Monday, November 9, 2015

INTO A MILLION PIECES, REVIEW

Into a Million Pieces, a YA paranormal, thriller,  from author Angela Cook.  I was contacted by Angela through the Book Blogger Review List (where I'm listed), to do a review.  At first I wasn't interested because the main theme of the story is teenage succubi.  This couldn't be further from anything that I would enjoy to read.  However, she made her plea to give it a chance, saying that the succubus idea is really not what drives this story, there was so much more…it wasn't overtly erotic in the least.  So after checking out some reviews and looking things over I decided to go ahead (expecting I wouldn't really enjoy it), and read the book.
And much to my surprise….well, I'll let the review speak for itself.   Thx for stopping by today.  Leave us a comment so we know you were here..enjoy!


Allison McKready is a succubus. So is her twin sister. But while Allison spends her summer break hiding in the library behind her Goth makeup, Jade fools around as often as she can. Allison can’t believe Jade would ignore their mother’s fatal example so recklessly, but concealing a cursed bloodline and its dangerous effects is far from Allison’s only problem. Mean girl Julie’s snob mob is determined to ruin her summer, and Aunt Sarah’s Bible thumping is getting louder. Only her new friend, Ren Fisher, offers safe haven from the chaos of her life.

When one of Jade’s risky dates leads to humiliation and sudden tragedy, Allison reels, and Ren catches her. But as her feelings for him grow, so does her fear that she’ll hurt him—or worse—in an unguarded moment. The choice is coming—love him or save him—but Allison might not live to make it. One way or another, the curse will have its due.  

My Review

I was approached by the author to do a review, so I looked the book over.  In as much as there was something intriguing about the story, the idea of teenage succubi did not appeal to me in any way, and I would never have picked up this book if I had not been approached and given the book.  I’m not into the idea of demon females who suck the life out of sleeping men...at least that’s the dictionary meaning of the word succubus.
However, the author sent a compelling email and her reviews looked promising, so I thought, alright, let’s dive in and see what happens.  

Again, at first I thought, no...twin teenage girls, one who is “loose” with her sexuality and one who hides herself in a goth look because of their family history with the succubus thing.  You know, if they kiss a man he gets more than weak in the knees...eventually he will die if they keep going at it.  It almost read too stereotypical in the first few chapters.  However, there was something deeper in Allison, the narrator and POV of the story....the dark gothic sister who kept covered up and away from guys.  She had a captivating voice and thought process.   So I continued reading because I was interested to see where she would end up.

Okay, so this book definitely took me by surprise.  

The author knows how to write and feel, so this made for an emotional read.  The characters do become more pronounced and well rounded.  They act like sisters.  They become believable.  The love interest is well written, it’s not sloppy or over the top...it’s not a romance, but there is romance in the story that really works.

And then the story makes a complete 180 turn.

Now we have a suspenseful thriller, a who done it kind of theme enters...wow!  So this turned up the whole book a giant notch for me.  At this point I found it a challenge to put the book down.  At one point the author masterfully dumps the possibility of three suspects on us.  You’ll find yourself thinking, oh it’s so and so, no wait, it’s going to be this person, no, I’m wrong, it’s that one.  I have to admit I was able to figure it out before we got to the answer...but that’s just me...I’m like that.  Either way, it did not diminish the outcome in anyway.  It was perfect.  I really enjoyed the whole idea of the book in the end.

So, don’t let the succubus, twin sister, stereotypical good girl, loner girl, stop you from venturing further Into a Million Pieces...it’s beyond worth the read!  Well done Angela Cook!


About the Author

Angela V. Cook lives a very unexciting, but never boring, life with her husband and two children just outside of Detroit. Like most writers, she’s been making up stories for as long as she can remember and can’t imagine a life that doesn’t involve creating worlds.

Angela loves to write novels for teens because it’s the best outlet for her sarcastic personality, immature sense of humor, and love of romantic firsts. Her idea of the perfect day involves a quiet house, a good book, and a piece of cheesecake. Or two.


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