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zippy_julz's review against another edition
5.0
Rating Clarifivation: 4.5
I loved all of the books in this series and consumed all 3 in about 3 days. The world built by the author was unique and the characters were charming. The only reason I didn't give this a 5 star rating is because there was no concepts that lingered with me after they were finished. That being said, they are a fun, easy read and I will be snatching the 5th book by this author as soon as it is published.
I loved all of the books in this series and consumed all 3 in about 3 days. The world built by the author was unique and the characters were charming. The only reason I didn't give this a 5 star rating is because there was no concepts that lingered with me after they were finished. That being said, they are a fun, easy read and I will be snatching the 5th book by this author as soon as it is published.
foreverbeautifulbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Central is the second book in a Trilogy called the Daughters of Saraquael Series. Book one had a lot of world building, and it had enough romance tossed in for it to not be over whelming and overbearing for me, as a young adult series. As I started in on Central I noticed that is was even better. I think because Raine was too great at building the Estilorian plain and the mythos behind it, that I could settle in and it all just seemed like magic exploding in my brain. I’m going to just explain the things that I really liked and some things that frustrated me as far as the story was concerned but it is a natural frustration.
First off, I’m a big fan of a good villain. For me villains have to intrigue me to the point where I almost want to meet them and go toe to toe with them, and they are demented enough to be willing to cross any line to get what they want. The villain in this story is very much all those things, and of course to top it all off, he’s pretty much a hunk, a demented hunk, but still a hunk. I don’t know if I was there if I would throw myself on him or kill him. He has that effect on you. You have to rationalize that you know once you have outlived your use, he is just going to stab you through the heart and kill you. Or rape you and kill you. There is no graphic detail in these books which sort of adds to the whole mystery of just how evil he is.
Secondly, each sister I like. If I had to pick one that I didn’t totally connect with at first it would have been Olivia, the lead in this book. However, once the story went on, I realized that her insecurities made me connect with her very much. I mean I am athletic like Amber and I am flighty and disorganized like Skye, but the idea that Olivia is just not sure, she had to think things out, and then she feels sort of like the odd one out and the plain one out of the sister is where I fall into place. I think she was the perfect addition to the series and I’m very glad her book came second or I think by the time book three rolled around I wouldn’t have found that connection I did with her.
The storyline as a whole is in depth; it pulls you in and doesn’t let you go, even at the end where you are going. “Ok, next book please!” The characters are so developed, I feel their pain, their thoughts, and how they cope with what they really are. If I had to pick one thing that I didn’t totally like, was the lead male in this story. He worked so well with Olivia, but he wasn’t ‘Alpha’ enough for me. But Caleb and Gabriel are well Alpha enough for the whole Estilorian plain so I was ok with that. There needs to be just one that isn’t growling in that dominant voice MINE! And James was that one for me. I mean he was protective, he was smart, he was great at combat, but he is not my favorite male. It does not diminish from the story, because once you know Olivia, you realize that he is her perfect match.
I have to say, I’m very worried about the jealousy that these woman have brought out in this race. I mean it is very real, it is believable, and I worry that it could possibly cause something chaotic, more so then it has before. And now that our villain Grolkinei has discovered the girls can get pregnant, he has a whole new plan of action “YIKES!” And as a side note, I like Angius for some reason. (He is a villain of course, what can I saw, I see raw Alpha power and I turn to goo!)
First off, I’m a big fan of a good villain. For me villains have to intrigue me to the point where I almost want to meet them and go toe to toe with them, and they are demented enough to be willing to cross any line to get what they want. The villain in this story is very much all those things, and of course to top it all off, he’s pretty much a hunk, a demented hunk, but still a hunk. I don’t know if I was there if I would throw myself on him or kill him. He has that effect on you. You have to rationalize that you know once you have outlived your use, he is just going to stab you through the heart and kill you. Or rape you and kill you. There is no graphic detail in these books which sort of adds to the whole mystery of just how evil he is.
Secondly, each sister I like. If I had to pick one that I didn’t totally connect with at first it would have been Olivia, the lead in this book. However, once the story went on, I realized that her insecurities made me connect with her very much. I mean I am athletic like Amber and I am flighty and disorganized like Skye, but the idea that Olivia is just not sure, she had to think things out, and then she feels sort of like the odd one out and the plain one out of the sister is where I fall into place. I think she was the perfect addition to the series and I’m very glad her book came second or I think by the time book three rolled around I wouldn’t have found that connection I did with her.
The storyline as a whole is in depth; it pulls you in and doesn’t let you go, even at the end where you are going. “Ok, next book please!” The characters are so developed, I feel their pain, their thoughts, and how they cope with what they really are. If I had to pick one thing that I didn’t totally like, was the lead male in this story. He worked so well with Olivia, but he wasn’t ‘Alpha’ enough for me. But Caleb and Gabriel are well Alpha enough for the whole Estilorian plain so I was ok with that. There needs to be just one that isn’t growling in that dominant voice MINE! And James was that one for me. I mean he was protective, he was smart, he was great at combat, but he is not my favorite male. It does not diminish from the story, because once you know Olivia, you realize that he is her perfect match.
I have to say, I’m very worried about the jealousy that these woman have brought out in this race. I mean it is very real, it is believable, and I worry that it could possibly cause something chaotic, more so then it has before. And now that our villain Grolkinei has discovered the girls can get pregnant, he has a whole new plan of action “YIKES!” And as a side note, I like Angius for some reason. (He is a villain of course, what can I saw, I see raw Alpha power and I turn to goo!)
thathannah's review against another edition
4.0
Title: Central
Author: Raine Thomas
Series: Yes
Cliffhanger: Kind of
Release Date: July 2011
Rating: 4
HEA:
Central continues the story of Amber, Olivia, and Skye as they train and learn about the Estilorian world. While the first book focused the most on Amber and Gabriel, Central focuses the most on Olivia and James. I like Olivia and we still get to see Amber and Gabriel but I miss them. It seemed like the first book switched views with more people throughout. I'm glad that this one didn't do that too much but I wanted more from Amber and Gabriel.
A big difference between the two couples is that Gabriel was in the human world and knows about and has emotions from the beginning. Whereas James has the normal Estilorian problem of not really knowing about emotions. While they weren't my favorite couple it was interesting to see this different perspective of someone who did not know about emotion before hand.
What I never really got was how the Estilorian's didn't have emotions anymore but then they can get jealous. There were a lot more emotions than I thought there would be. And it was strange how some seemed to be so clueless able simple things but more complex stuff was normal.
The confusion from the first book with all the different types of Estilorians was still there. The names of the leaders and the groups they led were weird and hard to remember. I still don't really know who is who and what powers they have. But that doesn't really take away from the enjoyment of the book. And since it was explained over and over in excruciating detail anytime they were all together I didn't really need to remember. That was one of the things that annoyed me the most. The incessant descriptions of what people were wearing, where they were standing compared to others, etc. And this process went through all three sisters, their love interests, the elders, and the elders' second in command people. Sometimes it went through just one of those groups and often times more than one.
I totally read the third book before finishing this review so I have that book on the mind and don't want to accidentally give something away so on to the next review!
Author: Raine Thomas
Series: Yes
Cliffhanger: Kind of
Release Date: July 2011
Rating: 4
HEA:
Spoiler
YesCentral continues the story of Amber, Olivia, and Skye as they train and learn about the Estilorian world. While the first book focused the most on Amber and Gabriel, Central focuses the most on Olivia and James. I like Olivia and we still get to see Amber and Gabriel but I miss them. It seemed like the first book switched views with more people throughout. I'm glad that this one didn't do that too much but I wanted more from Amber and Gabriel.
A big difference between the two couples is that Gabriel was in the human world and knows about and has emotions from the beginning. Whereas James has the normal Estilorian problem of not really knowing about emotions. While they weren't my favorite couple it was interesting to see this different perspective of someone who did not know about emotion before hand.
What I never really got was how the Estilorian's didn't have emotions anymore but then they can get jealous. There were a lot more emotions than I thought there would be. And it was strange how some seemed to be so clueless able simple things but more complex stuff was normal.
The confusion from the first book with all the different types of Estilorians was still there. The names of the leaders and the groups they led were weird and hard to remember. I still don't really know who is who and what powers they have. But that doesn't really take away from the enjoyment of the book. And since it was explained over and over in excruciating detail anytime they were all together I didn't really need to remember. That was one of the things that annoyed me the most. The incessant descriptions of what people were wearing, where they were standing compared to others, etc. And this process went through all three sisters, their love interests, the elders, and the elders' second in command people. Sometimes it went through just one of those groups and often times more than one.
I totally read the third book before finishing this review so I have that book on the mind and don't want to accidentally give something away so on to the next review!
kimkgray's review against another edition
4.0
I am really enjoying this series and enjoyed the story of Olivia and James the most so far, I think. I found myself grinning many times while reading. Also really like that it's not mermaids, werewolves, vampires, or faeries, it's something completely different. It's a fun look at what makes us human.
claudia_marcela's review against another edition
2.0
Le pongo 2.5 estrellas porque es más que Ok pero menos que otros libros que realmente me gustaron y se ganaron 3 medallas. En resumen: un libro para pasar un buen rato y olvidarlo luego.
A pesar que me gustó la premisa del primer libro: hermanas que descubren que son fruto de la relación de una especie superior con una humana y tienen que viajar a ese plano superior para reclamar sus poderes, en este segundo libro disfruté mucho menos todo el asunto de que las hermanas tengan que "enseñar" a toda una raza de seres cómo sentir. No alcanzo a creerme su papel tan relevante y que todos las protejan. Ahora ya en plena comunicación e interacción con el resto de los seres, todo parece muy ñoño... ¡si hasta las visten de Cenicientas para hacer su debut en sociedad!
Los puntos buenos es la continuidad de la historia y que vemos cómo van evolucionando las habilidades de las hermanas. Del romance no puedo opinar mucho porque era obvio desde el primer libro lo que sucedería, y a diferencia de Gabriel y Amber, Olivia y James casi no desarrollan su relación, o al menos la autora no nos lo hace sentir, solo dice "pasaron mucho tiempo juntos, se aman y chan". El climax se acabó muy pronto y el final fue predecible y rosa.
El nivel de inglés es básico, excepto por todas las palabras raras para definir a las diferentes clases, pero basta con acostumbrarse y entonces la lectura es fluida.
Lo Mejor
Olivia puede ser una mujer ávida de conocimientos, pero eso no se limita a los libros. ¡También lucha!
Lo Peor
Considero que la clasificación de Young Adult está mal. Con esta trama tan de princesas y unicornios, los personajes tan inocentones y el ritmo tan blando, creo que más bien queda como libro infantil (aunque he leído muchos otros infantiles que tienen mayor complejidad que Central).
A pesar que me gustó la premisa del primer libro: hermanas que descubren que son fruto de la relación de una especie superior con una humana y tienen que viajar a ese plano superior para reclamar sus poderes, en este segundo libro disfruté mucho menos todo el asunto de que las hermanas tengan que "enseñar" a toda una raza de seres cómo sentir. No alcanzo a creerme su papel tan relevante y que todos las protejan. Ahora ya en plena comunicación e interacción con el resto de los seres, todo parece muy ñoño... ¡si hasta las visten de Cenicientas para hacer su debut en sociedad!
Los puntos buenos es la continuidad de la historia y que vemos cómo van evolucionando las habilidades de las hermanas. Del romance no puedo opinar mucho porque era obvio desde el primer libro lo que sucedería, y a diferencia de Gabriel y Amber, Olivia y James casi no desarrollan su relación, o al menos la autora no nos lo hace sentir, solo dice "pasaron mucho tiempo juntos, se aman y chan". El climax se acabó muy pronto y el final fue predecible y rosa.
El nivel de inglés es básico, excepto por todas las palabras raras para definir a las diferentes clases, pero basta con acostumbrarse y entonces la lectura es fluida.
Lo Mejor
Olivia puede ser una mujer ávida de conocimientos, pero eso no se limita a los libros. ¡También lucha!
Lo Peor
Considero que la clasificación de Young Adult está mal. Con esta trama tan de princesas y unicornios, los personajes tan inocentones y el ritmo tan blando, creo que más bien queda como libro infantil (aunque he leído muchos otros infantiles que tienen mayor complejidad que Central).
rache_thereader's review against another edition
5.0
This series just stole me away into a vivid and magical world. Strong characters who you get to know so well. This is on my must read list for people who love an epic adventure with strong characters and a gorgeous love story. I love love love this series!!!
lostinanovel's review against another edition
5.0
usually I hate book series that each book is the love story of a different character. ..this book was so much more that I didn't mind it..I for most part enjoyed it
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