Hello all! Hope you're all enjoying the summer! I'm currently on holiday in a huge castle in the South of France and enjoying relaxing, playing games, and of course reading a lot! Today's post is a review of a dreamy summer romance that's perfect for your holiday TBRs! Title: A Sky Painted Gold Author: Laura Wood Series: n/a Pages: 356 Publisher: Scholastic Date of Publication: 5th July, 2018 Source: Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: Growing up in her sleepy Cornish village dreaming of being a writer, sixteen-year-old Lou has always wondered about the grand Cardew house which has stood empty for years. And when the owners arrive for the summer - a handsome, dashing brother and sister - Lou is quite swept off her feet and into a world of moonlit cocktail parties and glamour beyond her wildest dreams. But, as she grows closer to the Cardews, is she abandoning her own ambitions... And is there something darker lurkin...
Title: HiddenAuthor: Marianne Curley
Series: Avena, #1
Pages: 325
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
Date of Publication: 14th March 2013
Source: Publisher*
Synopsis from Goodreads: For as long as Ebony can remember, she’s been sheltered. Confined to her home in a secluded valley, home-schooled by her protective parents, and limited to a small circle of close friends. It’s as if she’s being hidden.
But something is changing in Ebony. Something that can’t be concealed. She’s growing more beautiful by the day, she’s freakishly strong, and then there’s the fact that she’s glowing.
On one fateful night, Ebony meets Jordan and she’s intensely drawn to him. It’s as if something explodes inside of her—something that can be seen from the heavens. Ebony still doesn’t know that she’s a stolen angel, but now that the heavens have found her, they want her back.
Series: Avena, #1
Pages: 325
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
Date of Publication: 14th March 2013
Source: Publisher*
Synopsis from Goodreads: For as long as Ebony can remember, she’s been sheltered. Confined to her home in a secluded valley, home-schooled by her protective parents, and limited to a small circle of close friends. It’s as if she’s being hidden.
But something is changing in Ebony. Something that can’t be concealed. She’s growing more beautiful by the day, she’s freakishly strong, and then there’s the fact that she’s glowing.
On one fateful night, Ebony meets Jordan and she’s intensely drawn to him. It’s as if something explodes inside of her—something that can be seen from the heavens. Ebony still doesn’t know that she’s a stolen angel, but now that the heavens have found her, they want her back.
My Thoughts:
I haven't read an angel book for a long time now, because after a while I felt like every single one I was reading followed the same story line and even though I did like them, I wanted something a little bit different, something that wasn't generic. But, seeing as it's been so long since I've read something like this and the cover is absolutely gorgeous, I requested it, and while I had a few problems with it, I'm glad I did as I enjoyed it!
I started reading Hidden at a sleepover when I couldn't sleep at about 4am, thinking it would calm me down a bit and help me get back to sleep... I was so wrong! I read until 6am, when I finally began to feel a little bit tired. It's super easy to read and kept me interested, and it just felt so good reading it. I loved Marianne's easy and relaxed writing style, and while there was a lot of description and telling, I didn't mind because it let me concentrate on the story more, and meant I could sit back and read without having to think too much, which, in the midst of exams and controlled assessments, is definitely not a bad thing!
I really liked Ebony, and there were several things about her character that I thought Marianne wrote really well. Firstly, when she was first told that she was an angel, despite having weird lumpy things on her back that produced feathers and being scarily strong and super fast, she didn't believe it. YAY! If I was told I was an angel, I would laugh in whoever it was that told me's face, and I think most other people would too. She didn't just believe them like so many other characters in books - she was stubborn, and that was awesome. Also, when she first met Jordan, the main male character, she didn't fall in love with him right away. She felt a connection, but it wasn't a romantic one. Again, yay! I'm sick of instalove, so a different kind of connection (although kind of cheesy) was good for me.
I liked Jordan too, more and more as the story went on. I liked his narrative (it's told from two points of view - Ebony's and Jordan's) and I liked learning about angels along with him. I liked the whole storyline with Adam Skinner, which I won't spoil for you, and I liked how he dealt with that because he could have been a dick about it. I do think that unlike Ebony though, he was quick to trust Thane and the angels and that was a little bit unbelievable. But whatever, he was cool anyway.
I did have a couple issues with the pacing in the book though. While I enjoyed the beginning, it lasted a little bit too long. It took a while to get started, and then once it did it went really fast. Like, hardly anything was happening and then all of a sudden it was all happening, if that makes sense. The end felt rushed and I got a little bit confused with who was who and everything that was going on... It also ended on a huge cliffhanger which was pretty annoying, but that's a good kind of annoying :P
Overall, I enjoyed Hidden and I'm grateful that I got a chance to read it. I've heard that Marianne's other books are even better so I'll definitely be digging out my copy of The Named (I think?) and giving that a read sometime, hopefully soon (but probably not...). I'd recommend this if angels are your thing, or if you're feeling a little bit nostalgic like I was. It's a good, quick read and I'm looking forward to the next one!
*Huge thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me this in exchange for an honest review! In no way has this affected my opinion of the book.
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