Review: Kallos Sorrow- a darker take on the series and the perfect addition
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 17, 2013
** I received a copy of this book, free, from the author in exchange for an honest review.**General: Book 2 of the series really changes the pace. I couldn't tear myself away and finished in one sitting that had me depressed there was no more pages. Entrenched in a emotions that are so dark I found this book to be a nice addition to the YA world, touching on things many other authors don't and adding danger to the series that was previously more of a light read. Jackson continues the wonder of her extraordinarily creative twist on Greek Mythology and a love triangle that just got worse with the addition of Gabe, an angel with a secret.The book picks up literally right after the first finished. Kallos is left heartbroken and then a tragedy so much larger rocks her. A perfect choice to ruin a young girl's life, but I wish there had been a little more focus on it and a little less on the (not so tragic in my opinion) loss of Ian. Kallos however gets to learn more about herself in this book. Mysteries of the reincarnation that I had thousands of questions on after finishing book one are wonderfully summed up and interwoven throughout the book. A little is spent on her growing powers but I think the reincarnation took a backseat to the tragedy and it felt natural.I could not give this book the 5 stars that I really wished two because there were two things that just sank under my skin a little too much. The first is the time frame in the novels. I know it's an alternate world and that teens sift through "emotions" much quicker than adults. But these books only spanned about 2.5 weeks of time total and for me it was a little too unrealistic. Along with this was the realism of the love...well rectangle for lack of a better word. Four hearts are now tied up into one. While it does happen plenty I find it hard to realistically believe of a 16 year girl. I've been one and known many, those emotions tended to not be love and it had me wondering over and over how many more times Kallos would have it happen as two was a great plot device, 3 seems a bit of a stretch.I cannot wait to see what happens in the next installment as once more we have a bit of a cliffhanger! My initial opinion hasn't changed and if Kallos does pick, I'm still routing for Sean.Characters: Kallos- I have to say Kallos matured so much in this book! She no longer focused on fickle things like her hair or minute observations around her. I immediately connected with her this time around, her emotions perfectly placed and written. Until about halfway through. She shifted a bit back into unrealistic as she began to "love" more and more people and/or deepen her feelings for both the Hunter boys when in reality the relationship between her and Ian would be slightly abusive- which that being said I LOVE it. I know this is contradictory but as much as I didn't like her reactions I loved them because they were so true to people in those situations.Ian- I'm happy to say the brothers were fully formed in this book, having much more narration from their perspective. Unfortunately I still hate Ian. And I commend Jackson for writing such a wonderful character because I hate him for his characteristics, and not lack there of. Ian's reveal of his actions in the previous book, as well as his actions in this book paint his as a shallow, jealous male who only truly looks out for himself and is not reliable when needed. Now why do I love this? Because Kallos doesn't care, and that feels real of a teen girl blinded by her sudden emotions.Sean- As with Ian, Sean grew tremendously. He had the majority of the narration of the brothers and it was wonderful. Sean has all the makings of an adult male hero. Strong, compassionate, alpha male mentality and true love for his partner. I have to say if I was Kallos, I would certainly be choosing Sean!Gabe- Welcome to the new angel. He has a deep dark secret that may just push him away from Kallos, with whom he has a deep connection. Gabe is a character that needs a little bit of fleshing out. He is charming and beautiful and strong with a great sense of humor. But he seems to be missing something and if I am correct he is to become a main character in the series and I would like to see him have a little more of his angel powers and backstory so I can truly connect with him.