The Awakening by L.J. Smith

Summary: Elena Gilbert is a pretty, popular teen who was orphaned when her parents were killed in an accident. Despite the tragedy, her life has always been normal and wholesome. Until the beginning of the school year, when two new vampire brothers show up to shake the peaceful universe at Robert E. Lee High.

My Thoughts: I’m not sure what I was expecting, but The Awakening by L.J. Smith was a huge disappointment. I only finished it because it’s a fast, easy read. If it was a longer book, or written in a way that makes it slower to read, this would have been a DNF.

Why? One word: Melodrama. Oh, yes, this book is overly melodramatic. I found myself rolling my eyes over and over and over – it’s amazing I didn’t get dizzy while reading. (I couldn’t help but think a few times that I could see how this translated into a popular CW network show!) Why else? I couldn’t connect with or feel for any of the characters. They’re flat, one-dimensional, and just not in the least bit relatable.

Words I rarely, if ever utter/write: I don’t intend to continue with this series. Despite the HUGE cliffhanger ending, one book was more than enough for me. (And, believe me, this is HUGE. I don’t think I’ve ever given up on a series before!)

Source: I purchased my own copy (then promptly gave it away).

Challenges: Counts for 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 and iChallenges 2011.

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Once Wicked Always Dead by T. Marie Benchley

Summary: Molly Madison is unaware of the Sociopath who is on the loose, creating havoc with a sense of their own justice. Her life is shattered by the sudden death of her beloved parents and the revelation of her husband Phillip’s affair – with another man – Molly leaves the life of Country Clubs and the luxury of city life in Florida and heads west to Montana, resolved to run the family ranch, and to move on with her life. Her attraction to Clayton Leatherbe, the ranch foreman, is instant, but before a romance can blossom, the ranch falls prey to sabotage by wealthy land developers determined to drive Molly out, and Clayton learns of a family secret and collides with the Sociopath that could put the ranch – and Molly’s life – in jeopardy.

My Thoughts: I hate writing bad reviews, and always try to avoid it. But, well, I can’t this time. I almost stopped reading this book, but not because I couldn’t get into it. It was because I was getting tired of it. But, I only had about 75-ish pages left, and figured I’d better see how it all plays out. I put enough time into it to read most of it, that I just wanted to know. I kinda wish I’d gotten to that point at about 75-ish pages into the book …

What don’t I like about this? Just about everything. I can’t think of much that I do like. The writing didn’t flow well, and instead was kind of choppy at times. Plus, cliches were everywhere. Almost any cliche you might have heard is probably in there somewhere. The dialogue was particularly bad, often sounding forced – even unnatural. My main problem was the over use of profanity. Every character cursed like a sailor, if not worse, no matter what. While I could see a couple of characters swearing that much, it just doesn’t work when every single character uses at least one profane term every time they speak. And I emphasize at least – often there was a string of obscenities. Add to that the narrator’s occasional use of profanity, and it was just too much.

The plot as a whole wasn’t bad. The overall story arch was interesting, and could have been compelling. There was a lot of potential, but the little intricate details just didn’t do the job. Some plot twists and turns seemed contrived and just too much. There’s enough of that to really make the book more of a frustrating read for me. While I can often – and often do – overlook writing that I find inadequate when there’s a good plot, that just wasn’t the case here. For that to happen, I need a plot so good that it makes me forget the writing. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here.

My apologies to those who were involved in this book. I do not intend to hurt anyone’s feelings or anything like that. I make it a point to post honest reviews. I believe my reviews are more credible when I share both the good and the bad. I recognize that my opinion is just that, an opinion. I always try to find positive in books when I generally don’t have a lot of good things to say, but I believe honesty helps me keep my integrity as a reviewer. No one can possibly love – or even like – every single book that comes their way. And no one book will please everyone.

My Rating: 1 of 5 stars

Source: Sent for review.

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