A review by chinacatsun76
Complete Nothing by Kieran Scott
4.0
ARC kindly provided by the publisher. Original review posted at Reading Lark: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2014/09/book-review-complete-nothing.html#more
I absolutely adored the first book in the True Love series by Kieran Scott, but I wondered if, after the initial struggles True (aka teenage goddess Eros, sent to Earth by Zeus to match three couples without the use of her powers) had adjusting to life on Earth, the premise would work as well in a second book. I'm happy to say it still works, and I loved this book as much as Only Everything, if not more. True continues to be unintentionally hilarious and intentionally sarcastic, but her moxie is now tempered with restraint and a desire for respect.
On one hand, as the cover blurb indicates, if True is not successful in this match (or any of her three matches), her "efforts will amount to a complete nothing," but complete nothing is also what Peter and Claudia are without each other. Peter, in an act of misguided self-protection, breaks up with Claudia at the beginning of their senior year. Not only isn't Peter thrilled about getting out of high school in a few months, but he's downright scared. He has no plan of his own, and he knows there is no way his talented, studious, Princeton-bound girlfriend Claudia will stay with him. Claudia, on the other hand, wants amazing things for Peter and knows he's capable of them...if he would only fill out the applications.
Enter True. True knows these two should be together, and the reader knows it too. The fun in this book is watching True work, as she steps, missteps, and eventually comes into her own and regains her confidence and powers (both Earth-bound and god-like). Kieran Scott continues to write her teenage characters incredibly well. I said it before, and I'll say it again -- I swear she has to have a camera set up outside my classroom to get the attitudes, speech patterns, and behaviors down as well as she does. She manages to write characters that I care about and she gives even the secondary characters depth.
While Claudia's character is absolutely well-written, I found myself drawn more to Peter's inner monologues. He realizes that, as a high school football star, he is a big fish in a small pond and once he goes to college he's on his own: "This was my home. Everyone here knew my name...I looked down at the top of the brochure again and my vision blurred. When I got to college -- if I got to college -- I wouldn't be me anymore. I'd be no one. And I'd be completely alone." Both Peter and Claudia's growth, and their relationship, throughout the novel is lovely to watch and you root for them as much as you do True.
Final Word: Loved the book, still love True, and I can't wait for the third installment!
I absolutely adored the first book in the True Love series by Kieran Scott, but I wondered if, after the initial struggles True (aka teenage goddess Eros, sent to Earth by Zeus to match three couples without the use of her powers) had adjusting to life on Earth, the premise would work as well in a second book. I'm happy to say it still works, and I loved this book as much as Only Everything, if not more. True continues to be unintentionally hilarious and intentionally sarcastic, but her moxie is now tempered with restraint and a desire for respect.
On one hand, as the cover blurb indicates, if True is not successful in this match (or any of her three matches), her "efforts will amount to a complete nothing," but complete nothing is also what Peter and Claudia are without each other. Peter, in an act of misguided self-protection, breaks up with Claudia at the beginning of their senior year. Not only isn't Peter thrilled about getting out of high school in a few months, but he's downright scared. He has no plan of his own, and he knows there is no way his talented, studious, Princeton-bound girlfriend Claudia will stay with him. Claudia, on the other hand, wants amazing things for Peter and knows he's capable of them...if he would only fill out the applications.
Enter True. True knows these two should be together, and the reader knows it too. The fun in this book is watching True work, as she steps, missteps, and eventually comes into her own and regains her confidence and powers (both Earth-bound and god-like). Kieran Scott continues to write her teenage characters incredibly well. I said it before, and I'll say it again -- I swear she has to have a camera set up outside my classroom to get the attitudes, speech patterns, and behaviors down as well as she does. She manages to write characters that I care about and she gives even the secondary characters depth.
While Claudia's character is absolutely well-written, I found myself drawn more to Peter's inner monologues. He realizes that, as a high school football star, he is a big fish in a small pond and once he goes to college he's on his own: "This was my home. Everyone here knew my name...I looked down at the top of the brochure again and my vision blurred. When I got to college -- if I got to college -- I wouldn't be me anymore. I'd be no one. And I'd be completely alone." Both Peter and Claudia's growth, and their relationship, throughout the novel is lovely to watch and you root for them as much as you do True.
Final Word: Loved the book, still love True, and I can't wait for the third installment!