I am so confused. :l Forgive my scathing, critical attitude - It is only that Taste was so precious to me and this falls short of that.I guess I would give this 3.5 stars, really. I had to look up on the author's site whether this was actually tied to Taste at all... I adored that book with every part of my heart, and this one (more or less because of that) seemed to fall a bit flat. I liked reading about the characters again, but somehow they seemed like pale shadows of themselves. The question is never really answered as to "what" exactly they are - Zhamvy? Human? Or seeming to lean toward ... Witches??Ugh.As infuriating as Phoenix could be in Taste at times, at least she seemed like a "real" person. At the end of everything, I liked her. I liked that she chose Demitri because it seemed to fit. I hate that it got twisted into her being uncertain and having been with Luka up until recent events in Savor. No, no, no! In this book, she mostly just comes across as a way to advance the plot. Dray got turned into some eccentric child-boy-thing with perhaps a hint of autism? Or something. Demitri seems to just be there for muscles and occasional comedic relief. Yana is much more intense (see: bitchy) and prone to fits and "screeching." And poor Luka. Luka was turned into some oozing sexpot that can get away with anything - any fit of rage or pouting or acting like a spoiled brat even more unforgivably than in Taste - just because he's pretty."No, but really - he is SOOO sweet!"Ugh.Luka in Taste intrigued me, pulled me in. His complexity and many facets and the reasons for those truly peeked through in Taste. Luka in this one made me want to vomit more often than anything. And despite how Dakota keeps saying how "sweet" he is, there are too many times he crosses a very real line and falls into the camp of true violation for it to be swept under the rug for me.I did like Dakota's character, which came as a surprise. She came across as someone real, which is hard to do when you start off with making her a photography student with an eyepatch. She has flaws, but that made her more human. She had backbone, despite that she caved to Luka entirely too much for my taste (especially when he took her eyepatch off without her permission. WTH.) The one thing he said that I have to agree with - she is a woman who knows what she wants.I will keep reading this series because of my fondness for Taste, and a curiosity for where this new world of theirs will go, despite feeling like the essence of the characters in Taste has been bleached away. I did enjoy this book, but there is also a lot I have beef about, sometimes out of disappointment over that fondness not carrying over to his new universe and bare-bones similarities of the characters, sometimes with fault in the book itself. I guess I will have to be patient and wait and see if it gets better or worse, since there is no true sequel to Taste coming, from what I have read. :( Unbelievable! This novel pulled me in from page one and I swear to god, did NOT let me put it down. The author, Kate Evangelista, has one of the the best sets of literary skills I've had the privilege of of running my eyes across. The flow of the plot kept me engaged and the characters - OMG the characters!! Dakota is a grad student that lands the role of photographer for a huge band called Vicious. Her sole purpose is to use the band to complete her final photography project before graduation. The fact that Luka is breathtaking is just a bonus...or is it? She knows nothing about the band but she's certain about her attraction toward him. When she's offered a 30 day contract to live with them and catch each band member in the essence she creates, she worries about the effects of living with a rock band, ultimately deciding to give it a go. What she should have worried more about is Luka.Luka and the rest of the band member, Dray, Demitri, and Phoenix, along with Luka's manager sister, Yana manage a valiant attempt to make Dakota feel welcome in their world. Only - Luka is hiding a bunch of who-knows-what and insists on being Dakota's over-protective mother hen, much to her chagrin. She can function in life all by herself and really takes offense to his actions. He is also prone to temper tantrums. Dakota is pulled into the most intimate parts of these band members' lives. I absolutely love the character interactions - whether good or bad - and felt that each scene was pertinent to the storyline. The writing was fluid and that made Savor very easy and enjoyable from the start. There is controversy and emotion along with a rather obvious amount of secrecy. There is a rather emotional part where some level of deception is revealed and I found my heart aching for the character involved. The end of the novel doesn't shed very much light on the goings on in the novel but instead of being a let down, it keeps you hungry for more!I can't wait to get my hands on Book 2, Relish.Please note that I have not read the YA novel, Taste, which from what I've read about is, perhaps, a prequel to this series.Review copy courtesy of: The tour company, via author, at not cost in exchange for an honest review.
