Review: Objective Achieved!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 9, 2014
~My soul is a hurricane, but everything is fine when you’re standing in the eye of it. I just can’t seem to find the eye and stay in it.~Back in the fall I was given the opportunity, while guest blogging on another site, to review an upcoming book for an author I hadn’t heard of. As I stated in that review, I wasn’t sure going into it, what to expect. At first glance, I wasn’t completely hooked by the blurb. But that, combined with the unique book cover, left me diving in head first. And let me tell you; when you let go and fall willingly down the rabbit hole, what a phenomenal ride it is! Tug of War BLEW me out of the water and squashed any doubts I had. Larsen had hooked me for life! Fast forward a few months and during one of my many daily parousings through Goodreads, I happened to notice that Tug of War was now part of a series. Say what?! <cut to me jumping (internally) for joy> I read the blurbs. I devoured each and every word, and I ran to Facebook to see what other information I could gather. Finally, the day arrived and Objective appeared on my Kindle. And thus the journey began again…~“Mags, there are two types of tragedies in life. One is not getting what you want, the other is getting it.”~Where as the first book was solely about the main character and her family dynamic, this book revolved around mystery and intrigue. There weren’t very many love scenes, but I found I was so entranced with the storyline that I didn’t even miss them. We begin the book with a flash forward prologue. Right out of the gate we know that someone is stalking our main character, Magnolia (Mags). So for the remainder of the book you are filled with a sense of dread and inevitability. As we are brought back to the present, we learn that Mags is running for her life. After experiencing something so traumatic that she has no other choice but to flee, Mags is looking for somewhere to lie low, all while constantly looking over her shoulder. Through circumstances beyond her control, she believes she took a life. Not only a life, but the love of HER life.~It’s now that I realize no one can be saved. This game is going to end badly for everyone, and I’m okay with that.~Through flashbacks, we are made privy to how Magnolia and Cane’s relationship began. On the surface it appeared as if the previously sheltered young girl fell in love with the quintessential bad boy. But the thing about preconceived notions is that they almost always are deceiving. This was never truer than in Objective. Cane was a victim of circumstance and desperately wanted better for his life. Once he met Mags, his road to redemption was never clearer. Experiencing the love between these two, though brief, made it that much harder when we were thrust back into present time.In the present, Mags tries to numb her pain through avoidance and alcohol. Isolated from everyone, those who do try to break through her barriers are met with strong resistance. Every thought, every emotion, ever fall, I felt them all. As she sunk into a pit of despair, I was right alongside her. This story was so beautifully written, I simply didn’t want it to end. It was raw and gritty and full of angst; the perfect storm for my reign of bliss. I ate it all up and came back begging for more.The way that Larsen wove this tale through flashbacks and present time flowed effortlessly until the two timelines finally merged. And when they meet, the stuff really hits the fan! For the remainder of the book I bounced from hope, to fear, to hopelessness, to anger, to grief and back around the carousel again. I was on a rollercoaster of emotions, enjoying a ride I never wanted to end. I freefell into the depths of despair, dreading the outcome. When everything eventually comes to a head, as all stories must do at some point, the action is non-stop and I found myself flipping back pages more than once to read it again. Not because I was lost mind you, but because they story was SO good I immediately had to re-read a few parts. I literally lay in bed until three a.m. finishing this book, knowing I would have to get up for work in three hours. It didn’t matter; I HAD to know how it ended.~Regret is a nasty thing. It breeds and feeds on your soul, breaking you down like compost until you’re nothing but dirt.~Though Objective only barely correlates with Tug of War, it was clearly setting the stage for the next book. How that all ties in, well, you will just have to wait and see. One thing is for certain: Larsen gives good words. She opens up her chest and allows you into her soul. And for those perfect few hours, you are wrapped in a cocoon of another world, one in which you know you’ll emerge from changed.