincoln body and soul. But while she and Lincoln struggle with a true love that can never be, Phoenix struggles with a love that never really was. Rejected and scorn, Phoenix's revenge will be enacted on the world through the resurrection of Lilith. But if Lilith is returning she is not doing so alone. An unashamedly romantic story that is hard to resist.”
“Can this series get any better?
Fallen Angel wrote this review Friday, December 23, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Violet has some huge choices to make in this book. Where she stands with Phoenix, how much she should be telling her father who is getting increasingly nosy, how she can better protect the friends who know about her life as a Grigori, and probably the most important one, how does she stop Phoenix from freeing one of the most evil people ever known to walk the earth.
Violet once again stuns with her depth and emotion. She feels so alone after she figures out that Lincoln, her soul mate, his not only distancing himself from her because of their connection, but is shielding himself from her as well. They are growing ever apart and it hurts Violet more and more each day she sees him and it’s driven home once again that she can’t have him.
Shirvington has done such a good job in building this story that one can completely see where Violet is coming from. Usually when teenage girls feel that they have no choice but to do something stupid if they had just talked to someone about it everything would have been solved in the first ten pages, and I am normally so frustrated I want to slap them or throw the book across the room. But Violet really doesn’t have anyone she can talk to when it comes to the crunch in this book. Lincoln has for all intents and purposes rejected her, Griffin her leader and mentor is in a different country and if she doesn’t make a decision people she loves and who are helpless, will get hurt.
The one thing that did start to grind on me though towards the end was her continuous mentioning of her soul hurting. Yes, we know Lincoln is your soul mate. Yes, we know you can’t be together. Stop whining about your stomach ache because you have a broken heart and get on with it. It was mentioned just a few too many times for me especially towards the end. It probably grinded a little more because I am still on team Phoenix and still don’t like Lincoln that much.
I will admit, Lincoln grew on me a bit in Emblaze, but only in the “oh, so he is a person with feelings” way. Lincoln is too aloof for my tastes whereas Phoenix shows his vulnerability and his bad boy charm for Violet to see. Phoenix also has his heart in the right place, he may eventually kill Violet, but he does still care in the fact that only he is allowed to kill her, and he will kill anyone else who tries, I like that in a man.
Once again I loved the history woven into this story. The integration of Lilith and historical events that Shivington has linked back to the Angels, everything is so seamless and seems so effortlessly part of the story that it makes everything about the world she has created that much more believable and grounded.
I really can’t say too much more about Emblaze without falling into squee territory, it is absolutely fantastic. Shirvington once again drew me in with her incredibly emotional yet action packed writing. She once again left me with a two day book hangover because I just can’t get this series out of my mind. October 2012 is far too long to wait for Endless but I will still be waiting with eagerness.
Find this review at storywings.com”
