Review of Eve Series by A.L. Waddington

Synopsis:
Jocelyn Timmons does not believe she is anything special — just an ordinary high school senior, living an ordinary life full of school-work, volleyball and friends. She’s about to find out how wrong she is.

Jackson Chandler moved in to the house across the street. His dark wavy hair, green eyes and charismatic personality draws everyone to him. Everyone, but Jocelyn.

Whenever Jackson gets near Jocelyn she feels ill and dizzy. When he touches her, she blacks out and has visions of another life, in another time. As the odd hallucinations evolve and become clearer, she feels a strong pull towards the people she sees there. Frightened, she watches her once stable life begin to crumble around her and she begins to question her own sanity.

Could it be possible that these episodes are actually her own memories of a life she is living somehow, somewhere, some-when? Maybe this is time-travel or some other paranormal mysticism? Our minds often wander, but can our souls? (Taken from Goodreads)

 Synopsis:
The barrier between Jocelyn Timmons consciousness continues to dissolve as she better understands the two lives she lives and enormity of her newly discovered inherited gift of EVE (Essence Voyager Era) which allows her to fall asleep on one plane of existence and awaken on another as her soul travels nightly.

Present-day Jocelyn uncovers the vast wonderment of the Victorian era but soon learns that life then was not as grand for women as she has read in the classics. Still, she finds comfort in the support of family and friends; a bolstering contrast to her overly hectic, career-oriented family in the twenty-first century. Her love for Jackson Chandler strengthens across time and becomes the light she so desperately needs as the world she has always known no longer makes sense. Yet, the closer she is drawn to Jackson by their mutual ability, the more strain develops amongst those she loves in 2009.

On the other side of Jocelyn’s consciousness in 1878, she remains ignorant of EVE. Her life is crumbling around her, yet she finds herself anxiously awaiting the images that invade her dreams. Jocelyn longs to be the woman she portrays in that world yet her jealousy is unbearable. Miscommunication, betrayal and hidden agendas make trust near impossible. The clearer the visions become the more she questions motives of her closest confidants and foregoes revealing the images that plague her perception. As her life seems to unravel, Jocelyn’s two worlds collide, and she is enlightened as the pieces start to fall into place. But is she strong enough to survive the truth? Is Jackson really her destiny? And can their love transcend time? Find out in Essence’s highly anticipated sequel, Enlightened, Book 2, EVE series. (Taken from Goodreads)

Stars Given:
★☆☆☆☆




Overall View:
 Well... Let's start off with how pretty the cover is.  I think the cover was probably the only aspect of the book that I enjoyed.  I could list a million (exaggeration... well sort of) things I don't really like about this book.  First off, I would like to point out that perhaps the author's writing style may not be "my cup of tea."  I felt that the writing was childish in a way.  It was difficult for me to pay attention to the plot.  The author introduces too many characters in the span of 10 pages.  It makes the reader confused with all the different names and relationships to remember.  There are a lot of aspects that could be improved.  In addition to the messy relationships, the characters are two dimensional and pretty unrealistic in my opinion. What really bothered me, was the minor grammar and spelling mistakes.  I felt that since the book has already been published and read so many times, the author or the editor should have picked up on the mistakes by now (I'm not too sure if it's because I got the eBook version that there are missed mistakes).  The last thing I would like to bring up is the flow of the story.  I found that many scenes were abruptly cut and jumped to the next scene.  Overall, I didn't really like the book.  I think I got up to page 27 before giving up. 
Character:
N/A -
Description of Character: N/A

Review of Character: N/A

N/A-
Description of Character: N/A

Review of Character: N/A


*Supporting characters not listed

Read more

Review of The Hollow by Jessica Verday

Sypnosis:
When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special. Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity. (Taken from Goodreads)

Stars Given: ★☆☆☆☆

Overall View:
Judging a book by its cover, I started to read this book captivated by its beautiful cover. The summary made the book even more enchanting.  I mean, who can resist a mysterious romance story?  Well, I read the first page, and like most books it was a slow start.  I didn't really think much of it at the time thinking that it will get better.  Well, as I continued on to the next few chapters, I was getting tired of forcing myself to continue reading on.  To be honest, reading in my warm cozy bed during a cold night wasn't helping me stay focused in the book at all.  I felt as if the book was going no where.  It was a few random meetings at a bridge with some stranger.  To be honest I was quite disappointed by the time I got to chapter 5.  I couldn't make myself finish the book.  It was actually like a lullaby that only tired my eyes out.  It would have been easier if I just listened to instrumental music to put myself to sleep.  There was nothing that captivated me in this book.  I felt like it wasted my time reading the 5 chapters.  Perhaps it got better, however I wasn't captivated enough to finish it.

Characters:
Kristen - 
Description of Character: N/A 

Review of Character: N/A 

Caspian -
Description of Character: N/A 

Review of Character: N/A 

Since I didn't finish the book, I didn't have the chance to find out more about the characters to give a review about their development.

*Supporting characters not listed

Read more