[Thursday, March 24, 2011] I'm dying to get my hands on this book!! I love Hilary Duff a lot. And Elixir was such a great book with a cliff-hanger ending! ( )

I enjoyed the first book Elixir which is why I picked the sequel up but this book was so disappointing. The story just lost all of its charm and the characters were so lifeless. It reminded me of New Moon in the Twilight series which mostly just felt like an in between filler book where you're just waiting for something to happen. There was so much monotonous explanation of her taking showers and making tea and finding meditation videos on the internet that I just could not have cared less about. I didn't really like the new characters of Amelia and her family, most of her point of view was just a lot of explaining of things that seemed a little too far fetched to be believable. Wow I just really hated this book and I'm annoyed that it ended the way it did because now I kind of want to just finish the series and find out what happens in the third book even though 90% of this book was just a waste of my time. Also poor Rayna. Her new relationship was probably the thing I liked most about this book and judging by the end it looks like she's going to get royally screwed over. ( )

So far, Hilary Duff's Elixir series doesn't seem to be anything other than "mildly enjoyable". I do think that this series could've been written better. There are times when I find myself skim reading because it's just not interesting enough to pay attention to.

That being said, there's nothing really wrong with this series except for the writing style. If Hilary Duff had more writing experience, she could've made this series really strong. There was a lot of potential, but I feel like she just didn't know how to reach it.

I've got the third and final book to this series right beside me, waiting to be read. I am hoping that Hilary Duff continues writing books, because she's got a talent for it (co-collaborator aside). ( )

As the second book in the Elixr series, readers join Clea in her search for Sage after he’s been captured by the group known as the Saviours. Clea must learn to forgive Ben and learn to trust unexpected allies if she wants to succeed in saving Sage’s life. Readers are introduced to new characters, both mortal and immortal, as Clea discovers that the curse connecting Clea, Sage and Ben involves many others as well. The narrative picks up shortly after Elixr leaves off. The characters portray adequate depth and growth that keeps readers engaged. The plot has a heavier reliance on paranormal and fantasy elements than the first book, but Duff creates a believable plot that is consistent with the elements in the first book. Unlike the first novel, there is a greater emphasis on the paranormal than on the romantic elements, though occasional references to and depictions of sex are made. This is recommended as an additional selection for public and school libraries with readers who enjoyed the first in the series. (Ages 16+) ( )

http://books.moonsoar.com/archives/2012/03/28/devoted/ ( )