Aversion

Book One of the Mentalist Series

Buy in English on Amazon.de

Buy in English on Amazon.com

For Gemma Green’s first time, things should have been straightforward. Find your subject, hold their gaze and push a thought into their head to save them from future disaster – Aversion complete. A pretty simple process given that the subject was to have no recollection of the experience. But Russ Tanner doesn’t seem to want to forget. In fact the more she tries to avoid him, the more he pushes to get to know her. Gemma knows she has a problem but is she facing the side effects of a failed Aversion or has the school’s tennis champ really fallen for her?

*I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Wow, I liked this book. It’s such a smooth and easy read that it felt like Kenechi Udogu wrote it in one effortless sitting. I particularly liked the fact that she did not try to drag out the story unnecessarily to make this a ‘full length book’ but finished when she thought the story was told. There are (fortunately) more books in this Mentalist series, but Aversion was complete and accomplished in itself.

The story focusses on Gemma, a young teenager born into a family of averters – or mentalists – who have the ability to alter other people’s minds and thus change their futures. She was told all her life that she is the only female averter around, later she learns the reason: her father eloped with a woman he loved instead of marrying one that was chosen for him (one that would have born him a son as it happened for generations). Hence Gemma is special – special in the sense of unique, but also in the sense of unnatural and uncontrolled. As if to confirm her fear to be an abomination, her first aversion does not go as planned and the handsome boy who never seemed to noticed her before starts to hover over her like an obsessed teenager. Naturally, she thinks that something is very wrong with her, yet, despite her insecurity and fear, she does not break down crying and pitying herself. No, she pushes up her sleeves and tries to fix her mistake.

Aversion is also a story about trust. Growing up alone with her father, Gemma feels a very strong bond with him and trusts him without questioning. Even as she learns that she’s been lied to all her life, she trusts him to make the right decisions for the both of them. Like a good girl, Gemma tries to make her father proud. That she doesn’t tell him about the failed aversion is less a result of lacking trust than the aforementioned embarrassed to be a girl and a failure. She simply does not want to disappoint him.

Russ, too, trusts Gemma above all else. Being unwillingly drawn into Gemma’s life, he does not understand what’s going on and why he so suddenly and unexpectedly feels this strong connection with her. Yet, this quiet and thoughtful boy calmly deals with the situation and whatever explanation Gemma has for him. I really liked the ‘love’ story between the two. Gemma doesn’t know and has no way of knowing if Russ really likes her or if his attention is a side effect of her failed aversion. Nobody trained her for this eventuality.

Aversion has a great story and likeable characters. I am looking forward to reading more about this smart heroine, her loving and protective father and this sensitive and compassionate boy at her side.

There are some questions left – for example, how is it possible to control the gender of the newborn averters, only by choosing the right mother? Or why is Henry so desperate to find and punish Gemma’s father for something he did when he was 16? Did he love her too? If he didn’t it seems quite the harsh punishment for a childhood mistake – and I hope that those will be answered in Sentient, which I am reading right now.

Thank you, Kenechi Udogu for letting me read this beautiful book!

Inescapable

Buy in English on Amazon.de
Buy on Amazon.com

My name is Evie Claremont and this was to be the making of me–my freshman year of college. I’d been hoping that once I’d arrived on Crestwood’s campus, the nightmare that I’ve been having would go away. It hasn’t.
I may be an inexperienced seventeen-year-old, but I’m grounded…sane. I look for rational explanations to even the strangest circumstances. Since meeting sophomore Reed Wellington, however, nothing makes any sense. Whenever he’s near, I feel an attraction to him–a magnetic kind of force pulling me towards him. I know what you’re thinking…that sounds fairly awesome. Yeah, it would be…if he liked me, but Reed acts as if I’m the worst thing that has ever happened to Crestwood…or him. But get this, for some reason every time I turn around he’s there, barging into my life.What is the secret that he’s keeping from me? I’m hoping that it’s anything but what I suspect: that he’s not exactly normal…and neither am I. So, maybe Crestwood won’t be the making of me, but it could be the breaking of me. I’ve been left to wonder if the dark future my dream is foretelling is…inescapable.

Endlich wieder ein Buch, das ich nicht aus der Hand legen konnte!

Inescapable ist wundervoll geschrieben und hat alles, was man sich als Leser wünscht: eine spannende Geschichte mit überraschenden Wendungen, ausgereiften Charakteren und einer großen Liebe.

Die 17-jährige Heldin Evie hat mich sofort in ihren Bann gezogen. Kaum auf der Uni angekommen, erfährt sie, dass sie als Nephilim kostbares Gut für alle Engel darstellt und  ein Leben lang gejagt werden wird. Fortan versucht sie, mit der neuen Situation und ihren erwachenden Kräften klarzukommen. Sie ist allerdings kein schüchternes  Mauerblümchen wie man sie so oft in der Jugendliteratur findet. Nein, Evie ist klug, sportlich und durchtrieben, immer zu einem Streich bereit und niemals um einen sarkastischen Spruch verlegen.

Hier eine kleine Kostprobe ihrer Schlagfertigkeit:
„Good Lord, Red! Where is the rest of yer dress?“ – „The rest of my dress is on layaway. I’ll be able to afford it by next semester,“ I said dryly.

Ich mochte sie von der ersten Sekunde an. :-)

Dass Evie weiß was (und wen) sie will macht sie auch den beiden männlichen Hauptfiguren deutlich. Die Beziehung zu Russel entwickelt sich mit Lichtgeschwindigkeit und überrumpelt den Leser geradezu, was erst dann Sinn macht, als man erfährt, dass die beiden Seelengefährten sein sollen und dazu bestimmt, sich in jedem Leben wiederzufinden. Das ist ein schönes Konzept, aber so hastig die Liebesbeziehung aufgebaut wurde, so oberflächlich ist sie auch und wollte sich deshalb in meinem Kopf nicht so recht entfalten.
Das mag wohl daran liegen, dass sich die beiden von Anfang an so vertraut sind, dass es fast schon wie Geschwisterliebe anmutet. Romantik oder irgendeine andere Art der Gefühlsbezeugung sucht man (zumindest anfangs) vergeblich.

Evie scheint wohl genauso zu denken, denn als sie dem wunderschönen Engel Reed über den Weg läuft, führen die Schmetterlinge in ihrem Bauch einen Tango auf – und das obwohl sich Reed ihr gegenüber alles andere als charmant verhält und versucht, das Mädchen, das nicht für ihn bestimmt ist, von sich wegzustoßen. Im Grunde ist er ihr aber langst verfallen und versucht lediglich, dem Schicksal nicht im Weg zu stehen. Alles was ich zwischen Evie und Russel vermisst habe, fand ich bei den gemeinsamen Momenten mit Reed: Liebe, Leidenschaft, Verzweiflung und Dialoge zum Dahinschmelzen:
„We make eye contact, and there is a heat in his eyes that I can feel. My body becomes liquid; all of the tense embarrassment flows out of me, and it’s just the two of us. ... (A)ll I can do is watch Reed watching me.“

Wie man sieht, thematisiert Amy A. Bartol die klassische Dreiecksgeschichte mit einem Twist, denn Evie muss sich nicht lediglich zwischen zwei Männern entscheiden - Evie kämpft gegen das Schicksal. In meinen Augen lässt mich dies etwas am Konzept der Seelenverwandtschaft zweifeln, denn wenn Russel und Evie tatsächlich Seelenverwandte sind, warum fällt es Evie dann so leicht, sich für Reed zu entscheiden und von Russel loszusagen? Wäre sie dazu überhaupt in der Lage? Ich bin sehr gespannt, ob sie und Reed diesen Kampf gewinnen können oder ob das Schicksal nicht vielleicht doch das letzte Wort hat.

Inescapable hat aber nicht nur Romantik zu bieten, sondern auch ein spannendes Katz-und Maus-Spiel mit einem unberechenbaren Schurken. Die eindrucksvolle und unverhoffte Wandlung eben diesem vom Freund zum Psychopaten zeigt wieder einmal, dass niemand wirklich weiß, was in den anderen Menschen (oder in diesem Fall Engel) steckt.

Die Engel in Inescapable sind – wie bei Angelfall – nicht nur wunderschöne, sondern auch grausame und unmenschliche Wesen, die gerne mit den Menschen spielen. Neu ist, dass sie aber durchaus auch zu Komik und Zynismus fähig sind, wie sich an Evies himmlische Freunden zeigt, die fantastisch realisiert sind und mit ihren amüsanten Dialogen für die nötige Leichtigkeit sorgen.

Inescapable ist ein gelungener Serienauftakt. Die drei Folgebände habe ich bereits heruntergeladen und ich kann es kaum erwarten, sie in meinem Urlaub zu lesen. :-)

"I realized how much you must want me if you could resist that pull from your soul ... it is humbling, the way you are determined not to give me up.“ - Reed

Branded: Fall of Angels

Buy in English on Amazon.de

Buy in German on Amazon.de

"Judgement has been placed."

And yet another angel story. I know. Ever since I read my favorite book Daughter of Smoke and Bones again (for the third time or so), I can’t get enough of angels. 

I keep hoping to discover again such a magical, poetic story full of love and compassion like the one between Karou and Akiva.

So far, nothing could reach my expectations.

Branded: Fall of Angels, too, fails to evoke the magic I am looking for. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t like the book. The idea is original and the story has a lot of potential. The real asset, though, is the heroine I feel truly sorry for and have no desire to swap places with.

Every time she falls asleep, 20-year-old Jessica Bailey assumes other people’s identity and stands trial for their deeds in front of a jury of angels. If they find that the person she stands trial for led a condemnable life, she is branded with an X on the back of her neck. One night, though, something happens that changes the ever-alike trials and all of a sudden, her isolated life is disrupted by two gorgeous men demanding her attention.

I liked the idea of a human standing trial in front of a group on Angels – and being terrified of them. Jessica never sleeps more than three hours a day, and when she does, she waked up screaming from pain and terror. She lives secluded from other people - until Cole and Alex show up. Unfortunately, from that moment on, everything was predictable. I knew immediately who Cole who was and what he wanted. I still liked him, though. Angels are not often depicted as cruel and twisted, and Cole was masterfully drawn. He is attentive and charming one minute and cruel and manipulative the next, playing with Jessica like a brand-new toy. It becomes clear that he can do with her whatever he wants and she has neither the mental nor the physical strength to withstand him. Jessica is completely at his mercy.

Alex, on the other hand, is too one-dimensional and colorless for my taste. With everything going on, he is awfully understanding and caring, and yet not the least bit curious about what’s going on. Jessica got herself a truly flawless hero who doesn’t seem to have a mind of his own and thus simply functions as support to the heroine. His proposal comes too soon and his sacrifice looks out of place. Everything between them looks too rushed and at the same time too chaste.

All in all, Branded is a nice but predictable story without too much depth. I kept looking for a twist in the plot but it didn’t come until the very end. There could have been a little less daily life and a little more character building 

and suspense. 

"There was something in his black eyes that made me shudder. I knew he could not see my face as it was covered but something made me feel exposed and vulnerable under his intense stare."

Brush of Shade

Buy in English on Amazon.de

Silence reminds her of the accident that killed her parents and left her trapped in a mangled car. On that isolated stretch of road with the weight of all that silence pressing against her mind and body, something sinister had kept them company. Since that night a voice haunts her nightmares and snakes out to torment when she is alone and vulnerable.
Still recovering physically and mentally from the loss of her parents, high school senior Olivia finds herself living with an aunt she hardly knows in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Spring Valley, Colorado should hold the connection to her father she longs for, but that longed for connection turns out to be more than Olivia ever imaged. Behind closed doors things in this sleepy community are far from ordinary.
One by one fundamental truths are stripped aside as everything she ever believed about her family is called into question.

*I’d like to thank Jan Harman who gave me this copy in exchange for an honest review.*     

      

First of all, the book needs some serious editing. The language is choppy and inconsistent, fluent transitions lack almost completely. The text jumps from paragraph to paragraph, and from event to event without explaining or elaborating on the details. This left me very confused most of the time. In addition, there are countless spelling and grammar mistakes.

Now, I’d like to say that, once you get through the first pages, it does get better and you will be rewarded with an original, fascinating and suspense-packed story.

Olivia is a traumatized teenager who has gone through unimaginable horrors and just tries to get a grip on her life again. I can sympathize with her and I understand that, after that car accident killed her parents and left her badly injured, she just doesn’t have the strength to fight any more. She is extremely insecure and self-conscious. 

Of course, it doesn’t help her constitution that she gets whisked away by her aunt to a town full of dangerous secrets.
Unfortunately, though, I have a problem with weak and whining heroines that allow others to treat them like babies - especially the hero! Because that’s what Shade does. Like everyone else in the book, he has a habit of sending her to bed whenever she becomes too ‘emotional’.
Don’t get me wrong. I do like Shade. It’s clear that he cares deeply for her. But I desperately hoped for Olivia to emancipate herself from those locals who decide every minute of her life. That includes Shade, her one-dimensional aunt, and her less than sympathetic boyfriend. She doesn’t. She willingly accepts, obeys and excuses which is, to me, just another sign of her weakness. Olivia doesn’t manage to detach herself from her ‘guards’. She doesn’t manage to overcome her full-blown inferiority complex (sooner or later, even she has to understand that what happens around her is real and that she’s not crazy). She doesn’t manage to resolve the mysteries surrounding her. In fact, she seems to be content NOT to resolve them. If it were me, I would have strangled that close-lipped aunt of hers a long time ago.
Nobody in the Valley says clearly what he thinks or means, everyone has a secret that – for some reason beyond me – needs to be kept from the heroine. This is not only nerve-racking but also confusing. I still haven’t really understood what a Whisperer is, probably due to the above-mentioned lack of explaining. Every time I got immersed in the story, there is another mystery / conspiracy that’s not or only partially explained and leaves me hanging in the air. I like mysteries, but there are just so many of them that I lost track.

In the end, though, I enjoyed the story, and when the second installment gets a good editor and a stronger heroine, I’m up for it.

Upside Down

Buy on Amazon.de

"To fall up and to rise down."

Upside Down begins with a voice-over that introduces the spectator to the world of the film. And it is indeed an extraordinary world that we are seeing - a solar system with double gravity, caused by two worlds that are so near they almost touch. Both worlds, though, possess their own and opposite gravity. The voice from the off even provides us with the rules for this "mysterious and unique place".

1. "Every object is pulled by the gravity of the world that it comes from, not the other."

2. "The object's weight can be offset by using matter from the opposite world (inverse matter)."

3. "After a few hours, everything in contact with inverse matter starts to burn."

All clear so far?

For obvious reasons, every contact between the inhabitants of both worlds is strictly forbidden - for one, because the could not live in the sphere of the other, but mainly because the upper world, "Up Top", is prosperous and thriving while "Down Below" is poor, run-down and exploited by Up. 

Adam is a penniless inventor in the lower world who (of course) falls in love with a girl from the upper world. Henceforth, he is trying to get "up" in order to contact her. The classic theme of forbidden love between two people of opposite worlds is of course not new and very predictable, but still nice to look at. Because the chemistry between the lead actors is true and the films always manages to retain a playful ease. Adam and Eden (yes, that's their name!) are young, naive and wonderfully sympathetic characters who, in fact, had never planned to oppose the corrupt system of social injustice. 

They just wanted to find a way to be together and practically stumble over their own happy ending. 

Of course, there are logic gaps about which one should not think too much, but the concept of double, opposing gravity is refreshingly new and splendidly carried out.

Both worlds are beautiful to look at.

So who cares that the plot is clearly lacking depth?

Conclusion: nice, solid TV entertainment for lonely evenings. 

"Gravity: They say you can't fight it. Well, I disagree."

                   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Nach oben fallen und nach unten aufsteigen."

Upside Down beginnt mit einer Einleitung aus dem Off, die den Zuschauer in die Welt des Films einführt. Und der Schauplatz ist in der Tat ungewöhnlich: es handelt sich nämlich um ein Sonnensystem mit dualer Gravitation, verursacht durch zwei Welten, die einander so nahe sind, dass sie sich beinahe berühren. Beide Welten jedoch besitzen jeweils ihre eigene Gravitation. Die Stimme aus dem Off liefert dem Zuschauer auch gleich noch die Regeln für diesen "mysteriösen und einzigartigen Ort":

1. Jeder Gegenstand wird von der Gravitation der Welt, aus der er stammt, angezogen, nicht der anderen. 

2. Das Gewicht eines Gegenstands hebt sich auf, wenn Materie aus der entgegengesetzten Welt eingesetzt wird (inverse Materie).

3. Alles in Kontakt mit inverser Materie fängt nach einigen Stunden an zu brennen.

Alles klar soweit?
Aus verständlichen Gründen ist den Bewohnern beider Welten der Kontakt strengstens untersagt - zum einen, da sie gar nicht in der Sphäre des jeweils anderen leben könnten, aber vor allem, da die obere Welt, "Up" genannt, wohlhabend ist und floriert, während die untere, "Down", arm und heruntergekommen ist und von Up ausgebeutet wird. 

Adam ist ein armer Erfinder aus der unteren Welt, der sich (natürlich) in ein Mädchen aus der oberen Welt verliebt. Fortan versucht er, nach "oben" zu gelangen, um Kontakt zu ihr aufzunehmen. Das klassische Thema der verbotenen Liebe zwischen Menschen zweier gegensätzlicher Welten ist natürlich nicht neu und sehr vorhersehbar, aber trotzdem nett anzusehen. Denn die Chemie zwischen den Hauptdarstellern stimmt und der Film bewahrt sich stets eine spielerische Leichtigkeit. Adam und Eden (kein Scherz!) sind jung, naiv und herrlich sympathisch, und eigentlich hatten sie gar nicht vor, gegen das korrupte System sozialer Ungerechtigkeit vorzugehen. Sie wollten nur einen Weg finden zusammenzusein, und stolpern dabei praktisch über ihr eigenes Happy End.

Natürlich hat der Film Logikfehler, über die man nicht allzu stark nachdenken sollte, das Konzept der dualen, entgegengesetzten Gravitation ist aber erfrischend neu und hervorragend in Szene gesetzt. Beide Welten sind wunderschön anzusehen. Wen stört es da schon, dass es der Handlung eindeutig an Tiefe fehlt?

Fazit: Nette, solide Fernsehunterhaltung für zwischendurch.  

"Gravitation: Es heißt man kann sie nicht besiegen. Ich bin anderer Meinung."