Review: sweet, sad love story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 30, 2013
Every once in a while I come across a book that I just don't know how to put into words what it did to me. I will tell you now that ARSEN by Mia Asher is one such book.Where do I begin?Arsen isn't a conventional love triangle, or a sweet love story.  This is a story that will run your heart and mind through every emotion you can think of enduring. There won't be a single one left to experience. Sometimes this story gets dirty, ugly, hurtful, spiteful even and then there are times where your beats with a sweet rhythm, anticipation, lust and love.I have been trying to come up with a way to describe Mia Asher's writing--what comes to mind is poetic and lyrical.  Her words aren't just words. They somehow breathe life. There are times when she uses single words or short phrases as an entire paragraph to elicit the force of the feelings the characters are emitting. It was when reading some of these when I found myself holding my breath or smiling at the image of these words being spoken aloud.Mia Asher's characters--well you are going to love them, hate them, lust for them, hate them, cry for them, hate them and so the pattern will continue.Arsen is young (25 yrs old), gorgeous, arrogant as heck, wants what he wants, doesn't care how he gets it and yet he is sweet, kind, generous and I think wants to love again but most of all he is scared. He is scared to open his heart and he is scared of responsibility. He doesn't want to shoulder that with the guilt he already bears. You will either love him or despise him.Ben is beautiful inside and out. He is successful, hard working, full of love and loyalty. He tries to maintain strength for those he loves and his only reason to live is for his wife Cathy. Ben's character will own your heart.Cathy's character is complicated. As a woman, you will sympathize, empathize and cry for her. But also as a woman you will want to slap her, hate her and wish her unhappiness.  There are things her characters says and does that will make you rear your protective side for the men in her life but there is no way we can pass judgment on her until you have walked in her proverbial shoes. While reading there is no doubt in my mind all of you who read will judge her unkindly. All I can say to this, is one has no idea how you would react or handle the situation until one finds herself in the eye of the storm.  I will remind you that this is titled Arsen (A Broken Love Story). One's heart doesn't always use logic and reason to battle its hurt and damage.I must mention Cathy's best friend Amy. She was a secondary character but what I loved most is that she never allowed herself to be that friend who didn't hold her best friend accountable for her actions--whether she agreed with them or not. She was never that friend who said, "Everything will be fine. You did nothing wrong." Hallelujah to a strong, independent secondary character.I am still in awe that this is Mia Asher's debut novel. She absolutely wrote with a maturity and eloquence that takes many authors a few books to find, Mia was not afraid to take the risk and write something broken where there wasn't a quick fix. She wasn't afraid to write characters that got ugly and selfish who ultimately did not feel bad for their actions.Mia Asher wrote an intense broken love story and I loved it. She did a fabulous job. The part about this story that makes it a top read, a must read is the emotion and intense reactions she will bring out in the readers. So much so that even if you hate the characters or hate their actions, then she has done what a story should do to the reader and that is bring on intensity.  Reading various reactions to this book is a reflection of how amazingly Arsen was thought invoking. Enjoy the ride on this read. If I could give Arsen more than 5 stars, I would. Fantastic read. D 5+/5