Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Five (Elemental Enmity #1) by Christie Rich

Five




Goodreads summary: Rayla Tate’s life is about to turn vertical…again. As if it wasn’t bad enough her mother disappeared under questionable circumstances leaving Rayla to be raised by her aunt in a horrendously small town. Her overprotective guardian is determined to ruin Rayla’s life. She refuses to let Rayla out of her sight or out of the state. Provincial living might be what her aunt demands of her purposely sheltered niece; but, Rayla has other ideas. In a desperate attempt to follow her dreams she flees the safety of her home and runs away to college with her best friend toward a bright future in the art world.

However, excitement over her newfound freedom turns into terror when she is chased by a mysterious stranger on her way to school. When his motorcycle suddenly morphs into a fire-breathing pegasus, Rayla questions her sanity. Worse, the man riding next to her stirs a burning desire in her soul she has never known or could have ever imagined. Using all the will she owns, she manages to resist the compulsion she feels; yet, as he disappears into the night, she is certain he hasn't gone far.

Rayla quickly dismisses the encounter to her overactive imagination. She is determined to settle into her new life, yet the images and feelings of that night still haunt her. To make matters worse, her aunt seems to be in on the act, insisting that Rayla will soon be hunted by a pack of fae lords for a power over the elements she never knew she possessed—a power that could change the world. Quicker than she ever thought possible, she finds herself surrounded by stunning men that all seem determined to win her heart. Why does she feel drawn to each one of them? More importantly, what dark power do they hold over her? Rayla must quickly learn to fend off these beautiful and seductive pursuers using whatever means necessary or find herself lost to the fae world forever.

Review


I would love to thank the author for giving me a free copy of her book for an honest review.

I haven't read so much flirting in a book before! And the flirting in Five wasn't the shy, slow type of flirting. It was the I'll-get-into-your-pants-within-five-seconds type of flirting!

What I thought of Five?

Wow... this is hard to explain. Five was just WOW in a semi-bad way. I enjoyed the parts about the Fae and the Fae world, since I am not familiar with fairies and Western mythological creatures. I can even say that Five is very original with its prophecies and legends, which were very interesting.

Rayla is a character I would love to befriend in the real life. She's funny, strong-willed, a nasty cat if you make her angry. But, I feel the author failed to flesh Rayla out, as if she weren't human enough for me. I had a problem with the secondary characters as well, like they were thinly imagined. I know they're just secondary, but I needed to feel their presence, to convince me they were human. The Fae lords: Zach, Jett, Luke, Taylor, Finn, I think, weren't planned out enough. I had a difficult time picturing out their features and what their personalities really were. I can't see what and who they are  in their dialogue or in their actions. So this really bothered me. I'd describe the men in one word: cardboard. They felt and seemed like cardboard.

Falling in love in a matter of a week or in a few hours? Hmm, I know you get this "pull" whenever the guy is around, but seriously? The romance felt rushed and unconvincing. The guy just did something (like smiled, or shared a little about himself) and Rayla concluded and felt like they knew each other for an eternity! No! No! NO! You cannot just tell the reader that you are in love because of something like that!

Overall, Five is a fun read and I would love to read the sequel. But it had a few lapses because there were scenes that jumped to a different type of scene, which only confused me and had to get over it and read without understanding what really was going on. So, I did have some difficulties reading this. But still, had a great time reading Five!

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2 comments:

  1. I had similar feelings, though I think I liked it a little bit better. I'd give it a 3.5 or so. I felt the end was a little dragged out. But I was very much amused and drawn in when any of the lords were around.

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  2. Oh yeah! The lords were funny. They were too competitive, and I would have loved to trade places with Rayla anytime :D

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