Review: Culture Shock
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 07 8, 2013
I do not believe that this book would have as many 4 and 5 star reviews if it did not have Kristen Ashley`s name attached to it.  While I am a diehard fan of Ms. Ashley`s many genres, "With Everything I Am" is not  an example of her best writing.Sonia is too simplistic as a lead character.  Other than her mysterious illness, there is nothing intriguing about her as a character.  Like Leah in "Until the Sun Falls From the Sky", it is odd to have a female lead at 37 years of age behave in a way that is twenty years younger.  I`m not sure why there is a need to infantilize Sonia.  She is 5 ft 9 inches, and while I understand that this is three or four inches shorter than the average female werewolf, the overuse of "little" is bewildering.  At 5`7", it has never crossed my mind to refer to friends at 5`3" as little.  What we are left with is little Queeen Sonia who is loving to everyone.  It`s just too shallow a portrait.A major flaw in the book is Sonia`s lack of curiosity about Callum.  Sonia is whisked away to her new life by Callum who refers to her repeatedly as "human" and there are many comments about his different culture.  How odd, then, for her never ONCE to ask what HE is or what his culture is.  It`s just not believable.As king of the werewolves, Callum is a typical alpha-male.  No problem with that.  The strongest part of the book is when wolf culture is explained and how it contrasts with vampire society.  We get a little taste of Callum as an action hero, but this is drowned out by his "baby doll" behaviour.When Ms. Ashley is able to create such different plot lines, it is disappointing that her lead female characters all speak and act in a very similar fashion.  Something extremely frustrating in this novel was is the overuse of parentheses.  Sonia hates the food (but really loves it).  She doesn`t like how Callum kisses her (but really loves it).  We get it after the second time.  Don`t hit the reader over the head with a hundred of these.The premise of three different couples coming together to save the world is great.  It is evident that Sonia and Leah are going to morph into stronger characters.  It is just disappointing that they have to be so juvenile in the meantime.