BOOK ONE AND TWO COVERS

 

BOOK ONE:

Description:

For the perfect love, what would you be willing to lose?

It’s been a shattering year for seventeen-year-old Zoe, who’s still reeling from her father’s shockingly sudden death in a caving accident and her neighbors’ mysterious disappearance from their own home. Then on a terrifying sub-zero, blizzardy night in Montana, she and her brother are brutally attacked in a cabin in the woods—only to be rescued by a mysterious bounty hunter they call X.

X is no ordinary bounty hunter. He is from a hell called the Lowlands, sent to claim the soul of Zoe’s evil attacker and others like him. X is forbidden from revealing himself to anyone other than his prey, but he casts aside the Lowlands’ rules for Zoe. As they learn more about their colliding worlds, they begin to question the past, their fate, and their future.

Out September 1, 2016

BOOK TWO

Description:

Things have changed for seventeen-year-old Zoe ever since the otherworldly events that brought her together with the mysterious bounty hunter she calls X. In order to save Zoe and her family, X has done the unthinkable – he’s given up his freedom and returned to captivity in the Lowlands.

X is determined to break the lords’ hold on him once and for all, but being stripped of his power pushes him toward a darkness he’s never experienced and a past he’s never known. The secrets that surface could be the key to reuniting X and Zoe… or they could mean the destruction of everything they have been fighting for.

Gripping and full of heart, this epic continuation of Jeff Giles’ series – which already has rave reviews from New York Times bestselling authors Kami Garcia, Melissa de la Cruz, and Cassandra Clare, among others – will bring readers right to the edge of everything.

Out July 10, 2018

MY THOUGHTS:

I was sent these books in exchange for my honest review.

Okay, off we go.  Giles writes an excellent story where the premise caught my attention immediately.  His depiction of Hell is unique and fascinating and I don’t believe one that I’ve read anywhere else, so kudos on originality if that is the case.

The first book: full of action, crazy scenes, fantastic creatures, and introduction to potentially great characters.  As the book progressed, the objective of the main characters became clear and the job of the secondary characters prominent.  Dialogue was quick and age appropriate.  It flowed with humor and sarcasm at times that added to the enjoyment of the story.

The first book was plot driven egged on by quick pacing and major action scenes. There is a romance element, an insta-love one where I rolled my eyes in annoyance. X was well-written and carried a mysterious air about him; Zoe was written as an immature, often mouthy teenager who caught X’s eye immediately…. hmmm. Thankfully, you could get past the romance parts and still enjoy the series. I was excited to see where Giles would go with the second book. I hoped for more serious character growth.

BOOK TWO:

The second book: slower with action scenes, still crazy scenarios presented, and an added introduction of new characters and further development of secondary characters, this often done with wit and sarcasm, humor and funny situations.

This book is character driven.  The main character, Zoe, did grow… in annoyance and frustration.  I did not like her. Other female characters were well-written and strong. Zoe was just annoying as all get out.  Her immaturity was astounding and quite frankly made her look stupid.  This was highly disappointing. Having an airhead control so much of a story was a terrible risk to take by the author; I don’t know what he was thinking.

X continued on and any growth was perfectly encouraged by the secondary characters’ interactions with him or his surroundings.

The secondary characters were more enjoyable in this book. There were moments I laughed out loud and smiled at what they were saying. Love all their personalities and thank goodness they were in the story.  I was kept invested by their antics alone.

Overall, I think both books are okay, the first better than the second, in my opinion.  I am not done with this series and hope there is one final book to fix Zoe, giving her maturity and a brain would be nice.  Why men are so attracted to stupid women is beyond my understanding, or perhaps, they are threatened by smart women so choose to write them stupid? Whatever the reason, in this day and age, is this really necessary?  Smart is the new sexy, yanno, perhaps Giles didn’t get that memo?

I gave these books: