 | Title: Hexbound Author: Chloe Neill Series: Dark Elite #2 Cover Art: N/A Genre: Paranormal YA Reading level: Young Adult Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages Publisher: Signet (January 4, 2011) ISBN-10: 0451230795 ISBN-13: 978-0451230799  Source: Publisher Reviewed by: Abigail |
Book Description
Lily Parker is new to St. Sophia’s School for Girls, but she’s already learned that magic can be your best friend…or your worst enemy.
They say absolute power corrupts absolutely. Turns out, even a little magic can turn you to the dark side. That’s why Lily has to learn how to control her newly discovered paranormal abilities, on top of avoiding the snobs who think they run her school, nursing a crush on a cute sophomore with a big, werewolf-y secret, and fighting the good fight with her best friend Scout as they take on Chicago’s nastiest nightlife—including the tainted magic users known as Reapers.
Then Lily’s invited to a private meeting with Sebastian. He’s hot, powerful, and offering to help her harness the magic flowing in her veins in a way no one else can. He’s also a Reaper. Lily can’t hide her suspicions. But she’ll soon find out that the line between good and evil isn’t always clear…
Review
HEXBOUND picks up just weeks after the end of FIRESPELL, Lily is still learning to control her new power and adjusting to her role as a member of the Dark Elite.
As with FIRESPELL, the dialogue is once again fantastic and there is plenty of it. Maybe a little too smart and clever for fifteen/sixteen year olds, but I didn’t care.
The romance in HEXBOUND is much better developed than in the previous book. We find out quite a bit more about Jason than just the fact that he’s gorgeous and a werewolf. There’s plenty of believable new relationship angst and uncertainty too.
I still had problems with the pacing in this installment, as with the previous book, the plot doesn’t really kick in until the halfway mark. It was also overall a thinner story that provided very little in the way of new info about Lily’s abilities or her parents. We do learn more about Reaper and fellow firespell Sebastian, which added an interesting wrinkle to the black/white, good/bad line that Lily had drawn.
Overall, the good from the first book carried over into HEXBOUND, but the not so good carried over too. The dialogue is still super slick, a better romance helped compensate for a slower plot, and a questionable enemy/friend brought a much needed element of conflict that promises to make things even more confusing for Lily (and even better for us) in the next Dark Elite book.
My Rating:
3/5
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.
Click HERE to read an excerpt
Previous books in the series:
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ReplyDeleteI didn't like Firespell (book 1) so I did not bother with this one. The author has a very good "voice" which made the story telling quality quite compelling. But I find the authenticity factor in the story very poor that believability drops down to almost zero.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that is a beautiful cover.
ReplyDeleteCherry - I understand were your coming from. Chloe's 'voice' was excellent like you said and the dialogue really saved this story for me.
ReplyDeleteHolly - It is very pretty and very much a match for what is described in the book.
I definitely agree that the dialogue really kept me in the story. The plot is lacking some umph at times, but I like the overall premise. I'm hoping it gets better as the series goes on. :)
ReplyDeleteKristen - That's what I'm hoping too, and we need to finally get some answers about Lily's parents.
ReplyDelete