Review: Low Drama, but Sweet
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 17, 2014
** 3.5 stars **After finishing Torn, with its crazy-intense plot and romantic love story, Dazed felt a bit anti-climatic. There's really no comparison between these stories, but I did like Dazed, a sweet story about Aerie and the man who finally melts her heart.I've always felt Aerie was a good supporting character, a good friend to Dahlia. I wasn't especially dying for her story, but I was curious. The first half of the novella was a bit slow, not so much the plot, but there was a lot of internal dialogue from Aerie, and a lot of it was trivial details. In hindsight, I can see that it helps set up her actions and feelings, but at the time, I was thinking to myself "Why are you telling me what Dahlia and River's cabinets look like?" IOnce we hit the second half, the story picked up in intensity and I found myself caring a lot more. Jagger was an interesting character with an apparently exciting backstory. I would have loved if Dazed had included his point-of-view. I liked that he was kind and thoughtful, not afraid to love Aerie. Given that he's River's cousin, it seems that being a good guy is a family trait.The big conflict in Dazed is the relationship between Aerie and Jagger. Obviously. Due to a past relationship that went bad, Aerie is wary and untrusting. It doesn't help that Jagger's past is right in her face, pushing those insecurity issues. I believed in the conflict, and I believed in Aerie in Jagger. Fans of the Connections series will likely enjoy Dazed.Favorite QuoteThe heat of his hand against my neck flares within me and a strange urge runs through my body. It's not a need for human contact; it's a need for him, for his body to meld to mine.