Early Review: Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

Expected Publication: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Spence Hill Press
Source: ARC from the publisher (thank you!)
Find the author: Goodreads || Website 
Buy: Amazon || B&N || The Book Depository

~ The Blurb ~
From Goodreads

Dying sucks–and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things–including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he’s a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she’s more than interested. There’s just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she’s willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't?

But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she’s not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.

~ My Thoughts ~

I have loved everything of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s that I’ve read so I had very high hopes for Cursed. Let me tell you – with one little book JLA blew my expectations out of the water. Cursed is an absolute must read for YA fans. This book has everything! Excitement, mystery, a healthy dose of “what the hell is going on”, a completely kick ass and lovable heroine and a 100% swoon-worthy male lead. What else could you possibly want? Fantastic writing? Well look no further! Seriously if cursed is not already on your wish list (like it was on mine for the better part of the year) than you need to reserve a very special place for it!

I seriously could not put this book down! There is just so much to love between the covers of this book. I honestly don’t know where to start.

I suppose the obvious choice would be to talk about the characters because I fell for them hard, and in fact when I came to the end of the book, I was so sad to reach the last page of the book I didn’t read it until the following morning. Jennifer L Armentrout has a gift, an absolute gift, for creating incredibly real, passionate and emotionally charged characters. Whether you end of loving them, hating them, or feel they are a bit skeevy rest assured you will feel something towards the characters in this novel. I instantly loved Ember. She was incredibly strong and I loved that she actually questioned the motives of those around her. She refused to blindly accept the supposed help of the Cromwells and she also wasn’t afraid to openly question them despite the negative ramifications such disobedience could have. Her number one priority was her family and she made that very clear, even if it meant jeopardizing her chances of a relationship with a boy she liked.

I also fell in love with Hayden in a “is this too good to be true?” kind of way. He was an awesome addition to the story, being mysterious, caring and a little bit edgy. I wish that Hayden were more open to Ember’s suspicions rather than writing them off as simply paranoid. For someone with the background that he had I would have expected him to be a little more willing to believe that people could be harboring secrets and malicious intents. But then again, were he to simply go along with all of Ember’s suspicions so much of the delicious tension would have been lost!

In addition to a cast full of amazing characters, Cursed also has a wicked awesome storyline. I loved the world of the “gifted” that JLA so skillfully brought to life. I was fascinated by the different gifts that she attributed to her characters, as well as how they could be used and controlled. “The Facility” definitely added an ominous element to the story and kept me sufficiently freaked out and completely interested in who they were and what they were capable of. I mean, seriously, it’s like the big-brother of the gifted and that can’t be good!

I really just can’t say enough when it comes to expressing my love for Jennifer L. Armentrout and her latest novel Cursed. It was a heart-pounding and brilliantly written YA that I can’t recommend highly enough. Circle September 18th on your calendar and plan to be at your local bookshop first thing, I promise you will not be disappointed!

I received an ARC of Cursed via the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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