The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
paradoxically's review against another edition
1.0
Ah, I figured out what was bugging me about these books. They just sound so juvenile that I wrinkle my nose and roll my eyes and feel like I have to slog through them. I am well aware that they are YA books, but YA books don't have to sound so... argh. It seemed like the dialogue was forced at times--like the author had to make the characters sound modern and try to sound cool.
I don't care if you're trying to write teenagers. I don't mind it once in a while, but it's all the time and they never switch it off. Also, knuckle bumps are stupid. Give me some skin? Arghhhh.
All of the characters were flat to me. And cliche. Did I mention the huge cliches? There is the small popular crowd headed by the bitchy queen of the school, affectionately called the brat pack by the Lily and Scout. There is no redemption there, there is not even a token attempt at rounding them out. Michael and Jason are interchangeable in my mind and Scout is just... annoying. Kind of like the main character, actually.
And arggghhh. I'm sorry, you trap a couple of Reapers who, dear characters, please remember, like to drain and kill people for their power and what do you do? You chat with them. No, not even chatting. It's godawful teenage banter. Yes, nice to see you taking this so well, but I really didn't need to read pages of them talking with absolutely nothing substantial coming out of it.
Overall the book was horrifically dull. It was worse than the first book by a large margin (not that I especially liked the first book or anything). I'm pretty much dropping the series at this point. 1-2 stars. I could hardly stand reading this book, so rounding down.
I don't care if you're trying to write teenagers. I don't mind it once in a while, but it's all the time and they never switch it off. Also, knuckle bumps are stupid. Give me some skin? Arghhhh.
All of the characters were flat to me. And cliche. Did I mention the huge cliches? There is the small popular crowd headed by the bitchy queen of the school, affectionately called the brat pack by the Lily and Scout. There is no redemption there, there is not even a token attempt at rounding them out. Michael and Jason are interchangeable in my mind and Scout is just... annoying. Kind of like the main character, actually.
And arggghhh. I'm sorry, you trap a couple of Reapers who, dear characters, please remember, like to drain and kill people for their power and what do you do? You chat with them. No, not even chatting. It's godawful teenage banter. Yes, nice to see you taking this so well, but I really didn't need to read pages of them talking with absolutely nothing substantial coming out of it.
Overall the book was horrifically dull. It was worse than the first book by a large margin (not that I especially liked the first book or anything). I'm pretty much dropping the series at this point. 1-2 stars. I could hardly stand reading this book, so rounding down.
rosetyper9's review against another edition
4.0
I really like this series. I love the friendship and dynamic between Scout and Lily, they are so cute and funny together. I love all of the characters in this series, they are all very vibrant for YA fiction and they stick with you for a long time after you close the cover. I also enjoy the dynamic between Scout and Lily in conjunction with the brat pack and with the boys, Chloe Neill has a wonderful talent for writing excellent relationships.
The plot, or rather the climax of this book was a tad bit off for me. I had a hard time pinpointing where it was. I was just reading, there was drama, stuff happened, and then the book was done. I didn't get the "oh no, stuff is about to hit the fan" feeling, nor did I get the satisfaction of a nice well rounded ending because of the climactic moment. I am not saying the plot is bad, or that I didn't enjoy it, just something I noticed and I hadn't realized how much book structure meant to me.
As I said, I enjoyed the characters in this book, and I enjoy the world that Chloe Neill has created and superimposed on our own. I can't wait to see where she takes this series, there are so many things she can do, and so much growing for a lot of the characters. This book also showed us another side of the Dark Elite and I even believe caused Lily to do some doubting of the Adepts. I love the layer of conflict Ms. Neill is setting up for Lily, can't wait to see where she takes that as well.
Overall this is a short entertaining read and I will definitely keep reading Chloe Neill, she has a lot of stuff to still bring to the table.
The plot, or rather the climax of this book was a tad bit off for me. I had a hard time pinpointing where it was. I was just reading, there was drama, stuff happened, and then the book was done. I didn't get the "oh no, stuff is about to hit the fan" feeling, nor did I get the satisfaction of a nice well rounded ending because of the climactic moment. I am not saying the plot is bad, or that I didn't enjoy it, just something I noticed and I hadn't realized how much book structure meant to me.
As I said, I enjoyed the characters in this book, and I enjoy the world that Chloe Neill has created and superimposed on our own. I can't wait to see where she takes this series, there are so many things she can do, and so much growing for a lot of the characters. This book also showed us another side of the Dark Elite and I even believe caused Lily to do some doubting of the Adepts. I love the layer of conflict Ms. Neill is setting up for Lily, can't wait to see where she takes that as well.
Overall this is a short entertaining read and I will definitely keep reading Chloe Neill, she has a lot of stuff to still bring to the table.
theladygonzalez's review against another edition
4.0
Hexbound picks up soon after Firespell ends and dives immediately into action once again. Neill continues some of the same storylines (like what are Lily’s parents really doing in Germany? And Lily’s strange almost relationship with Sebastian) why seamlessly transitioning the Adept gang into a new, exciting adventure.
This time around the Adepts are forced to deal with a disgusting slimy, gooey, super gross new monster. Our fab four (Lily, Scout, Michael & Jason) come across these strange mutants while patrolling the tunnels one night. The enclave is understandably confused by these weirdos and they team up with a few girls from a neighboring enclave to solve the mystery.
These new two adepts, Detroit and Naya both have different powers – Detroit is a machinist and Naya communicates with ghosts. While I liked both of these characters (I especially enjoy Detroit), I can’t help but feel like their addition caused us to lose out on some development with the old characters. Hexbound is a relatively short book and I still don’t really have a good sense of some of the main characters – like Michael and Jason. I have to say though; I really enjoyed what little we saw of Lesley (Scout & Lily’s cello playing suitemate) in this book. She pops up a few different times and we get to know her a little bit better. She is so quirky and off-the-wall; I just love her to pieces. I hope she takes more of a front seat in the upcoming books.
However, there were two characters in particular who I got a better sense of in Hexbound – Scout and Lily.
Lily has to deal with a lot in this book – she has few different internal struggles. First and foremost, she continues to question her parents and what they are really up to – Scout claims they are secretly developing new mascara, but I’m not buying it. Lily makes a few discoveries that really make her doubt them and it puts her in a very difficult place. She is also put in a weird spot with her relationship with Sebastian. She is defiantly wary of him and she does not trust him, but he really makes an effort in Hexbound to connect with her. I have to say, I like the character of Sebastian and I am all for them forming a friendship, but I hope they don’t become romantically involved. I am pulling for the resident werewolf, Jason.
You also gain a great deal of insight to my favorite character, Scout. After what happened to her in Firespell, she begins to lose some of her self-confidence and you see that she has some weaknesses. I really appreciated this because it fleshes her character out a bit more.
Lily is also starting to come into her own with her powers and it sort of evens out the playing field a bit. She and Scout settle into a partnership, which I really appreciate. A lot of times one character is sort of the sidekick, but I feel like Lily and Scout are becoming equals. They work wonderfully together and balance each other out. They respect, depend on and trust each other. I also love the snarky banter between these two – their friendship is quickly becoming one of my favorites.
I also want to point out what an amazing job Neill did with imagery. She paints such a vivd picture - every setting was beautifully described. She also roots some scenes in real locations which gives a realistic feel to the fantastic story. I don’t think I will ever be able to walk the pedway again without looking over my shoulder for some creeptastic vampires.
While overall I really enjoyed Firespell, I was put off a bit with the pacing. It isn’t that the book dragged (quite the contrary, actually) – it is just that there wasn’t really a climax. Everything just kind of kept chugging along. The book was packed with action, but the pot never really came to a boil, if you know what I mean.
However, all things considered, Hexbound was an excellent read. Neill created an exciting, intriguing adventure with truly likable characters. The plot wasn’t the least bit predictable - Neill was able to bring in some new elements (like new characters, vampires and creepy mutants) to spice things up. I can’t wait to see where she takes Lily and the Adept gang next.
This time around the Adepts are forced to deal with a disgusting slimy, gooey, super gross new monster. Our fab four (Lily, Scout, Michael & Jason) come across these strange mutants while patrolling the tunnels one night. The enclave is understandably confused by these weirdos and they team up with a few girls from a neighboring enclave to solve the mystery.
These new two adepts, Detroit and Naya both have different powers – Detroit is a machinist and Naya communicates with ghosts. While I liked both of these characters (I especially enjoy Detroit), I can’t help but feel like their addition caused us to lose out on some development with the old characters. Hexbound is a relatively short book and I still don’t really have a good sense of some of the main characters – like Michael and Jason. I have to say though; I really enjoyed what little we saw of Lesley (Scout & Lily’s cello playing suitemate) in this book. She pops up a few different times and we get to know her a little bit better. She is so quirky and off-the-wall; I just love her to pieces. I hope she takes more of a front seat in the upcoming books.
However, there were two characters in particular who I got a better sense of in Hexbound – Scout and Lily.
Lily has to deal with a lot in this book – she has few different internal struggles. First and foremost, she continues to question her parents and what they are really up to – Scout claims they are secretly developing new mascara, but I’m not buying it. Lily makes a few discoveries that really make her doubt them and it puts her in a very difficult place. She is also put in a weird spot with her relationship with Sebastian. She is defiantly wary of him and she does not trust him, but he really makes an effort in Hexbound to connect with her. I have to say, I like the character of Sebastian and I am all for them forming a friendship, but I hope they don’t become romantically involved. I am pulling for the resident werewolf, Jason.
You also gain a great deal of insight to my favorite character, Scout. After what happened to her in Firespell, she begins to lose some of her self-confidence and you see that she has some weaknesses. I really appreciated this because it fleshes her character out a bit more.
Lily is also starting to come into her own with her powers and it sort of evens out the playing field a bit. She and Scout settle into a partnership, which I really appreciate. A lot of times one character is sort of the sidekick, but I feel like Lily and Scout are becoming equals. They work wonderfully together and balance each other out. They respect, depend on and trust each other. I also love the snarky banter between these two – their friendship is quickly becoming one of my favorites.
I also want to point out what an amazing job Neill did with imagery. She paints such a vivd picture - every setting was beautifully described. She also roots some scenes in real locations which gives a realistic feel to the fantastic story. I don’t think I will ever be able to walk the pedway again without looking over my shoulder for some creeptastic vampires.
While overall I really enjoyed Firespell, I was put off a bit with the pacing. It isn’t that the book dragged (quite the contrary, actually) – it is just that there wasn’t really a climax. Everything just kind of kept chugging along. The book was packed with action, but the pot never really came to a boil, if you know what I mean.
However, all things considered, Hexbound was an excellent read. Neill created an exciting, intriguing adventure with truly likable characters. The plot wasn’t the least bit predictable - Neill was able to bring in some new elements (like new characters, vampires and creepy mutants) to spice things up. I can’t wait to see where she takes Lily and the Adept gang next.
chllybrd's review against another edition
4.0
Reviewed by http://urbanfantasyinvestigations.blogspot.com
Again the characters is what makes me love Chloe Neill's stories. The friendships and relationships between Lily, Jason, Scout, and Michael continue to grow. I'm very much looking forward to finding out more about Sebastian and what he is going to bring to the series. Both stories in the Dark Elite series are quick reads that will leave you laughing out loud many times during the book. Lily is finally settling into what she is and starting to learn more about what exactly she can do. HEXBOUND moves a bit faster than FIRESPELL did which was nice. I found myself having to be reminded that Lily was only 15 years old, since she is so independent being in a boarding school and all it was easy to forget. I thought HEXBOUND continued the Dark Elite series well.
I gave it a 3.5/5
Again the characters is what makes me love Chloe Neill's stories. The friendships and relationships between Lily, Jason, Scout, and Michael continue to grow. I'm very much looking forward to finding out more about Sebastian and what he is going to bring to the series. Both stories in the Dark Elite series are quick reads that will leave you laughing out loud many times during the book. Lily is finally settling into what she is and starting to learn more about what exactly she can do. HEXBOUND moves a bit faster than FIRESPELL did which was nice. I found myself having to be reminded that Lily was only 15 years old, since she is so independent being in a boarding school and all it was easy to forget. I thought HEXBOUND continued the Dark Elite series well.
I gave it a 3.5/5
westcoastchelle's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really digging the strong female lead characters. The book is interesting, great plot, but it loses a star for being really predictable.
frootjoos's review against another edition
3.0
eh. I was expecting more... I dunno. Answers? It's like Lost Season 3 all over again.
stephieb78's review against another edition
4.0
Have I mentioned that I am a HUGE fan of Chloe Neill's writing? I really enjoy this series and can't wait for the 3rd book next week. My only complaint is that I am used to Chloe's cliffhangers (if you don't know what I mean, read Chicagoland Vampires! YOWZA!) and so far I haven't seen that. The action has been a little lacking. I kept waiting for a big show down of good vs evil and never got it. I think we are building up for something to happen in the next book (hopefully...). All in all, I'll give it a generous 4 stars just for the potential that I see. I still love the characters and love the way the author really brings the setting to life with her words.