 | Title: Unraveling Author: Elizabeth Norris Series: Unraveling #1 Cover Art: N/A Genre: Paranormal YA Excerpt: No Source: ARC Swap Reviewed by: Abigail
  Sexual Content: Kissing. References to sexual assault and attempted rape. Rating:   Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & put this author on your watch list. |
 | Title: Assassins in Love
Sexual Content: Several graphic sex scenes Rating:
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. |
 | Title: Partials
Sexual Content: Kissing Rating:
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 | Title: Body Thief
Sexual Content: Two graphic sex scenes Rating:
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. |
**Audio Book Review**
 | Title: Glow
Sexual Content: Kissing. References to rape. References to sex. Rating:
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 | Title: Aftermath
Sexual Content: References and descriptions of sex, sex scenes. Rating:
Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. |
 | Title: Possession
 Sexual Content: Kissing Rating:
Okay – A few good points, but with significant flaws. Library/swap/borrow if you want. |
Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.
But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.
This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.
(This is a Genre Swap review, which means it’s not a paranormal book, but should still appeal to paranormal fans)
The world in POSSESSION is a complicated mix of dystopian and sci-fi elements that unfortunately is never explained very well. The world is divided into two groups: The Goodies and the Baddies. The Goodies are those who obey the rules, create all the groundbreaking technology, submit to nightly brainwashing transmissions, and dedicate their lives to duty. The Baddies are the ones who live free and make their own rules. There are subdivisions in each group, but again, they were never adequately defined. The first half of the book I didn’t mind the confusion because I expected that eventually everything would be explained. Sadly, that is not the case.
I’m pretty sure that in addition to being some kind of tech Messiah, Violet is bipolar. She goes from pissy and screaming one second to self-pitying and crying the next. I empathized with her frustration when no one would explain to her what her abilities were and the abilities and motivations of those around her, but her whiplash mood swings got old real quick. I was less than thrilled with the two love interests as well, specifically Jag who was almost more emotional than Violet.
There are a couple twists that are no doubt supposed to be shocking but were actually extremely predictable or just not really a big deal. There was, of course, a ideological subtext criticizing totalitarian governments and Big Brother type demagogues, but I had very little energy to find it provocative or even interesting in the face of the worldbuilding and character failings.
Overall, an interesting premise in what had the potential to be an interesting dystopian setting fails to explain itself or portray a likeable protagonist. I should be thankful that I never became invested in this book, because if I had, the ending would have been untenable. POSSESSION is a standalone novel, but there will be a companion book tentatively titled FUGITIVE that will be published in Summer 2012.
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