3.5 stars — between liked it, and really liked it. So, apparently, amongst friends — okay, amongst lots of people - I'm the minority of this. And I don't get it.
I read the same book everyone did.
Right?
With Ben and Janelle and this whole, shifting worlds thing. Which, I mean, was executed nicely. Brilliantly, even. Janelle was a great heroine, too — not the best, but great. And with YA books these days, that's probably the best you'll ever get. Ben was also this sexy, biker boy who had this mysterious aura around him — my type of guy.
So what the hell was the problem?
Hmm.
Okay, so I admit it: I liked it. But that's it. The story held its mystery, but was it straining with it? No. It wasn't the type of mystery that kept me flipping pages to find out who the bad guys/good guys were. Janelle was okay as a heroine, and sure, she was tough and badass in her own way, but she felt ... well, to put bluntly, two-dimensional. I could connect with her, but there was a thin wall between us. She felt like a heroine who was trying to be badass, but only managed to pull it off halfway.
Ben was sexy and mysterious and hawt and all the things I love — but I guess he was a character that was stuffed with sweets. You know that taste you have in your throat when you've eaten too many sweets? This was what Ben was like: biker, black clothes, works with motorcycles, mysterious, shaggy hair. And the list goes on. For example, in the first two chapters, I believe, we find Janelle rescued by Ben — with his mysterious, ultra-awesome powers.
I don't know for you, but this sounded very Twilightish for me.
There were, ultimately, a lot of cliché things in this books that mainly involved the heroine, the hero, and a few events from the books. As a lover of cheesiness in a small doses, I'm not sure why I didn't like it — but, well, I didn't. The whole "traveling between worlds" was actually executed very well, & if it weren't for the ending, this book would've been rated as a three star. But I really liked the ending and I can't wait to see where the sequel picks up.