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hannahsophialin's review
4.0
If anyone paid attention to one of my Sunday Posts earlier this year (ha, the 1st post of the year actually), you're probably well aware that Ephemeral is pretty much guilty of helping me keep up with my reading schedule amidst making the new blog design.
Then again, I was pretty much done by then, so I guess that piece of information was [very] irrelevant.
Well, in most cases, Ephemeral was a page turner. Emphasis on most. There was also a cliffhanger, in which no matter how much I like them, I hate them as well.
I guess Cliffhangers + Sophia = Love/Hate Relationship. It's been there since Day Who-Knows-When.
Unfortunately, despite the cliffhanger and page turniness, it's not enough to make me want to read the 2nd book ASAP. I mean sure, it has a different idea to angels and demons instead of the usual Nephilim that you find popping up all over the place nowadays, and I'm curious as to what happens next, but I'll definitely survive waiting for a year or so to find out.
The romance was too fast – thankfully lasted a bit longer than what's their name..? Perry and Aria? – to my taste and a bit graphic to be YA. No wonder I'm not a huge fan of NA. Or Romance for that matter.
(The situation with Perry and Aria: I know I don't really like Under the Never Sky, but some things just tend to stick around in the back of your mind and triggered by something else. >_
Can I mention the cover's really pretty though? The hair's a bit too pinky though. :p
--------------------
Review copy provided by author for review
Formatting may be lost due to copy and paste
This review and more can be found at Bookwyrming Thoughts
Then again, I was pretty much done by then, so I guess that piece of information was [very] irrelevant.
Well, in most cases, Ephemeral was a page turner. Emphasis on most. There was also a cliffhanger, in which no matter how much I like them, I hate them as well.
I guess Cliffhangers + Sophia = Love/Hate Relationship. It's been there since Day Who-Knows-When.
Unfortunately, despite the cliffhanger and page turniness, it's not enough to make me want to read the 2nd book ASAP. I mean sure, it has a different idea to angels and demons instead of the usual Nephilim that you find popping up all over the place nowadays, and I'm curious as to what happens next, but I'll definitely survive waiting for a year or so to find out.
The romance was too fast – thankfully lasted a bit longer than what's their name..? Perry and Aria? – to my taste and a bit graphic to be YA. No wonder I'm not a huge fan of NA. Or Romance for that matter.
(The situation with Perry and Aria: I know I don't really like Under the Never Sky, but some things just tend to stick around in the back of your mind and triggered by something else. >_
Can I mention the cover's really pretty though? The hair's a bit too pinky though. :p
--------------------
Review copy provided by author for review
Formatting may be lost due to copy and paste
This review and more can be found at Bookwyrming Thoughts
thefox22's review
4.0
*I received a free copy of this from the author in exchange for an honest review.
*Slight spoilers! Nothing too bad. :)
*Full review can be found here: http://skizzles22hu.blogspot.com/2014/01/review-ephemeral-animari-saga-1.html
I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from Ephemeral, but I really liked it! I thought the paranormal aspects were unique and the characters all had their own personalities and importance in the book. It was intriguing!
Ephemeral was actually a pretty quick read for me. I started out not knowing what to expect, so the intrigue with Tori's gift kept me interested the whole way through. Even when we find out what it really means, what she and Spencer are, it was still mysterious. It had my attention from page one.
I liked the main character. Victoria is a strong heroine who just wants to go through life without seeing anymore deaths. It's hard making her friends and family seem like she doesn't care about them when she never hugs them or makes physical connect. Even if it's just a brush of the hand, she'll see someone's death. So, she's always had to be careful, always had to distance herself from everybody she cares about. Except her best friend, Mia, and her new coworker at the library, Spencer. Mia always tells her it's a gift, that she could save people. But what she finds out is far more devastating. It's not a gift, but a curse. Especially when she learns that her grandmother is going to die in a few days. That's when my respect for Tori went up a few notches. I don't know how I could have handled that situation, how I would have been able to tell my grandmother, to spend the day with her knowing that it was a forever goodbye. Her supernatural power is really a curse, but she'll have to figure out what's more important to her.
The relationship between Spencer and Tori developed fast, but it never really seemed like insta-love. It makes more sense when you find out that they're a pair of Ani'mari. Ani'mari and their counterparts are a little confusing to figure out at first. But the author never just dumps the information on you in a few, quick sessions. Little by little, Spencer and Tori learn of their heritage, learn that they're reapers, that they try to save people's souls from the Neco'mortis.
And one Neco'mortis has been following Tori around, hoping for glimpses of the souls he can take from her. But when Tori comes face to face with this Reaper, she realizes exactly what her mother meant by calling her special. I can't wait to find out more about Cael in the next book, because I have a few theories about him. I need to know if I'm right!
Like I said, the Ani'mari was an intriguing concept, and I'm excited to find out more! The only things I disliked about this book were that a lot of Tori's narrative was filled with descriptions, details that didn't have any importance and were kind of irrelevant to the story. I love details, but sometimes they seemed almost too much, like when she was explaining exactly why Spencer's nachos were the best things she'd ever tasted and the backstory of her times with her grandpa. Also, she explained things in great detail, especially the other characters and what importance they were to her. There wasn't much inner struggle with her character, except when she really learns what her "gift" truly is. It's a burden she doesn't know if she can bear. Also, her relationship with her father seemed to change almost too rapidly. It'll take a lot longer than that for him to be redeemable in my eyes, though Tori does seem to be a forgiving person. I also figured out a few of the "twists" during the book. But I always spend a lot of time analyzing a book and trying to figure out the mysteries before I've hit the epilogue. And sometimes I get them right. :)
Ephemeral had a cool concept that I can't wait to explore better in the next book. I liked the characters, and the story-line pulled me in until I was finished.
*Slight spoilers! Nothing too bad. :)
*Full review can be found here: http://skizzles22hu.blogspot.com/2014/01/review-ephemeral-animari-saga-1.html
I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from Ephemeral, but I really liked it! I thought the paranormal aspects were unique and the characters all had their own personalities and importance in the book. It was intriguing!
Ephemeral was actually a pretty quick read for me. I started out not knowing what to expect, so the intrigue with Tori's gift kept me interested the whole way through. Even when we find out what it really means, what she and Spencer are, it was still mysterious. It had my attention from page one.
I liked the main character. Victoria is a strong heroine who just wants to go through life without seeing anymore deaths. It's hard making her friends and family seem like she doesn't care about them when she never hugs them or makes physical connect. Even if it's just a brush of the hand, she'll see someone's death. So, she's always had to be careful, always had to distance herself from everybody she cares about. Except her best friend, Mia, and her new coworker at the library, Spencer. Mia always tells her it's a gift, that she could save people. But what she finds out is far more devastating. It's not a gift, but a curse. Especially when she learns that her grandmother is going to die in a few days. That's when my respect for Tori went up a few notches. I don't know how I could have handled that situation, how I would have been able to tell my grandmother, to spend the day with her knowing that it was a forever goodbye. Her supernatural power is really a curse, but she'll have to figure out what's more important to her.
The relationship between Spencer and Tori developed fast, but it never really seemed like insta-love. It makes more sense when you find out that they're a pair of Ani'mari. Ani'mari and their counterparts are a little confusing to figure out at first. But the author never just dumps the information on you in a few, quick sessions. Little by little, Spencer and Tori learn of their heritage, learn that they're reapers, that they try to save people's souls from the Neco'mortis.
And one Neco'mortis has been following Tori around, hoping for glimpses of the souls he can take from her. But when Tori comes face to face with this Reaper, she realizes exactly what her mother meant by calling her special. I can't wait to find out more about Cael in the next book, because I have a few theories about him. I need to know if I'm right!
Like I said, the Ani'mari was an intriguing concept, and I'm excited to find out more! The only things I disliked about this book were that a lot of Tori's narrative was filled with descriptions, details that didn't have any importance and were kind of irrelevant to the story. I love details, but sometimes they seemed almost too much, like when she was explaining exactly why Spencer's nachos were the best things she'd ever tasted and the backstory of her times with her grandpa. Also, she explained things in great detail, especially the other characters and what importance they were to her. There wasn't much inner struggle with her character, except when she really learns what her "gift" truly is. It's a burden she doesn't know if she can bear. Also, her relationship with her father seemed to change almost too rapidly. It'll take a lot longer than that for him to be redeemable in my eyes, though Tori does seem to be a forgiving person. I also figured out a few of the "twists" during the book. But I always spend a lot of time analyzing a book and trying to figure out the mysteries before I've hit the epilogue. And sometimes I get them right. :)
Ephemeral had a cool concept that I can't wait to explore better in the next book. I liked the characters, and the story-line pulled me in until I was finished.
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