The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
fictionalkate's review against another edition
4.0
After the Hollow unleashed hell on Earth in an all ages club only two weeks ago - Sam has been busy. The Grey Girl is on the lookout of Stephen, the grey who sucked her soul out turning her into hungry soul sucking nexus. Add to that a mysterious memory blocked gorgeous angel who can only think straight when she's around. Too bad Sam can't keep her thoughts straight around him!
Dark Kiss laid a lot of groundwork but it was well worth the read for I devoured Wicked Kiss like a hungry grey would a soul. Sam and her misfit warriors from Heaven and Hell still have a mission to carry out. Sam needs her soul and to save her bff Carly from the Hollow. Bishop, Kraven and the others need to rid Trinity from the evil mess that Natalie unleashed. I liked these characters so much more the second time around. They're still slightly stereotypical and a little predictable in many ways but this time - but it worked for me. I loved the drama added from the new characters (like Cassandra) and getting to know some briefly mentioned ones from Dark Kiss a little better.
There's a lot going on in this book. Romance and evil supernatural villains are underfoot everywhere. I liked how the relationships evolved. Not just the romantic ones but the friendships and the way Kraven and Bishop's brotherly interactions evolved. Sam is developing as a character too. She's finally got some street sense kicked into her. She's embracing her nexus and grey-ness to the hilt and is becoming a force to be reckoned with in her own right.
The mythology of Angels and Demons are interestingly explained in this book. There's not too many religious overtones that sometimes overload books about Angels. But instead the angels and devils seem to just be concerned with good vs. evil. I wanted some facets to be explored in more detail but there was enough explained to understand Sam's situation.
I can recommend this book to anyone that liked the first instalment - but also those who were slightly ambivalent. This book is a satisfying ending to an interesting take on zombies, angels and demons.
Dark Kiss laid a lot of groundwork but it was well worth the read for I devoured Wicked Kiss like a hungry grey would a soul. Sam and her misfit warriors from Heaven and Hell still have a mission to carry out. Sam needs her soul and to save her bff Carly from the Hollow. Bishop, Kraven and the others need to rid Trinity from the evil mess that Natalie unleashed. I liked these characters so much more the second time around. They're still slightly stereotypical and a little predictable in many ways but this time - but it worked for me. I loved the drama added from the new characters (like Cassandra) and getting to know some briefly mentioned ones from Dark Kiss a little better.
There's a lot going on in this book. Romance and evil supernatural villains are underfoot everywhere. I liked how the relationships evolved. Not just the romantic ones but the friendships and the way Kraven and Bishop's brotherly interactions evolved. Sam is developing as a character too. She's finally got some street sense kicked into her. She's embracing her nexus and grey-ness to the hilt and is becoming a force to be reckoned with in her own right.
The mythology of Angels and Demons are interestingly explained in this book. There's not too many religious overtones that sometimes overload books about Angels. But instead the angels and devils seem to just be concerned with good vs. evil. I wanted some facets to be explored in more detail but there was enough explained to understand Sam's situation.
I can recommend this book to anyone that liked the first instalment - but also those who were slightly ambivalent. This book is a satisfying ending to an interesting take on zombies, angels and demons.
jezzebelljc's review against another edition
4.0
The Second in this Series, Better than the First
We all know that a lot of books fall into the '2nd book syndrome' and end up being my least favorite in the series. The love interests usually leave for 'noble' reasons and there is a lot of whining, heart break, and I'm left feeling like I should have skipped the book entirely. Not so with this one thankfully...it even surpassed how I felt about the first one.
The Good
The very first thing that I liked about this one is that Samantha stepped up and I became more attached to her as a reader. One of the things I disliked about Dark Kiss was that Sam seemed bratty and was constantly saying one thing but acting another way. She admits in this one that she was selfish for her past actions that were described in the first book and that she learned from her mistakes which is why she now worries over her mother. In this one, she is far more giving and self-sacrificing which is needed in a heroine.
Also, she helps her frenemy from the first book, Jordan, which definitely shows a strength of character and that's what I like to see. I enjoy it when we get to delve deeper into why someone isn't a joy to be around. I felt like I got closer to both Sam and Jordan, and that is an important part in making the characters well-rounded.
More on the character's growth was that I got to see flashbacks of Bishop's and Kraven's past. Even though as a reader I could see and infer most of the causes behind their rocky sibling relationship, it was a pleasure to learn the exact causes and see Samantha learn them as well. The introduction of Cassandra was also well-placed. Even though I thought she was just meant to me a love triangle distraction for Bishop since she appears to be a perfect match for him, I thoroughly enjoyed her part to play in this one.
Then there is the story! OK so I have read a ton of paranormal and fantasy books, but this one is different and chilling if you actually take the time to stop and think about what is going on in Samantha's world. I don't want to give too much away, but any time you are playing around with souls and the fact of angels and demons being on Earth, I get a little creeped out. The action is more intense and the stakes are a lot higher. I love how Rowan utilized foreshadowing so well that because I was paying attention in the first one, I did have an idea of where this one was going.
The Bad
Remember when I said that this one didn't have a lot of the qualities of books that fall into the '2nd book syndrome' trap? Well, this one does do the whole leaving for noble reasons thing. However, there was no whining, heart break, and it all made complete sense to me why it occurred.
Sometimes while reading, I would jump from one thing to another so quickly. It did end up flowing together smoothly, but the ride was a little bumpy at times.
The Romance
The fact is that Bishop and Sam cannot stay away from each other. Is it due to supernatural forces that are at work and not a natural attraction? This book answers that question. I must say that their romance seemed pretty doomed to me and I applaud the fact that they don't simply give up.
Conclusion
I was impressed with the way the story went in Wicked Kiss and that Rowan doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. I was overjoyed to become more attached to the characters and watch them down a road that seemed chilling and hopeless at times. Definitely recommended for paranormal fans.
We all know that a lot of books fall into the '2nd book syndrome' and end up being my least favorite in the series. The love interests usually leave for 'noble' reasons and there is a lot of whining, heart break, and I'm left feeling like I should have skipped the book entirely. Not so with this one thankfully...it even surpassed how I felt about the first one.
The Good
The very first thing that I liked about this one is that Samantha stepped up and I became more attached to her as a reader. One of the things I disliked about Dark Kiss was that Sam seemed bratty and was constantly saying one thing but acting another way. She admits in this one that she was selfish for her past actions that were described in the first book and that she learned from her mistakes which is why she now worries over her mother. In this one, she is far more giving and self-sacrificing which is needed in a heroine.
Also, she helps her frenemy from the first book, Jordan, which definitely shows a strength of character and that's what I like to see. I enjoy it when we get to delve deeper into why someone isn't a joy to be around. I felt like I got closer to both Sam and Jordan, and that is an important part in making the characters well-rounded.
More on the character's growth was that I got to see flashbacks of Bishop's and Kraven's past. Even though as a reader I could see and infer most of the causes behind their rocky sibling relationship, it was a pleasure to learn the exact causes and see Samantha learn them as well. The introduction of Cassandra was also well-placed. Even though I thought she was just meant to me a love triangle distraction for Bishop since she appears to be a perfect match for him, I thoroughly enjoyed her part to play in this one.
Then there is the story! OK so I have read a ton of paranormal and fantasy books, but this one is different and chilling if you actually take the time to stop and think about what is going on in Samantha's world. I don't want to give too much away, but any time you are playing around with souls and the fact of angels and demons being on Earth, I get a little creeped out. The action is more intense and the stakes are a lot higher. I love how Rowan utilized foreshadowing so well that because I was paying attention in the first one, I did have an idea of where this one was going.
The Bad
Remember when I said that this one didn't have a lot of the qualities of books that fall into the '2nd book syndrome' trap? Well, this one does do the whole leaving for noble reasons thing. However, there was no whining, heart break, and it all made complete sense to me why it occurred.
Sometimes while reading, I would jump from one thing to another so quickly. It did end up flowing together smoothly, but the ride was a little bumpy at times.
The Romance
The fact is that Bishop and Sam cannot stay away from each other. Is it due to supernatural forces that are at work and not a natural attraction? This book answers that question. I must say that their romance seemed pretty doomed to me and I applaud the fact that they don't simply give up.
Conclusion
I was impressed with the way the story went in Wicked Kiss and that Rowan doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. I was overjoyed to become more attached to the characters and watch them down a road that seemed chilling and hopeless at times. Definitely recommended for paranormal fans.
bellethebeauty's review against another edition
4.0
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4 stars)
Would’ve liked a bit more developed romance and to learn more about their relationship after the ending but otherwise it was a very cute story ^•^
bookishanjali's review against another edition
3.0
So Wicked Kiss starts right up where Dark Kiss left off. Samantha is still in search of her soul and Bishop is still slowly losing his mind. The Gray's are still increasing in numbers and some are becoming quite strong. There are a few new characters introduced and a couple of characters from the previous book with bigger roles for instance Cassandra, an Angel sent down from heaven who has secrets of her own and a mission that is separate from the others, and then there is Jordan, she was in the last book as the mean girl but she ends up having a bigger role in this book and I have to admit I'm starting to like her character and the slowly building friendship that her and Samantha are developing.
One word that I can use to describe Samantha in this book would be "determined". Her hunger was growing to where she was having a hard time controlling it and she didn't let anyone stop her from finding her soul. She took matters in her own hands which I loved. She is also discovering more of her powers and what it means to be a nexus and I loved the moments she learned about Bishop's past , there was a lot of bad things in his past so it was interesting to see how she dealt with it while still feeling the way she did about Bishop.
There was a ton of twists and turns in this book at times it felt like too much was going on but it still held my interest. Also safe to say there is no love triangle.
I really thought with the way things were going with Kraven in book one there would be one developing but nope...nothing. Although at the same time I do like Kraven more so I guess secretly I was hoping she would go for Kraven since he makes things more entertaining.
Overall I enjoyed the book and the series to where I would pick up the next book...if there is a next book, I'm not sure since everything was wrapped up in a pretty little bow in Wicked Kiss. Although I'm hoping there is since even though things were wrapped up there seems to be a lot the author can work with to write another book. And I'm curious to see what happens next with not just the main characters but also with Jordan and Carly.
One word that I can use to describe Samantha in this book would be "determined". Her hunger was growing to where she was having a hard time controlling it and she didn't let anyone stop her from finding her soul. She took matters in her own hands which I loved. She is also discovering more of her powers and what it means to be a nexus and I loved the moments she learned about Bishop's past , there was a lot of bad things in his past so it was interesting to see how she dealt with it while still feeling the way she did about Bishop.
There was a ton of twists and turns in this book at times it felt like too much was going on but it still held my interest. Also safe to say there is no love triangle.
I really thought with the way things were going with Kraven in book one there would be one developing but nope...nothing. Although at the same time I do like Kraven more so I guess secretly I was hoping she would go for Kraven since he makes things more entertaining.
Overall I enjoyed the book and the series to where I would pick up the next book...if there is a next book, I'm not sure since everything was wrapped up in a pretty little bow in Wicked Kiss. Although I'm hoping there is since even though things were wrapped up there seems to be a lot the author can work with to write another book. And I'm curious to see what happens next with not just the main characters but also with Jordan and Carly.
supera710's review against another edition
3.0
I received a copy of Wicked Kiss courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for a review.
In Wicked Kiss, Sam is trying to get her soul back. Bishop is trying to help her, of course, but he isn't fairing too well with the whole issue, esp since the two of them just want to stop fighting the attraction they feel towards each other, and just give in to temptation. Even tho it will kill Bishop. Thank god for Kraven huh? He helps Sam by staving off her soul hunger, but just a little. Too bad she can't have them both. Aside from that issue, Sam is trying to get her bff back, and also fix the problem in Trininty, where the Grays are turning into zombies and running rampant. Kind of scary, when you feel you are the only hope and you can't get your stuff together. Poor Sam! I was glad Michelle Rowen didn't drag this story out with a 3rd book. I think she did a great job in getting to the meat of everything, and I enjoyed it so much more for that! I thought the ending was sweet, and tidy to boot!
In Wicked Kiss, Sam is trying to get her soul back. Bishop is trying to help her, of course, but he isn't fairing too well with the whole issue, esp since the two of them just want to stop fighting the attraction they feel towards each other, and just give in to temptation. Even tho it will kill Bishop. Thank god for Kraven huh? He helps Sam by staving off her soul hunger, but just a little. Too bad she can't have them both. Aside from that issue, Sam is trying to get her bff back, and also fix the problem in Trininty, where the Grays are turning into zombies and running rampant. Kind of scary, when you feel you are the only hope and you can't get your stuff together. Poor Sam! I was glad Michelle Rowen didn't drag this story out with a 3rd book. I think she did a great job in getting to the meat of everything, and I enjoyed it so much more for that! I thought the ending was sweet, and tidy to boot!
miii_'s review against another edition
5.0
At first the book is a really good one.
At first I was not sure if I'm happy that I have this book series.
But I really love this book. Ok most of time you can think what it is going to happen next.
Sometimes there are also surprises in the book!
I really can recommend the second book. I hope there is not coming a next book, because I don#t think the next book is going to be this great like the first and second. This is the perfect ending for me .
At first I was not sure if I'm happy that I have this book series.
But I really love this book. Ok most of time you can think what it is going to happen next.
Sometimes there are also surprises in the book!
I really can recommend the second book. I hope there is not coming a next book, because I don#t think the next book is going to be this great like the first and second. This is the perfect ending for me .
booksenvogue's review against another edition
3.0
*Read*
Thoughts:
I loved Book one of this series! Too bad this sequel didn't keep the momentum going. It lagged far too much for my liking. The addition of another female was interesting, however, it did not create the love triangle I anticipated. The storyline did a complete 180-degree turn. To top it off our protagonist was magically resued in a very cartoonish manner. While this has a lot of interesting plots, I just wasn't feeling it. It was too inconsistent with the laws of the world. The explanation was simply because "she was special". I would have wanted more conflict and consequences and less happily ever after insta-fixes.
Thoughts:
I loved Book one of this series! Too bad this sequel didn't keep the momentum going. It lagged far too much for my liking. The addition of another female was interesting, however, it did not create the love triangle I anticipated. The storyline did a complete 180-degree turn. To top it off our protagonist was magically resued in a very cartoonish manner. While this has a lot of interesting plots, I just wasn't feeling it. It was too inconsistent with the laws of the world. The explanation was simply because "she was special". I would have wanted more conflict and consequences and less happily ever after insta-fixes.
emslovestoread's review against another edition
3.0
*Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for allowing early access to this title*
I came upon this series quite by accident on the YA Book Exchange. The first book looked interesting, so I traded for it. Not long after I got it, I found the sequel on NetGalley. I decided I'd better start reading the first book so I could get to this one.
Yeah, best intentions and all that jazz...
It took me forever to get to the series, but once I did, I flew through the books. I quite enjoyed them and had fun in the unique world that Michelle Rowen created.
I haven't had a ton of luck with angel books, because they all read EXACTLY THE SAME. This series had enough of a unique twist to it that I didn't feel the same boredom. I wouldn't put it in the same league as Hallowed (Cynthia Hand), but for me, it was head and shoulders above some of the others I've read.
Of all the characters in the book, I think I liked Kraven the best. He's a bad boy for sure, but he's so honest about it. I didn't ever feel like he was pretending, when I did get that feeling from some of the others. He had his moments of 'nice guy-ness' too, which I liked. He wasn't completely one-dimensional like some of the others.
I liked Bishop as well. Being an angel with a soul and having that soul wreak havoc on him was a new concept for me. I thought he was well-done, even if I did want to beat him with a stick sometimes. He was frustrating at times, but most of the time, I liked him. He tried really hard to be strong for the team, and I can totally respect that.
I didn't really love Samantha though. That's kind of a big deal, considering that she's the main character. She was kind of annoying and whiny to me, even if I can admit that she had her reasons. I mean, her soul was stolen, so that's kind of a big deal. But still. I think she had bigger things to worry about than whether or not Bishop was going to kiss her again. Maybe let's focus on the bigger picture. She wasn't ALWAYS like that though, which is why I didn't totally dislike her.
Plot-wise, I really enjoyed this series. The idea of the angels being trapped in this one city until their mission was fulfilled was kind of cool. I also liked the way the angels and demons had to work together for the greater good. I thought they did their jobs well, and the interaction created enough tension to keep the books fascinating.
Overall, quite enjoyable, and books that I'm glad to now have in my personal library.
3.5 Eiffel Towers
Content Advisory
Language: Moderate
Sexuality: Mildly Moderate
Violence: Moderately Heavy
I came upon this series quite by accident on the YA Book Exchange. The first book looked interesting, so I traded for it. Not long after I got it, I found the sequel on NetGalley. I decided I'd better start reading the first book so I could get to this one.
Yeah, best intentions and all that jazz...
It took me forever to get to the series, but once I did, I flew through the books. I quite enjoyed them and had fun in the unique world that Michelle Rowen created.
I haven't had a ton of luck with angel books, because they all read EXACTLY THE SAME. This series had enough of a unique twist to it that I didn't feel the same boredom. I wouldn't put it in the same league as Hallowed (Cynthia Hand), but for me, it was head and shoulders above some of the others I've read.
Of all the characters in the book, I think I liked Kraven the best. He's a bad boy for sure, but he's so honest about it. I didn't ever feel like he was pretending, when I did get that feeling from some of the others. He had his moments of 'nice guy-ness' too, which I liked. He wasn't completely one-dimensional like some of the others.
I liked Bishop as well. Being an angel with a soul and having that soul wreak havoc on him was a new concept for me. I thought he was well-done, even if I did want to beat him with a stick sometimes. He was frustrating at times, but most of the time, I liked him. He tried really hard to be strong for the team, and I can totally respect that.
I didn't really love Samantha though. That's kind of a big deal, considering that she's the main character. She was kind of annoying and whiny to me, even if I can admit that she had her reasons. I mean, her soul was stolen, so that's kind of a big deal. But still. I think she had bigger things to worry about than whether or not Bishop was going to kiss her again. Maybe let's focus on the bigger picture. She wasn't ALWAYS like that though, which is why I didn't totally dislike her.
Plot-wise, I really enjoyed this series. The idea of the angels being trapped in this one city until their mission was fulfilled was kind of cool. I also liked the way the angels and demons had to work together for the greater good. I thought they did their jobs well, and the interaction created enough tension to keep the books fascinating.
Overall, quite enjoyable, and books that I'm glad to now have in my personal library.
3.5 Eiffel Towers
Content Advisory
Language: Moderate
Sexuality: Mildly Moderate
Violence: Moderately Heavy
aceartemis7's review against another edition
4.0
It definitely was better than the first book. This one had many things going on and you find out the back story of Bishop! :D Happily ever after ending too. I hope the series doesn't end, sure sounds like it by the last page :(