Embrace

Embrace (The Violet Eden Chapters #1)

Jessica Shirvington

Pages: 369

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Format: Hardcover

Source: Library

Age Group: Young Adult

Date Published: March 6, 2012

 It starts with a whisper: "It's time for you to know who you are..."
On her 17th birthday, everything will change for Violet Eden. The boy she loves will betray her. Her enemy will save her. She will have to decide just how much she's willing to sacrifice.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, EMBRACE is a compelling novel of good and evil, seductive desires and impossible choices. A centuries old war between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity chooses a new fighter. It's a battle Violet doesn't want, but she lives her life by two rules: don't run and don't quit. If angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden.
LINCOLN: He's been Violet's one anchor, her running partner and kickboxing trainer. Only he never told her he's Grigori--part human, part angel--and that he was training her for an ancient battle between Angels and Exiles.
PHOENIX: No one knows where his loyalties lie, yet he's the only one there to pick up the pieces and protect her after Lincoln's lies. In a world of dark and light, he is all shades of gray.
Two sides: Angel or Exile.
Two guys: Lincoln or Phoenix.
The wrong choice could cost not only her life, but her eternity...

This book was incredibly fun. I mean, through a lot of it my heart was being wrenched, but Violet is so cute and Steph (her BFF) is super funny, and it just made the book really fun to read.  And let me just say, right off the bat, that I am so totally Team Lincoln. Phoenix always gave me the creeps and I just love Lincoln sososososo much!! He's sweet and fit and hot and cute and funny and caring and I LOVE HIM lots.

With my Team Lincoln fangirling out of the way, let's have a quick chat about the plot. So, Violet finds out that she's supposed to be this, like, part-angel thing called a Grigori and it freaks her out so badly that she decides to be really angry at Lincoln (whom she had previously been head-over-heels for) because he knew (obviously the goodreads summary says he is one), and she didn't like that he didn't tell her. So, then, she runs into Phoenix (with whom she had danced with in a club on her birthday, ironically the club was called Hades and is mentioned several times in the book... you get it? angels, Hades?? yeaah) and they become insta-BFFs but he totally wants to be more. And then he is more. And she hates Lincoln some more. It's kind of a never-ending spiral for a while.

I found a few things really weird about her relationship with Phoenix. I mean, they barely knew each other, and he was sort of stalking her for a while, AND SHE DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS WEIRD? It is kind of explained in the end (kind of), but for the most part, their relationship was really weird. He is very sexy though, and he gets some cool points for just that fact, but he kind of gave me the creeps. Therefore, I am utterly Team Lincoln, because he's way better than Phoenix (and way better than any normal guy too).

So, yeah! Despite the quick pace of the romance (which, in all fairness, did add to the story a little bit, because nobody really wants a slow romance, right?), this was actually a pretty good book! The characters were interesting and the story was a lot more interesting than I made it sound, and it was good. Definitely one for those of you who like Hush, Hush, though it does kind of have a similar sad, desperate feel to City of Bones and Clockwork Prince, but it isn't quite as painful. I give it 4 'staches for it's funness, but not 5 because I didn't totally love the way the romance flowed.

I did win the next book from the Embrace Series twitter (@EmbraceSeries), so that's pretty awesome and I can't wait to get it! Crossing my fingers for lots of Lincoln!