Unchained
Author: J. Lynn
Series: Nephilim Rising
Pages: 380
Publisher: Entangled Publishing: Edge
Release date: 17th September 2013
Synopsis (Goodreads)
Between
the pissed off creatures that want demon-hunter Lily Marks dead and the fallen
angel who just...wants her, Lily is about ready to trade forever for a comfy
job in a cubicle farm.
The
fact that she and Julian are civil to one another is enough to have her thrown
out of the Sanctuary, but she can't shake her not-so-angelic stalker or how he
brings her dangerously close to ecstasy.
Her
forbidden relationship with Julian provides the perfect fuel for suspicion when
a traitor is discovered to be working within the Sanctuary. Lily quickly finds
herself hunted by well, everyone.
Her
only hope is to discover the real traitor before she loses everything—and she'll
need Julian's help. That is, if Julian is really there to help her...and not
destroy her.
Yeah,
being a Nephilim isn't everything it's cracked up to be.
Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars
This book is Adult Paranormal Romance - Please be advised that this book is NOT YA friendly, not even in a New Adult category.
This book is Adult Paranormal Romance - Please be advised that this book is NOT YA friendly, not even in a New Adult category.
Thank-you kindly to Entangled Publishing for the
opportunity to read and review Unchained
by J. Lynn, the first book in her new paranormal/Urban Fantasy series, Nephilim
Rising. Unchained is a book that
has been on my radar since I first glimpsed the cover and read the synopsis,
and despite angel books generally being hit or miss with me I found it to be
enjoyable none the less.
Our main protagonist is 22 year-old Lily Marks who is a Nephilim, she
spends her days/nights guarding the Sanctuary where other Nephilim reside,
protects the humans from soul sucking freaks and disposing of the fallen angels
who cross her path, except for Julian who has managed to work his way into her
life.
Lily was an interesting heroine, she was
protective of those she cared for, had faith in what she believed in and was
kick-butt awesome with a fast trigger temper and a quick wit; there was a
loneliness and vulnerability about her that I couldn’t help but sympathise
with. I came to admire her for her beliefs and decisions.
Julian was just ok for me, I have come to adore
JLA’s smexy, snarky heroes and the way he was described certainly ticked all of the boxes but he unfortunately fell flat, when I would read
his dialogue for some reason it came across as robotic (that probably doesn’t make sense
at all), it didn’t seem to flow or sound natural but that could have been because
of his age? Not quite sure. I did enjoy the way he cared for Lily but his
stalking was a little creepy.
The romance was sweet and slow to build; I
liked the forbidden love aspect, the banter between them was amusing and the
smexy moments were written very well. I’m curious to see how their relationship
will progress.
The plot was entertaining with a few surprising
twists to keep it all exciting; it mainly follows the search for a traitor within the Sanctuary who has been discovered to be working
with the Fallen who are corrupting the Nephilim by turning them into their
minions. I found the action-sequences enjoyable and it kept the pacing flowing
well. Unfortunately the premise isn’t completely unique and there was a lot of
information to take in but it wasn’t overwhelming or confusing in any way and
the world-building I found to be convincing.
There were
quite a few side characters and each played a pivotal role, I really liked
Michael; he has me intrigued and the twist we are given about his character has me eager to learn more about him. Nathaniel was a great father figure, I liked
learning of his link to a certain Fallen.
Overall, I
enjoyed Unchained but I wasn’t completely
wowed by it as I have been by JLA’s other series. Her writing is wonderful and the
many plot twists and turns kept me engrossed, I’m keen to read the next book in
the Nephilim Rising series.
Buy Links:
About J. Lynn:
# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY
Bestselling author J. Lynn, who also writes YA under the name Jennifer L.
Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All
the rumors you've heard about her state aren't true. Well, mostly. When she's
not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching
zombie movies, and pretending to write. She shares her home with her husband,
his K-9 partner named Diesel, and her hyper Jack Russell Loki.
Where you can
find her:
This one just showed up on my kindle. I forgot I preordered it over a year ago. Bummer that it wasn't better for you...
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading your thoughts Nereyda!
DeleteOoh nice review! Bummer that it wasn't totally what you expected, but at least it was still a good read! Bought my copy yesterday as I thought this wasn't releasing until next week! So yay! Now I just need to find time to read it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jessica :) I enjoyed it but not as much as I have enjoyed her YA series.
DeleteIt's a shame that the love interest fell flat for you. I've not had much luck with J.L.A's books except for her Covenenant series.
ReplyDeleteAt least the plot was interesting!
Great review, Sharon!
Thanks Nick :) have you read her Lux series? Wait For You was also wonderful (NA) & I love her Covenant series.
DeleteI had pre-ordered this, so it is waiting on my Kindle, now I just have to find time to fit it in between all the tour and review books. I still haven't had time to read Obsession and Origin. Thanks for the review :)
ReplyDeleteI adore her Lux series, we need more reading hours in our days ;)
DeleteThanks Ellen.
This sounds like an interesting start to the series. Sometimes book one can be a little ruff, so I will wait to see what book two reviews look like. Thanks for sharing and I am glad you found the world-building convincing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kimba, I agree so I am curious to see how everything come together in the sequel.
DeleteThis is one of the few of hers I don't have on my Nook. You know I'm a JLA-a-holic so eventually I WILL read Unchained. I'm glad it was mostly a positive read for you, chica! Too bad the love interest didn't hold up to JLA's usual high standards though.
ReplyDeleteI Just bought this a few hours ago so I'm excited to pick it up, bummed that Julian was flat though :/ Great review hun! After reading your review I think I will quite enjoy this overall (:
ReplyDelete