erinarkin20's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
Lailah by Nikki Kelly is the first in a paranormal YA fantasy and it was an interesting introduction to the world that Kelly has created as well as the characters. I have to admit, this story didn’t win me over and I felt like I was just reading about Lailah running and fainting all the time but I also have to admit, I am curious to see where Kelly will take this series.
Lailah doesn’t really know anything about herself (including her name – she actually goes by the name Francesca early on) but she does know she is different. She has been drifting through life trying to stay separate from people because she knows after a while they will notice that she doesn’t age. The other thing she can recall is a face and name…Gabriel. She dreams of him often and has no idea why.
On her way home from work, things change drastically for Lailah. She comes across an injured boy (Jonah) and decides to help him even though she knows something isn’t right about him. In her efforts to help him out, she realizes quickly he is a vampire and in some serious trouble. When Jonah’s friends finally show up, we find out that Gabriel isn’t just a dream…he just happens to be an angel.
If you dig deep, you will find an interesting story - good vs. evil and Lailah’s heritage plays a huge role. I liked it but there were parts I found frustrating. It drove me crazy that Lailah was so jealous all the time and then would string Jonah around to make Gabriel react. I also wanted more of the good vs. evil stuff instead of all the relationshippy stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of the swoony stuff but I wanted a better understanding of who Lailah was and why everyone wanted a piece of her. Also…why is everyone always so perfect and gorgeous?
Yes, there is a love triangle here and who the heck knows where Kelly will go with this. I also have no idea where the next book will take the reader in regard to Lailah’s heritage and her relationships with those around her. That may be why I find myself adding the next book onto my to read shelf but I’m not absolutely certain what side of the fence I am on with this book. If you enjoy Twilight and books with a similar storyline, you might also enjoy this one.
Thank you to Macmillan for the review copy.
Lailah by Nikki Kelly is the first in a paranormal YA fantasy and it was an interesting introduction to the world that Kelly has created as well as the characters. I have to admit, this story didn’t win me over and I felt like I was just reading about Lailah running and fainting all the time but I also have to admit, I am curious to see where Kelly will take this series.
Lailah doesn’t really know anything about herself (including her name – she actually goes by the name Francesca early on) but she does know she is different. She has been drifting through life trying to stay separate from people because she knows after a while they will notice that she doesn’t age. The other thing she can recall is a face and name…Gabriel. She dreams of him often and has no idea why.
On her way home from work, things change drastically for Lailah. She comes across an injured boy (Jonah) and decides to help him even though she knows something isn’t right about him. In her efforts to help him out, she realizes quickly he is a vampire and in some serious trouble. When Jonah’s friends finally show up, we find out that Gabriel isn’t just a dream…he just happens to be an angel.
If you dig deep, you will find an interesting story - good vs. evil and Lailah’s heritage plays a huge role. I liked it but there were parts I found frustrating. It drove me crazy that Lailah was so jealous all the time and then would string Jonah around to make Gabriel react. I also wanted more of the good vs. evil stuff instead of all the relationshippy stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of the swoony stuff but I wanted a better understanding of who Lailah was and why everyone wanted a piece of her. Also…why is everyone always so perfect and gorgeous?
Yes, there is a love triangle here and who the heck knows where Kelly will go with this. I also have no idea where the next book will take the reader in regard to Lailah’s heritage and her relationships with those around her. That may be why I find myself adding the next book onto my to read shelf but I’m not absolutely certain what side of the fence I am on with this book. If you enjoy Twilight and books with a similar storyline, you might also enjoy this one.
Thank you to Macmillan for the review copy.
donitaluz's review against another edition
3.0
Actual rating:3.5 Stars
I just finished reading Fallen, and the experience wasn't really pleasant so my expectation on Lailah wasn't really that high, seeing that this is a typical Angel-Romance-YA book. I guess that was the reason why I surprisingly enjoyed the experience reading Lailah, having to lower my expectation.
This is a story of a girl, who's been living for a very long time200+ years unable to know who or WHAT she really is. She believes she's a human who never ages. She can die, but being an immortal that she was, she wakes up and lives again, with no memories of her past life, except for a face of a beautiful man in the name of Gabriel. She is being haunted by the memories of her past life, for she just can't remember it, she relieves the memory, experiencing everything again on her body. She also has her own Guardian Angel(or so that's what I thought, at first)that always shows when she badly needs help. The story was set on Europe, A good change if I may say..
She was on a wrong place at a wrong time when she met an injured vampire, Jonah. Who led her to met the man of her dreamsLiterally Gabriel. That's when she learn the very first name she ever used, Lailah. Gabriel and Jonah, then do great lengths just to keep her safe, from the vampire and angels who want to use her and to end her existence.
Yes. Obviously, this is an insta love with a love triangle cliche which is very typical on a YA book.
Heard this before?
I never really mind reading this kind of book, in fact I love romance with love triangle, as long as, of course, the heroine will end up with the character I wanted. Evil Laugh...
Right now, Im not really sure whose side I'm in. At first I'm totally Team Jonah, well, a bad boy image is so irresistible!
I might desire the darkness within her, but I fell in love with the light that I heard in her laughter..
Cheesy I know, but still sweet for me.. (Drools all over again.)
But then I hate to be on a losing side, but now I'm torn because, once I gave Gabriel a chance, he's just too perfect to resists too,swoon, swoon, drools
Lailah. I have doubts on her. I hate the fact that she's too overly obsessed with Gabriel. She's supposed to be a stuck on the past kind of girl, who doesn't want to put on make up, but she's acting like a very modern highschool girl who throws tuntums everytime her boyfriends talks to a pretty girl. And i found it really ANNOYING I was always rolling my eyes every time I get to read the part where she's always having a self pity program, like, get over it girl! You have much more bigger and important problems to deal with!
Story Line. This is actually very different from other angel novels I get to read. Though, the angels, considered themselves,angels, they don't really come from heaven, they call their plaice Styclar-Plena, and the Devils/Demons which is their enemies are Vampires. It would've been more believable if the angels don't really call themselves angels, but a made up one too, which are considered as angels in our world. I don't know, if you look past the flaw of story building, you can find it really entertaining too.
I found Lailah an easy read, though i found the ending unnecessary, or rather the cliff-hanger. After I finished this book, I almost felt regretful for reading it right away because I'll have to wait for a long time for the sequel to come out! There wasn't even a cover out yet so, I have to calm my nerves for a several minutes to accept the fact that there will be no sequel coming out soon. Sob. Sob. Sob.
I just finished reading Fallen, and the experience wasn't really pleasant so my expectation on Lailah wasn't really that high, seeing that this is a typical Angel-Romance-YA book. I guess that was the reason why I surprisingly enjoyed the experience reading Lailah, having to lower my expectation.
This is a story of a girl, who's been living for a very long time200+ years unable to know who or WHAT she really is. She believes she's a human who never ages. She can die, but being an immortal that she was, she wakes up and lives again, with no memories of her past life, except for a face of a beautiful man in the name of Gabriel. She is being haunted by the memories of her past life, for she just can't remember it, she relieves the memory, experiencing everything again on her body. She also has her own Guardian Angel(or so that's what I thought, at first)
Spoiler
It was revealed at the end though that she was her dark side.She was on a wrong place at a wrong time when she met an injured vampire, Jonah. Who led her to met the man of her dreamsLiterally Gabriel. That's when she learn the very first name she ever used, Lailah. Gabriel and Jonah, then do great lengths just to keep her safe, from the vampire and angels who want to use her and to end her existence.
Yes. Obviously, this is an insta love with a love triangle cliche which is very typical on a YA book.
Heard this before?
I never really mind reading this kind of book, in fact I love romance with love triangle, as long as, of course, the heroine will end up with the character I wanted. Evil Laugh...
Right now, Im not really sure whose side I'm in. At first I'm totally Team Jonah, well, a bad boy image is so irresistible!
I might desire the darkness within her, but I fell in love with the light that I heard in her laughter..
Cheesy I know, but still sweet for me.. (Drools all over again.)
But then I hate to be on a losing side
Spoiler
it seems that Gabriel is her angel pair.Lailah. I have doubts on her. I hate the fact that she's too overly obsessed with Gabriel. She's supposed to be a stuck on the past kind of girl, who doesn't want to put on make up, but she's acting like a very modern highschool girl who throws tuntums everytime her boyfriends talks to a pretty girl. And i found it really ANNOYING I was always rolling my eyes every time I get to read the part where she's always having a self pity program, like, get over it girl! You have much more bigger and important problems to deal with!
Story Line. This is actually very different from other angel novels I get to read. Though, the angels, considered themselves,angels, they don't really come from heaven, they call their plaice Styclar-Plena, and the Devils/Demons which is their enemies are Vampires. It would've been more believable if the angels don't really call themselves angels, but a made up one too, which are considered as angels in our world. I don't know, if you look past the flaw of story building, you can find it really entertaining too.
I found Lailah an easy read, though i found the ending unnecessary, or rather the cliff-hanger. After I finished this book, I almost felt regretful for reading it right away because I'll have to wait for a long time for the sequel to come out! There wasn't even a cover out yet so, I have to calm my nerves for a several minutes to accept the fact that there will be no sequel coming out soon. Sob. Sob. Sob.
kekananen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
kblincoln's review against another edition
2.0
I'm probably in the minority here, but i started reading and then gave up after about 10 pages. I think I'm too jaded now with the vampire stories. This one started off a bit too vague for me, I needed more world-building clues to explain the lack of Francesca's surprise at finding a vampire in what looked like our world.
Francesca has a past that has left her scarred. Yet she stops and helps a boy who she knows is a vampire. She also describes him like "Of course his skin was flawless and of course his eyes were glazed with a watery sparkle". All I could think to myself was 'oh noes! a sparkly vampire!"
So probably good if you like that kind of vampire novel, but I was DNF.
Francesca has a past that has left her scarred. Yet she stops and helps a boy who she knows is a vampire. She also describes him like "Of course his skin was flawless and of course his eyes were glazed with a watery sparkle". All I could think to myself was 'oh noes! a sparkly vampire!"
So probably good if you like that kind of vampire novel, but I was DNF.
chllybrd's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting and unique story. There were a lot of points that I found myself rather confused or just not able to keep interested, but I really enjoyed the characters and the over all story line.
bibliophile_and_the_beast's review against another edition
2.0
Going back through this book, I'm giving it three stars because it wasn't especially bad or good, it was just kind of meh, and I felt like there wasn't any important plot unlike the last 50 pages. I'm generally a fan of Angel fiction, but they seem to be very hit or miss. And this feels like a foul ball: the bat collided, but the ball didn't really go anywhere significant. The saving grace for this book was the characters: I loved nearly every single one of them. The twists were good, nothing too out of left field, but like I said: nothing too extremely interesting here.
bookishanjali's review against another edition
2.0
I was really excited to read Lailah. There is this big mystery surrounding her on what or who she is, she doesn't age, no relatives, she has bits and pieces of visions from a past life but no idea on who she is and she has these really cool powers so yep I was pretty excited but it just so happens this book was not for me.
My biggest problem was the love triangle, I wasn't a fan of it. Both guys had qualities that I didn't care for and the triangle was just all sorts of cliche. Jonah is the "evil" one. There were a few things in particular that made me not like him and made me question Lailah, at one point he forces Lailah against the wall against her will and rips off her jacket and pulls her shirt down to see a gruesome scar that she has and Lailah's feelings at that moment furious yet excited...umm what? no just no. Then if that wasn't bad he goes into her room while she is half naked without her consent, mind you her door was locked and what is Lailah's reaction to all this after she is done cursing him out...she feels guilty. Now lets move on to Gabriel the "good" one. Yeah don't get me wrong he was good but he is one of those characters who has the answers to everything the main protagonist is seeking but refuses to tell her, and besides being good and wholesome there wasn't much to him. What made the love triangle worse was the fact that besides the love triangle between the three there were two vampire girls one in love with Gabriel and the other with Jonah so that added to a whole lot of unnecessary drama as well.
Another issue I had was the world building although I tried to see it for what the author made it I just had way too many questions. It's obvious the author didn't want to bring god into the novel so instead heaven became a world called Styclar and the beings in there instead of being angels became pretty much aliens in my opinion. And there is this long twisted story about how it came to be and how when humans die our spirits go there etc and apparently the third dimension what we call hell is where the Pure-blood Vampires are from and of course then I had more questions about the third dimension if Vampires existed there then how did they feed off of humans if technically human souls wont go to hell unless dead or did they come to earth to feed whenever they wanted? Another thing that I really wish we got more answers about were how the Styclar beings came into existence all we are told is that they evolved from these crystal spheres and besides that they don't know where the crystals came from, seriously I felt a little cheated, I wanted to know where and how a whole race of beings came to be it wouldn't have hurt to come up with an explanation of where the crystals came from instead of it just being a big question mark. Honestly there is so much more I can get on about so just know if your the type of reader that truly wants to understand the world your reading about there are questions left unanswered.
Also there was a certain creep factor to this book which I liked. I really feel if the book wasn't so focused on the romance and more on the plot development that I might have liked it better. The plot itself is what kept me reading I liked it, there was some interesting twists and turns just too bad it was not the key focus.
Overall the fact that I didn't DNF this book means there were some aspects of it that kept me interested enough to finish it but I don't see myself picking up any future books in this series.
My biggest problem was the love triangle, I wasn't a fan of it. Both guys had qualities that I didn't care for and the triangle was just all sorts of cliche. Jonah is the "evil" one. There were a few things in particular that made me not like him and made me question Lailah, at one point he forces Lailah against the wall against her will and rips off her jacket and pulls her shirt down to see a gruesome scar that she has and Lailah's feelings at that moment furious yet excited...umm what? no just no. Then if that wasn't bad he goes into her room while she is half naked without her consent, mind you her door was locked and what is Lailah's reaction to all this after she is done cursing him out...she feels guilty. Now lets move on to Gabriel the "good" one. Yeah don't get me wrong he was good but he is one of those characters who has the answers to everything the main protagonist is seeking but refuses to tell her, and besides being good and wholesome there wasn't much to him. What made the love triangle worse was the fact that besides the love triangle between the three there were two vampire girls one in love with Gabriel and the other with Jonah so that added to a whole lot of unnecessary drama as well.
Another issue I had was the world building although I tried to see it for what the author made it I just had way too many questions. It's obvious the author didn't want to bring god into the novel so instead heaven became a world called Styclar and the beings in there instead of being angels became pretty much aliens in my opinion. And there is this long twisted story about how it came to be and how when humans die our spirits go there etc and apparently the third dimension what we call hell is where the Pure-blood Vampires are from and of course then I had more questions about the third dimension if Vampires existed there then how did they feed off of humans if technically human souls wont go to hell unless dead or did they come to earth to feed whenever they wanted? Another thing that I really wish we got more answers about were how the Styclar beings came into existence all we are told is that they evolved from these crystal spheres and besides that they don't know where the crystals came from, seriously I felt a little cheated, I wanted to know where and how a whole race of beings came to be it wouldn't have hurt to come up with an explanation of where the crystals came from instead of it just being a big question mark. Honestly there is so much more I can get on about so just know if your the type of reader that truly wants to understand the world your reading about there are questions left unanswered.
Also there was a certain creep factor to this book which I liked. I really feel if the book wasn't so focused on the romance and more on the plot development that I might have liked it better. The plot itself is what kept me reading I liked it, there was some interesting twists and turns just too bad it was not the key focus.
Overall the fact that I didn't DNF this book means there were some aspects of it that kept me interested enough to finish it but I don't see myself picking up any future books in this series.
megansendlessreads's review against another edition
5.0
The whole angle vs. demons thing is kind of over-rated….. Or so I thought before I read this book.
I have to give major props to this author for managing to come up with a unique twist to an otherwise overused plot. I loved the world that she created and how this book wasn’t based on religion but the darkness and light that exists in the world and how it came to be.
Cessie is a pretty amazing and imaginative character all on her own as she is the definition of walking contradiction. (This becomes more clear as the book continues). It was interesting that she wasn’t totally innocent of the ‘truth’ of vampires, but it was nice that she didn’t know everything as it allowed me to learn about her world along with her. This also prevented paragraphs and pages of the author attempting to explain his/her plot = *snore*.
Love-Triangles are not my favorite but it works in this book because even though the character can’t make up her ever-loving mind, it’s more about the battle with in her and who she really is. It helped that both of the guys trying to win her heart had their pros and cons. So not only was Cessie going back and forth, but so was I as I would root for one guy only for him to make a major mistake.
_in other words, this book was one big pot of confusing emotions_
I mostly rooted for Gabriel, mostly because he was on ‘light’s’ side and wasn’t trying to drink Cessie’s blood. But some girls are attracted to the “Edward-type” boys so I can definitely see the appeal in Jonah. Especially during the conclusion of the book!
There were just a lot of factors in this book that made it freakin’ awesome! Between the battles, the mystery girl, the love-hate relationships, and the fact that Cessie shouldn’t exist… it just all equals one heart-stopping read that is sure to keep readers on their toes!
I have to give major props to this author for managing to come up with a unique twist to an otherwise overused plot. I loved the world that she created and how this book wasn’t based on religion but the darkness and light that exists in the world and how it came to be.
Cessie is a pretty amazing and imaginative character all on her own as she is the definition of walking contradiction. (This becomes more clear as the book continues). It was interesting that she wasn’t totally innocent of the ‘truth’ of vampires, but it was nice that she didn’t know everything as it allowed me to learn about her world along with her. This also prevented paragraphs and pages of the author attempting to explain his/her plot = *snore*.
Love-Triangles are not my favorite but it works in this book because even though the character can’t make up her ever-loving mind, it’s more about the battle with in her and who she really is. It helped that both of the guys trying to win her heart had their pros and cons. So not only was Cessie going back and forth, but so was I as I would root for one guy only for him to make a major mistake.
_in other words, this book was one big pot of confusing emotions_
I mostly rooted for Gabriel, mostly because he was on ‘light’s’ side and wasn’t trying to drink Cessie’s blood. But some girls are attracted to the “Edward-type” boys so I can definitely see the appeal in Jonah. Especially during the conclusion of the book!
There were just a lot of factors in this book that made it freakin’ awesome! Between the battles, the mystery girl, the love-hate relationships, and the fact that Cessie shouldn’t exist… it just all equals one heart-stopping read that is sure to keep readers on their toes!
madieanne's review against another edition
4.0
SECOND READ: this was a little cheesier than i remember, but i still loved it! also, gabriel was SO FUCKING INFURIATING
like just tell the poor girl the truth??
yes, i’m still team jonah all the way bitches
FIRST READ: well shit. i am not going to lie, Lailah confused me at first. as readers, we were pushed into her world with little backstory. but as the story moved forward little bits and pieces pushed together, creating a fantastic story. i love all the characters AND enjoyed the love triangle. there is nothing like a good old fashioned love triangle, my friends. team Jonah all the way, bitches.