Blog Tour: Embrace by Jessica Shirvington (Review + Giveaway)

Genre:	YA Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural
Publication.Date	March 6th 2012
Pages:	367
Published By:	Sourcebooks Fire   |
Website	Jessica Shirvington |
	Embrace - Goodreads
My review copy:	ARC received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Where to get:	Barnes and Noble | Amazon | Book Depository

    It starts with a whisper: “It’s time for you to know who you are…”

Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. As if that wasn’t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn’t there before.

Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her.

A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden…

Look for the sequels ENTICED in September 2012 and EMBLAZE in March 2013!
(Goodreads)

It's hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother's death. It's not that I blame myself for her not being here. No one could have known she wouldn't survive childbirth. It's not that I miss her either. I mean, I never knew her in the first place. But it is the one day each year that at some point I'll be forced to ask myself, was it worth it? Was my life worth taking hers?

Not everything is black and white, Violet. Don't believe everything you've been told. I'm... I don't fit into any of your little boxes. Anyway, if I meant to hurt you, it would be done.

"You're enthralling," he continued. "It's as if you become each of the senses and can affect them in me. Through you, I feel birds flying around me and even feel morning and evening manifest their power."

 

     Wildly compelling, sexy and taut, Embrace by Jessica Shirvington offers a hot new take on angels! This fabulously written page-turner explores destiny, betrayal, love, trust, and free will. It's a delicious treat for everyone who enjoys fast-paced and totally engaging stories, filled with gorgeous characters, shivery sexual tension, heart-stopping plot twists, and richly developed mythology. This isn't yet another mediocre angel story, this is the real deal - an angel story to die for!

     Violet's seventeenth birthday is approaching and she is not happy about it. In fact, she doesn't like celebrating her birthday at all, as it also marks the anniversary of her mother's death. Raised by a workaholic father, Violet seems to be just a typical teenage girl - with friends, hopes and dreams, and plans for the future. Well, maybe she's a little bit more talented than other kids her age - she can draw and paint like an artist. And OK, she's also quite athletic - ever since she met Lincoln, she's been exercising regularly: running, wall climbing, even practicing martial arts! And, well, there's no denying the fact that she's also quite a beauty.

      Strange things have been happening to Violet recently. She's determined to find some answers, but who can provide them? Everything gets even more complicated when she learns that her long time crush (Linc) has been keeping secrets from her, too. Nothing seems to be the same anymore, her life is turned up side down. Having discovered who she really is, Violet is now facing some very difficult decisions. She can either take the final journey to becoming a full-blown Grigori (it's called embrace) or she can choose to remain human. Whatever she'll decide, there will be consequences, and nothing will ever be the same again.

     Jessica Shirvington managed to do this one thing that many before her have tried and failed - she made angels sexy! With her excellent writing style, she created a beautiful, emotionally engaging, and entirely captivating story. I honestly did not expect to love this book as much as I did. It's gripping and intense. Lush. Steamy. Taut. Action-packed and entertaining. The tension never lets up, the characters are well-drawn, likable, easy to connect with. There's a fabulous chemistry between them. I'm not a big fan of love triangles, but this one worked so well! I won't even try to deny it - I LOVE PHOENIX!!! Mysterious, cocky, powerful, arrogant, passionate, H-O-T, Phoenix knows exactly what he wants and he will stop at nothing to get it. In terms of character development, Embrace is absolutely phenomenal. At least when it comes to male love interests. Violet is a whole different story - some will like her, some will not. Although you might find her just a tiny bit annoying at first, she will probably grow on you as your read farther into the book. Not exactly what you'd call a "match made in heaven", but give her a chance. For the most part I wasn't very fond of Vi, but as long as she doesn't go Calla on me, I am willing to tolerate her for Linc and Phoenix.

     The plot line blew me away. There's no denying that. I'm fairly confident that this is one of the best - if not THE best - angel book out there. Jessica Shirvington's take on angels is not only original and well thought-out, but also very well balanced, believable and charming, without being cheesy or preachy at the same time. Let's face it - it's hard to talk about angels without mentioning God, Heaven and Hell, and other Christian mythology-related issues. And yet she managed to avoid digging deeper into the heavy stuff. She focused on Grigori and angels, and it turned out fabulous. As much as I loved the world building and all the 3D characters, I appreciated Shirvington's skillful and enjoyable storytelling the most. Her plotting was smart, elaborate and often full of surprises. I found myself totally invested in the story and eager to find out what will happen next. It's a dynamic and powerful read, destined to become a bestseller. Highly recommended!

Sourcebooks Fire generously offered a copy of Embrace up for grabs!

Ends: March 10th

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