Review: EXCELLENT Series!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 9, 2014
*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*I've never read a serial series before, so I was quite interested in this story for that angle.  Plus the story idea sounded like it would be intense and compelling.  Boy, was it.From the first few pages, I had an emotional connection with Tessa.  She just spoke straight into my heart and I found myself wanting to hug her.  Her life is pretty rough: they've lived in 13 places in 8 years, having a new identity at each place.  She can't do the things she loves (like art) because they can't leave behind anything personal, and she is the only one in her entire family that doesn't have psychic abilities.  Oh and someone is trying to kill her.When she met Tristan, she was very resistive.  I didn't blame her, she's had a tough life.  I was kind of peeved at her family for pushing her, because her reasons for not getting close to people were valid. However, it all worked out, because she fit with Tristan.The first serial in this series was the perfect little bite of the story -- enough to establish all the characters, get a good sense of Tessa's situation, and fall in love with Tristan.  I absolutely loved how the author was able to finish the book in a way that wasn't a cliffhanger, but was so compelling that I couldn't get book two open fast enough.Book two was much more intriguing, because everything was established and there was so much mystery happening.  I was able to predict a couple of things that would happen, but others completely floored me.  I was proud of Tessa for how she started coming into herself.  Sure, it was because of a guy -- but really, it was that she finally took a chance on another human being.  For so long, she kept herself cut off from the rest of the world - for a good reason - but that shaped who she was as a person.  That coupled with the way her family treated her, and running for her life, that she refused to do more than just survive.Sure, she makes some bad decisions, but I don't know that I'd have made any different decisions than she did.  Of course, the last few chapters were intense and I actually yelled NO a couple of times.  The end just left me blown away, because it was such an excellent way to end the book.  And it made me VERY grateful to be on this tour -- I don't think I could have waited to find out what happened next.Book three was very different from the first two installments -- it was Tessa coming to grips with some hard truths.  I thought the author did really well at balance in this book -- Tessa needed Tristan, but she also was so upset about what happened.  Tessa was learning all these secrets and lies and truths, and she didn't respond well.  I hated what happened to her, but I thought it was just a great way for the plot to go.  This story was definitely well thought out and although I could predict a few things, I was still fully engaged in the book.  I finished all three in one night -- that's how compelling they were.And now, I must wait until SUMMER to know what happens next.  I am happy that at least book three ended much like book one -- a rounded out end with enough intrigue to make me want more.  This serial is something that changed the way I viewed reading -- and I will personally probably look at more serials in the future.  But it is also action-packed and an excellent story I highly recommend!