Review: This just might be my fave of the series!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 25, 2014
This is a joint review of books 1-4.5. No spoilers!It’s common these days to see people bashing authors for a number of reasons. One of those reasons I often see authors being criticized is for putting books out too fast. Often I agree with that sentiment. I’ve read a lot of stories that felt rushed, and I often think, “That story COULD HAVE BEEN great, if only.” The simple fact remains, that it wasn’t great, though. Why am I talking about this? This is supposed to be a review of Jessica Sorensen’s novels, correct? Well, I think Jessica is definitely one of those authors that can spit books out. I have a hard time keeping up with her books. But, here’s where Jessica stands out. She still coughs up these AMAZING 5 star books! I don’t know how she does it. Not to mention, she accomplishes it in various genres. I fell in love with Sorensen back with the Falling Star series. If you’re into YA paranormal romance, then I highly recommend it. But aside from there being a romance involved, it was so completely different from the Secret series, which I would much more closely relate to her Coincidence series. The point being, she can produce all of these wonderful series at such a high rate of speed that it is simply astounding! To be honest, there have been a couple books of hers that I’d wished were better edited, but it’s always simple grammar stuff that I can read through, and never the big stuff like underdeveloped characters or confusing story lines.As with every series of Jessica’s that I’ve read – the Nova series is the only one I haven’t started yet – I highly recommend starting at the beginning. They all build off of each other in a chronological order.I’m going to keep this review pretty simple, and I’ll only briefly comment on specific books. I don’t want to give too much away. There are four main characters in this series: Ella, Micha, Lila, and Ethan. They’re all college aged, and they have all had a rough upbringing. For the most part, VERY rough. So, this is a story of over-coming – overcoming depression, drugs, abuse and neglect among other things. It has a very dark side that sometimes makes you feel like you’re going to be dragged into the dark yourself, but then the light comes and it’s simply brilliant! I love characters that speak to my emotions, and these did.The plots were for the most part – intense. There are always suprises along the way. I was never for sure exactly what to expect next. Boring and predictable are definitely not the adjectives I’d use to describe any of Sorensen’s work.Negatives? If I was to rate each book in the series individually, I’d give the last two 4 stars. The Ever After of Ella and Micha simply because I wanted to drag Ella into the light a little quicker. Lila and Ethan: Always and Forever because I wanted just a little more intensity. It’s a free novella, though, so who would have the right to complain??? Plus, even as is, I’d have happily paid for it – knowing what I was getting!So, and easy 5 stars to the whole series! There’s more to come, though, for these characters. I simply can’t wait!! Well, to be honest, I can’t wait to read the next of anything she’s written. She’s easily among my top 5 favorite authors, and I read – A LOT!!