Book Review: Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

***2012 Debut Author***
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: March 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (US)
Pages: 367
Series: 1st in a series
Acquisition: received an ARC for review

Summary:

It starts with a whisper: “It’s time for you to know who you are…”

Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. As if that wasn’t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn’t there before.

Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her.

A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden… (from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
If I had to pick one word to describe how I felt after reading Embrace it would have to be breathless. The tension in this book is fantastic. Emotional and physical and everything in between. There is such a raw sense of feeling behind this story that I dare you to read it and not be swept away.

Part love story part myth - full of action, suspense and mystery. Also full of love triangles! Ok, only 1 but 1 is enough. Now you have to understand, I absolutely hate love triangles. Being completely honest, books with love triangles stand a better chance of being thrown across the room then they do earning a place on my bookshelves.

So! All I have to say is that Jessica must be some type of magician. Because not only did I love Embrace, I loved the entire story - love triangle and all.

It was really the myth behind the story that really drew me in. The angel hierarchy Jessica created is intriguing and I loved the ways in which angels have played a part of human history. The whole concept of bad or dark angels has always fascinated me and Embrace, for me at least, takes this concept to a new level.

Along with a fantastic storyline, Embrace also has strong characters. I loved some and I hated others and it was wonderful.

Final verdict:
A refreshing read for me. While I love paranormal stories, they can be a bit over the top at times. Embrace was a perfect balance for me - believable situations mixed with unbelievable realities. I highly recommend Embrace and I can't wait for it's sequel. I really don't know if I'll be able to hold off ordering a Australian or UK copy!

Overall Rating:

5 / 5 Stars

Linkage Love:
Author's website
Goodreads
IndieBound

These covers are all beautiful!

The Violet Eden Chapters

US Release by Sourcebooks Fire

Embrace (March 2012)

Entice (September 2012)

Emblaze (March 2013)

Originally released in Australia by Hachette

Embrace (October 2010)

Enticed (March 2011)

Emblaze (October 2011)

Endless (2012)

Released in the UK by Orchard Books

Embrace (October 2011)

Enticed (March 2012)

Released in Germany by Random House

Erwacht (April 2011)

Verlockt (February 2012)

Gebannt (August 2012)