Review: Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington

Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington

The Violet Eden Chapters #3

Release Date: March 5^th, 2013

Number of Pages: 464

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Source: NetGalley

GR - Amazon - BD - Chapters

Once again Violet Eden faces an impossible choice ... and the consequences are unimaginable. 

 Violet has come to terms with the fact that being part angel, part human, means her life will never be as it was.  

Now Violet has something Phoenix - the exiled angel who betrayed her - will do anything for, and she has no intention of letting it fall into his hands. The only problem is that he has something she needs too.
  

Not afraid to raise the stakes, Phoenix seemingly holds all the power, always one step ahead. And when he puts the final pieces of the prophecy together, it doesn't take him long to realise exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.  

With the help of surprising new allies, ancient prophecies are deciphered, a destination set and, after a shattering confrontation with her father, Violet leaves for the islands of Greece without knowing if she will have a home to return to...

I had been anticipating this book ever since I read Entice and Embrace, since I loved them both. I was so excited to sink my teeth once again in one of Jessica Shirvington’s novels. I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next to Violet and Co. Once again, the story she created captivated me from the beginning. It took me on a roller coaster of emotions, making me glad to have been home alone while reading it. (My reading experience included a few giggles, laughs, and screams…)

In Emblaze, we follow once again the characters we got to meet in the first two books. Violet is still torn between the choices she has to make, and the consequences those will have on her loved ones. She has her father to think about, as the man is oblivious to what is happening to his daughter.  She has Steph, her best friend, who has been introduced to her world thanks to her.

Now, we can’t forget about Lincoln, the man Violet loves, but isn’t supposed to be with. He is totally swoon worthy, and I love that we got to understand more about his feeling for Violet. We get a glimpse of what he is feeling, and we get to know what he would be ready to do for her. You cannot help but like him. And then, there’s Phoenix. He’s back and ready to do what he can to bring back Lilith. I adore the fact that we got a glimpse of what is going on in his head, through the one chapter from his point of view. It made me like him a little more than I did in Entice, as we get to see a more human side of him.

With the third book in the Violet Eden Chapters, Jessica Shirvington managed to keep her series addicting. Her writing keeps me hooked, and begging for more. I cannot wait to read what will happen next to Violet. If you enjoyed the first two books, you will love this third one.

About the Author:

From GoodReads

Jessica Shirvington is the author of THE VIOLET EDEN CHAPTERS also known as THE EMBRACE SERIES. An entrepreneur, author, and mother living in Sydney, Australia, Jessica is also a 2011 finalist for Cosmopolitan’s annual Fun, Fearless Female Award. She’s also one of the lucky few who met the love of her life at age seventeen: Matt Shirvington, a former Olympian and current sports broadcaster for FOXTEL and Sky News. Married for almost eleven years with two beautiful daughters, Sienna and Winter, Jessica knows her early age romance and its longevity has definitely contributed to how she tackles relationships in her YA novels. Previously, she founded a coffee distribution company, Stella Imports, in London, and before that was involved in the management of restaurants Fuel Bistro and MG Garage in Sydney. Jessica is now a full-time novelist and living her dream.

http://www.jessicashirvington.com/

https://twitter.com/EmbraceSeries

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Review: Entice by Jessica Shirvington

Entice by Jessica Shirvington

The Violet Eden Chapters #2

Release Date: September 4^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 464

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Source: ARC from BEA 

Violet Eden is Grigori - part angel, part human. Her destiny is to protect humans from the vengence of exiled angels.
 Knowing who to trust is key but, when Grigori reinforcements arrive, it becomes clear everyone is hiding something. Even Lincoln. The only thing Violet does know: Phoenix's hold over her is more dangerous than ever.
 The race to find the one thing that could tilt the balance of power brings them all to the sacred mountains of Jordan, where Violet's power will be pushed to the extreme. And the ultimate betrayal exposed.
 Enticed is the second compelling book in The Violet Eden Chapters. 

I’ve read Embrace not long ago, so the book was still pretty fresh in my memory when I started this one (always a plus, because this takes out the confusing I could have had. No, I started Entice knowing what had happen in book one, and really excited to find out what happen next. I have to say I was really happy with what we got in this sequel. I still have to say that it wasn’t better than book one (the middle book rarely is), but it was still pretty solid. We got to learn a lot more about the back-story of the Grigori, their history, and their mythology. That was something that I was really happy to get, because I had a couple of questions from book one that needed answers, and I got a good part of those. Still, there’s still some mystery, since there’s a third book coming.

I really like Violet more and more in this book. I feel like she is becoming more solid as a character, and I love seeing her interact with different characters than Lincoln (even though I ADORE him) and Steph. The three new Grigori (or maybe I could say the youngest ones) were just a great addition, especially Spence, who cracked me up. I found it really interesting to see more side of those part-angel beings. I just understood more about them because of that.

If there’s one thing that didn’t change, it’s how amazing Jessica Shirvington’s writing is. It was simply addicting, and beautiful. It was one of those books you just don’t want to put down once you start. I’m already sad to have to wait for the next one. Something nicely different from all those angel-themed books I’ve read in YA lately. Definitely one of my favorite series lately. It’s full of twits and mystery. How could I not fall for it?

Review: Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

The Violet Eden Chapters #1

Release Date: March 6^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 369

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Source: Bought

It starts with a whisper: "It's time for you to know who you are..." On her 17th birthday, everything will change for Violet Eden. The boy she loves will betray her. Her enemy will save her. She will have to decide just how much she's willing to sacrifice.
 Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, EMBRACE is a compelling novel of good and evil, seductive desires and impossible choices. A centuries old war between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity chooses a new fighter. It's a battle Violet doesn't want, but she lives her life by two rules: don't run and don't quit. If angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden.
 LINCOLN: He's been Violet's one anchor, her running partner and kickboxing trainer. Only he never told her he's Grigori--part human, part angel--and that he was training her for an ancient battle between Angels and Exiles.
 PHOENIX: No one knows where his loyalties lie, yet he's the only one there to pick up the pieces and protect her after Lincoln's lies. In a world of dark and light, he is all shades of gray.
 Two sides: Angel or Exile.Two guys: Lincoln or Phoenix.The wrong choice could cost not only her life, but her eternity...

Embrace had been on my To-Be-Read list for a while now, but I never got around to read it. When I got my hands on an ARC of Entice, I knew I had to get it and read it as soon as I can. That was probably one of my good ideas. I may not have that many theses days, but I can clearly say I didn’t regret picking this book.

I have to say, it wasn’t love at first sight with this book. There’s a love triangle, and this one slightly annoys me because one of the love interest really get on my nerves. Phoenix, the one character in this book I really, really wanted to kick ass. And because I didn’t like him, the love triangle got on my nerves. Because of Phoenix, Violet got on my nerves. I don’t know how many times I got mad at Violet, at all the stupid choices she made. I just wanted her to be stronger, to be willing to give Lincoln a chance at forgiveness, but instead she decided she should trust the strange angel she just met. Yep, she prefers the mysterious stranger instead of the guy she had known (and had a crush on) for a while. I just wanted her to give him a better chance at explaining himself, before being pushed completely aside…

The thing that made me really happy to have read the book is that despite all I’ve said above, the more I read, the more I wanted to know what would happen to Violet, and of course who she really was. The more I read, the more I understood why Violet acted the way she did, and because of that, I could in a way forgive her. Embrace simply build the roots of a story I think will only be getting better. This was the kind of book that really made me want to go and pick up the sequel right away, because I had so many things I wanted to know. I had so many questions that I do think will be answered in the next books, which only make me want to pick it up even more!

Overall, I was charmed by the overall story. I wasn’t blown away, since I wanted to whack some sense into some characters for most of the book. Yet, the world Jessica Shirvington created really makes me want to know more.

About the Author

Jessica Shirvington lives in Sydney with her husband of ten years, FOXTEL presenter and former Olympic sprinter Matt Shirvington, and their two daughters. She has previously founded and run a coffee distribution company, Stella Imports, in London, and been involved in managing the restaurants Fuel Bistro, Tow Bar and MG Garage in Sydney.
She is currently a full-time mum, author and co-director in the company MPS Investments Pty Ltd.

To Find Out More

Her Website
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Series' Website