Review: Amazing YA urban fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 14, 2013
So, apparently Sawyer Bennett is even more crazy talented than I knew. Not only can she write hot, sweet and sexy new adult books, but, go figure, she can also write some amazing YA urban fantasy too. Who knew?In Forever Young, Charlie is a loner with no family and no friends, struggling to make it through high school without getting expelled when she's discovered by those from Semper Terra, an alternate universe. Charlie's unique ability to see daimons underneath their human facade makes her a perfect candidate to enter training in Semper Terra to become an Annihilator, badass fighters charged with ridding both our world and others of these dark daimons. Semper Terra is an amazing opportunity for Charlie. She can have a real home, friends, a boyfriend and an exciting career. If she can stay alive long enough, that is.I love urban fantasy. The melding together of the real and the unreal, especially when done well, makes for the best of stories. It makes the crazy stuff so much more believable when there's some truth involved. In this case, there are many other alternate universes, but the main one is Semper Terra, a place that exists parallel to our own world. In Semper Terra, the sky is always blue, there is no drinking age, the mermaids spout prophecies and you can fly once you get your tattoo imbibed with magic.However perfect Semper Terra is, even it is not immune to mean girls and gangsters. The school that Charlie attends to learn to become an Annihilator is very Harry Potterish. The students study subjects like magic theory and demonology. In between theory classes, they have flying lessons and weapon practicums. Sounds like a pretty awesome place to me. I've always loved boarding school stories. I think it's such a cool and noble thing to train young brave kids to go out and fight the evils of the world.And, Charlie has certainly put in her time in the real world. She saw her parents killed. The state didn't want her. She's smart and gets good grades, but the brawler in her prevented her from keeping a clean record. Semper Terra and the prospect of fighting evil daimons is the answer to Charlie's prayers. She didn't have friends or people she loved in the real world (a.k.a. First Dimension). Within days of landing in Semper Terra, Charlie makes two BFFEs - Justus and Emerson. Both these side characters were amazing. Shy and sweet Emerson and goofy and charismatic Justus were perfect complements to Charlie.And then there's Caiden. Now, Forever Young is a YA novel. Unlike the other books by Sawyer Bennett that I've read (like, her Off series - amazing, BTW), this book doesn't have any f-bombs or super sexy times. The one thing it DOES have is a super sexy guy. Caiden is the immortal, slightly tortured soul who falls in love with Charlie, and vice versa. I have to say, although I loved Caiden and Charlie as individual characters, I had a hard time believing them as a couple. The chemistry just wasn't there for me, and you don't know how much it pains me to say that.The final battle was super exciting, and the prophecy that's thrown in toward the end keeps me engaged for future installments in the story line. I can't wait to see how it all plays out. I can't wait to see Charlie come into her own. Look for the next book in The Foreverland Chronicles to come out in early 2014.