Thrall
(Daughters
of Lilith #1)
Publication
Date: May 16, 2012
Paperback, 304 pages, Secret Tree
Press
Genres:
Paranormal, Young Adult
Braedyn is a normal
girl just trying to survive high school with her two devoted friends,
Royal and Cassie. Together they're doing a pretty good job of shrugging
off the slings and arrows cast their way by the popular crowd when a new
boy, Lucas, moves into the house next door. Suddenly Braedyn finds
herself falling in love for the first time. But as her sixteenth
birthday approaches, Braedyn discovers humankind is at war with the
Lilitu, an ancient race of enticing demons that prey on human souls. Her
father is a member of the Guard fighting against the Lilitu - and so
are the new neighbors, including her crush, Lucas. As her world starts
to unravel at the seams, Braedyn learns the right answers aren't always
clear or easy. And as for "good" and "evil" - it all depends on how we
choose to act. Inspired by the ancient Mesopotamian myths of Lilith and
her offspring, Thrall explores first love, strong friendships, and
taking on adult responsibilities against the backdrop of powerful
supernatural forces and life-and-death stakes.
My Review
Demons, and
thralls, and teenagers. Oh, my! Thrall is a paranormal read that will
have you practically wanting to dagger someone for more!
Book one of
the Daughters of Lilith series starts out with a teenage girl who finds out her
father has been lying to her for the first fifteen years of her life. While
that storyline does sound eerily similar to a lot of other supernatural YA
books, Thrall manages not to linger on the angst that comes with an
untruthful parent finally copping to the dark and mysterious world that's all
around them. Braedyn may not enjoy her dad's revelation, but she gets
over it quickly.
Braedyn is an average teenage girl at
first with average friends. She gets a new neighbor and her former life takes a
swirly ride down the nearest toilet. Okay, so the mysterious boy next door is
kind of cliché, but Lucas isn't really a typical mysterious neighbor boy.
Unlike how paranormal romance in YA usually goes, Braedyn, the girl, is the one
with the kicka$$ powers. Of course, she doesn't think they're very kicka$$, but
I wouldn't mind being able to make a guy, like Lucas, do whatever the heck I
want him to do. Like my homework. What? Did you think I was going to write
something else there? What kind of girl do you take me for?
Lucas is so very sexy and delicious.
We learn about his backstory and why he's even involved with the demons, aka
the Lilitu, pretty early on. Poor boy has a had a very sad life. And now his
own girlfriend can serve him a can of whupa$$, if she so chooses. While I
really enjoyed Lucas's character, I felt that there could have been a little
bit more information on him. I want to know what he's like as a person. Not
just a love interest.
The other characters in the story
include a myriad group of sidekicks. Braedyn's dad is in the story. And by that
I mean that he's actually in the story. He kicks butt alongside his
daughter. Maybe even more butt than his daughter. Gretchen was rude, witchy
with a captial B, and could totally be my best friend. You hate her, but she's
right, and sometimes you just need that type of friend. She's not Braedyn's
friend, though. Nuh uh, no way. What's great about this story is that Braedyn's
friends, Royal and Cassie, have their own share of issues that Quintenz brings
into the major arc of the book. I'm interested to see how that dynamic plays
out in the sequels.
The plotline of this story was very
unique, and I seriously enjoyed every second of it, but there were times when
the story just moved waaaaaay too fast. The beginning - with Lucas and
Braedyn's relationship, Braedyn learning her true origins, and Braedyn coming
in to her powers - needed to be expanded on. More details equals more pages for
me to read, and that's always a super good thing. The ending flowed nicely. I
understood the need to make things rush then and the pacing helped me feel the
desperation that the characters were feeling. My heart skipped a beat or two during
a few of the last scenes.
All in all, Thrall is an
entertaining read. It has some macho female characters, with some macho male
characters mixed in. (The men just aren't as cool.) It's a fast-paced
action-packed read that, despite having no cliffhanger, leaves you wanting
more. Lots more.
Oh, and the covers to this series
might as well have a big fat sticker labled "Book Porn" on them. I
just want to stroke them a little.
*Note: I
received a copy of this book to review from the author. This in no way altered
my opinion/review.
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