(3.5 stars - a tick off for the ending. Yikes I seem to be living in "3.5 star land" lately.) I really liked Destiny Divided all the way up until the last chapters. I loved the sorcery training and the wise cracking, lying, thieving leading lady and I loved the sorcerer leading man and his best friend. Where the story lost it's shine a bit was in the wrap-up to the HEA when the leading lady turned to lovey dovey mush and gave into the leading man being overly controlling. I really liked this book and it was a great intro to the series. It was kind of like an explosion of fun in my brain, like, right away, from the very first paragraph. I liked Sage. She was funny and relatable, yet a badass and a smartass. She kind of had that lost puppy vulnerability that made me want to give her a hug - she grew up in the foster system, not anyone's ideal start to life - but she's not looking for hugs or pity. She was strong and resourceful and very independent.I love books with magic. I love fairy tales, so I guess that makes sense. And I looked at this as an X rated fairy tale, which, obviously, makes it that much more appealing to me.Our hero, James, was a cranky, bossy, and super studly (yeah, yeah, I make up words) sorcerer...or was he? He was. So much so that Sage wondered..."Was abnormal attractiveness some sort of survival strategy engineered so women would put up with sorcerers' arrogant, domineering attitudes? Darwinism at its finest?"... then she even had to say stuff like:"Your ego is legendary. It's like its own entity. No, really. We should name it."But there was more to him than met the eye. Cue mysterious music. Seriously, though, he was more than just your average bossy and arrogant alpha hero.James recognized Sage's potential and took her in with the intention of teaching her how to use her gifts...possibly to his own ends. But things aren't as they seem - not with James and, certainly, not with Sage. She definitely broke all the romance heroine rules - she was independent and willful and she didn't take any crap from anyone, least of all James. There were some serious and sad moments, but the humor and witty banter eased the tension beautifully. I, personally, like when someone makes a funny, which I am sure is a shock to you all, so I enjoyed that quite a bit.The best part about this book, for me, was that Sage didn't change who she was for James. She stayed true to herself. She was a great example of a badass heroine. And if not for the sex, the foul mouth, and the shady morals, I'd totally want my daughter to look up to her. You know, some minor details and all.I highly recommend this book (and the series) to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance, adventure, alpha heroes who aren't intimidated by strong heroines, and lots of funnies in their stories - there were lots of funnies. I like the funnies. And the sex was hawt. I did say that, right?And just an fyi for you, as soon as I finished Destiny Divided, I went right to Destiny United. And now I'm reading Destiny Unchained...cause you try to read that first chapter teaser thingie at the end of the book and not buy it...try it. I triple dog dare you! (I enjoy schoolyard taunts. Sometimes.)And did I mention that this book is FREE? Cause it is. It's also on my list of awesome series that start off with a freebie.
What do You think about Destiny Divided (2011)?
Wonderful, Fun read. Great start to a series.
—madisonneugebauer2814
