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A review by jezzebelljc
Tarnished by Kate Jarvik Birch
4.0
"I had no idea what sort of lives normal people lived, but I wanted to know."
The Good
This one is even better than the first. What drew me to Perfected was the outrageousness of owning a human as a pet. In this second installment, things get so much worse than simply owning a human being (and that was bad enough?!?!). This is one of those series that make me think the entire time I'm reading it. I can't help but go over in my head and digest the information of what is considered acceptable by people in this future world. It's all written to be believable based on the justifications given by corrupt politicians, but I can't help shaking my head at what's going on and I desperately want these politicians and NuPet dealt with.
Ella has moved so far in her character from where she was in the beginning of the first one. She is a sweet soul with a desire to help others. She's also willing to stand up and get things done. Missy in this one was a jewel. I remember not really caring for her in the first one, but her character was fantastic this go round.
The action is really revved up in Tarnished. It's not the action that had me turning pages and trying to get to the end though, it was more that I HAD to know what would happen. It's not an action-packed thrill ride, more of a psychological derby. The writing flows well and there were some truly beautiful quotes embedded in the story.
"Morning was just an idea that night was considering, a blush-colored dream."
The Bad
The only small thing that bothered me was how badly she wanted to 'escape' in the beginning when I wasn't able to tell that the situation was that bad. In fact, she just goes to much worse. I wish I would've been able to see why this place in Canada that she's staying in the beginning is so terrible that she has to get out immediately. Surely it can't be just because she has to see Penn. This didn't detract anything from the story, just had me scratching my head a bit.
There are circumstances of prostitution and murder so you may want to be sure you want to read it before determining whether your kids can.
The Romance
Penn was a big deal in the first one. In fact, he went from hating Ella to showing her how to be free. In this one, they have a very cute relationship and definitely are committed to each other. It's all gumdrops and rainbows in that department.
Conclusion
Tarnished is a very well-written follow up and was even better than Perfected. The series is intoxicating in the way that it stimulates your mind and really makes you think. I love the characters and am so glad to continue to see them grow. The action went up a notch and the story-line got even more intense. I'm a fan!
The Good
This one is even better than the first. What drew me to Perfected was the outrageousness of owning a human as a pet. In this second installment, things get so much worse than simply owning a human being (and that was bad enough?!?!). This is one of those series that make me think the entire time I'm reading it. I can't help but go over in my head and digest the information of what is considered acceptable by people in this future world. It's all written to be believable based on the justifications given by corrupt politicians, but I can't help shaking my head at what's going on and I desperately want these politicians and NuPet dealt with.
Ella has moved so far in her character from where she was in the beginning of the first one. She is a sweet soul with a desire to help others. She's also willing to stand up and get things done. Missy in this one was a jewel. I remember not really caring for her in the first one, but her character was fantastic this go round.
The action is really revved up in Tarnished. It's not the action that had me turning pages and trying to get to the end though, it was more that I HAD to know what would happen. It's not an action-packed thrill ride, more of a psychological derby. The writing flows well and there were some truly beautiful quotes embedded in the story.
"Morning was just an idea that night was considering, a blush-colored dream."
The Bad
The only small thing that bothered me was how badly she wanted to 'escape' in the beginning when I wasn't able to tell that the situation was that bad. In fact, she just goes to much worse. I wish I would've been able to see why this place in Canada that she's staying in the beginning is so terrible that she has to get out immediately. Surely it can't be just because she has to see Penn. This didn't detract anything from the story, just had me scratching my head a bit.
There are circumstances of prostitution and murder so you may want to be sure you want to read it before determining whether your kids can.
The Romance
Penn was a big deal in the first one. In fact, he went from hating Ella to showing her how to be free. In this one, they have a very cute relationship and definitely are committed to each other. It's all gumdrops and rainbows in that department.
Conclusion
Tarnished is a very well-written follow up and was even better than Perfected. The series is intoxicating in the way that it stimulates your mind and really makes you think. I love the characters and am so glad to continue to see them grow. The action went up a notch and the story-line got even more intense. I'm a fan!