Review: Why??
Rating: 1 out of 5
Date: 04 25, 2014
I don't understand all the high reviews for this series. It isn't that I think the writer isn't talented, she is. I enjoyed reading some of her other books. Love in English was a favorite. I just don't understand why so many people like to read about such horrible things. The world is an ugly enough place with out having to create more to experience. One critic of this series writes "It takes a very skillful storyteller to bring a reader down to their knees and then punch them in the gut...kick them when they are down...only to have them screaming and tearing their hair out in the very next chapter". These are not the feelings I want to have while reading a book. There are so many negative topics in this story that left me feeling sick, disgusted, depressed, and angry. I realize things like this happen in the world and we read it in the news every day, but I can't imagine the thousands of people that read these things in the news would comment to the editor they loved reading the article and crave more. If this story were real life I would like to think people would be sickened to read about the horrible things that were happening to Eden/Ellie. Javier was a complex character--I really wanted to like him, to forgive him and hope for his redemption, but it seems the author couldn't quite make up her mind if she wanted him to change and redeem himself of all the awful things he did. There were times that I thought that he would change and I think that is why I kept reading. I wanted the love Eden offered him to be enough for him--and what a good story it could have been if that happened. I didn't like the detailed sex scenes that were between Javier and Eden. They were sick and degrading. There is so much sex written in books today that readers have become immune or desensitized to feeling anything, leaving the writers with a challenge to give them something that will make them feel that lust or excitement. It just so happens that in order to do that the sex scenes have become over the top--abusive, degrading and in my opinion doesn't leave you feeling that anything intimate or special happened between two people. It was crude and disgusting, some would say that I'm a prude to say that--that's o.k. with me. There was nothing positive or uplifting about this story. There was killing, cheating, betrayal, abuse, and sorrow all written in horrific detail. I just can't understand why anyone would want to read that and crave more stories about these kinds of things. The feelings that were bearing down on my soul left me feeling depressed and empty and I couldn't wait to get my hands on something that would bring light back into my heart and soul. I felt like my heart had been ripped out time and time again while reading this series. Like I said reading the news about all the ugly things that are happening in the world is a reality we all live with. Bad horrible things happen and there are evil people that will continue to bring their evil into the world, but I don't want to read about it. I want to read books to escape the reality that life can be ugly and sad. I want to come away from a book feeling happy and positive and this series left me feeling anything but happy or uplifted. Which is a shame because I really enjoyed reading several of this author's other books.