this gets a one for the really shitty writing.When I read a book about elves and you describe them as regal, I expect them to act regal.When I you describe moody assassin king of all elfin time, I don't expect teenage words being thrown around like "baby" as in "you got it baby." Syndra was described to be sophisticated but she talked like a teenager. UGH. I could not get over the language in the bookAlso, this is the worst case of insta-love I have ever read, and I've read a LOT of books. This whole -we are soul mates there for in love at first sight- thing is a big no-no in my book. We literally learn nothing about either character throughout the book. What are Cassie's hobbies? Does she have any friends other than Elora, who by the way is pretty much the only character in this book with a personality that is in line with her description. Just really really disappointing with this. It had such an intriguing plot. I generally appreaciate a good book with strong characters, and this one has a brush with the addiction theme, as well, kudos for that. YA generally stays away from more serious themes, so cases like this one get extra brownie points. Yeah... I think it's included somewhat accidentally, to increase the drama of "will they, won't they", the approach is somewhat simplistic. But, hey! The dialogue is humorous and entertaining.On the off side, the aforementioned strong characters are too busy chasing HEA to grow; they just switch moods, quicker than you can say 'Bob's your uncle'. For example, I mentioned addiction, didn't I? The addicted gets a few days of withdrawal pains and is afterwards cured by the local fantasy gods. Not to mention the drug makes the person uninhibited, disconnected and prone to mood swings, so even though the addicted has a near brush with... date rape right after taking another shot of the drug, following months of uncharacteristic behavior he/she feels ashamed for, the author snaps the addicted back to the original pre-addiction snappy and confident personality as soon as the savior appears.After full, nearly instantaneous recovery, the addicted is allowed to march into battle with more powerful, healthy, supernatural creatures of war. Makes perfect sense.So I'll say it's a worthy build-up with a weak, disjointed climax.
What do You think about Elfin (2000)?
The characters are caricatures in this fast paced, poorly edited book about elves. Eighteen year old Cassie is totally beautiful inside and out, but of course, she does not know how beautiful she is. She is pure and innocent as the driven snow and is the "Chosen" mate for Trik, the stunningly handsome one thousand year old evil assassin to the eviler king of the dark elves. Because Cassie and Trik are soul mates, once they meet and bond, it is physically painful for them to even be apart from one another. Trik must chose between serving the evil king of the dark elves or giving up all that to please the pure and beautiful Cassie who is his soul mate. Filled with lust, love, friendship, betrayal and magic, this book, even though it is highly exaggerated and very poorly edited with errors like using the word "hall" instead of "haul" and "vile" instead of "vial" which is just a vile error, is a quick, easy read and has an interesting plot. I can see why some people love it, but its flaws can be a turn off to more discerning readers. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.
—lia
Was a rough start....I almost flounced it....But then it snagged my attention and I couldn't put it down!It's a self-published book, so there's quite a few grammatical errors and inconsistencies. But for the most part, it was really good.Another thing; the storyline is rather cliche'. You've got the soulmate-bonding-thing. Which is fascinating, but overused. I still liked the book, though. If you can overlook the problems, then you'll find that the characters are well-developed with likeable personalities. Elora is my personal favorite. Love the snark!I will definitely be reading the next one!
—shana
