Pages: 375
Series: The Wicked Trilogy #1
Publisher: Jennifer L. Armentrout (Self-Published)
Release Date: December 8, 2014
Genre(s): Paranormal with Romantic Elements
Format: Paperback
Goodreads Synopsis
“Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.
Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.
Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.
But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.”
What Did I Think?
Let’s dive right into my thoughts on the overall concept/construct of this bad boy! Jennifer L. Armentrout is literally the queen of paranormal, and Wicked was no exception to this rule! I loved the New Orleans setting and how Jennifer combined paranormal elements with some real New Orleans’ hot-spots (Cafe Du Monde beignets, anyone?). Her world-building was well constructed, and I loved how all the moving parts in this book worked so well together.
Hate me if you must, but at the beginning of this book, I was not a huge fan of Ivy. I just felt like she was doing the whole “woes me” thing (understandable, to an extent, but STILL), and it wasn’t until learning about her past that I was finally member of the Team Ivy fan club. While she is totally kick butt at her job (and in all things life, to be honest), other members of The Order had little to no respect for her and thought she was crazy, which was just plain irritating to read because all of us readers know how awesome she is. However, I appreciated the fact that she didn’t let them deter her from doing her job and doing it better than most of the other members of The Order, nonetheless. The determination that she had to do what she thought was right even if The Order didn’t approve was one of the traits I admired most about her and I think served her so well as various events started to go down.
Can we please just take a moment and focus on REN? So good looking, so freaking awesome, and so funny and witty, ughh. Pretty dang close to a perfect specimen, if you ask me. As much as I wanted to resist his charms, it was an epic fail. I loved how he didn’t baby Ivy and gave it to her straight, especially at the beginning when she was kind of a hot mess. I also really appreciated his levelheadedness, as it helped balance out Ivy’s fiery temper. Needless to say, I’m totally on board the #Revy ship, folks (yes, I just made that ship name up because they make such a great pairing!). Ren’s relationship with Tink also literally almost killed me. It was so funny to watch them bicker back and forth, but with such a fondness for one another, even if they’d never admit it! I hope these two become BFFs as the series continues.
You didn’t think I’d leave this little (sometimes big) guy out, did you? Tink has got to be one of my favorite characters of all time! If you love characters that have literally no filter but loyal to those they love to whatever end, you’re sure to be obsessed with him too! My favorite part of his characterization is that he is so wise. We don’t know all that much about his past, but it’s clear that it has shaped who he is and has also resulted in him being seriously knowledgeable about things that aren’t all that well known to other characters (even when they need that information to deal with various plot events that go down). Overall, I love him, but I’m excited to see his character develops more in the next book and learning more about his kind!
Down to the nitty-gritty. I thought that Wicked was well-paced and that the plot events flowed seamlessly from beginning to end. As with any new series, there has to be time to world-build and sometimes the reader can get bogged down with logistics, and I felt like this was the case, ever so briefly, though, in this book. However, I do think that this information will be very beneficial to the reader as the series goes on. Overall, I thought this was a great read with a compelling storyline and some really hilarious interactions between characters, not to mention a crazy good cliffhanger to top things off and a whole truckload of plot twists along the way!
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
*Due to mature content (both violent and romantic themes), I would not recommend this book to anyone under the age of 17/18.*
If you’re as big of a JLA fan as I am, I don’t even know why you’re reading this review when you COULD BE READING THIS BOOK. Just kidding, but this book is definitely for you!
I’d also recommend this book to anyone who loves books by Sarah J. Maas, Cassandra Clare, and Wendy Higgins.
Or, maybe you’re just looking for a book with a fun cast of characters, plot twists at every corner, and a whole lot fighting between humans and supernatural critters. If so, this book may just be right what you’re looking for!
bookspirationbysarah.com 