Author: E.V. Fairfall
Format I Read: Kindle
Pages: 273
Genres: Fantasy, Supernatural, Romance
Release Date: January 1, 2014
Stars: 3
Goodreads Link
*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
There may or may not be spoilers, so tread carefully. (correction: lots of spoilers oops)
I was initially drawn to this book by its cover. It's absolutely beautiful, truly a work of art. The book was similar. On the surface, it was wonderful. The author does a fantastic job of conveying herself and the writing is, in short, fantastic. The concept was fresh, exciting, and fascinating.
To take on such a new view of the creation story was truly a feat. Not only that, she incorporated a plot twist! The plot was well thought out and executed well. I especially liked the way Thea's plan worked out, but not as she had wished. It was interesting that it all fell together. I loved that!
For those who enjoy adaptations of myths or new interpretations, you should definitely read. It was completely fresh and engaging as a whole, though it lagged in a few spots.
So props to Ms. Fairfall on her debut novel! Well done!
However, now for the criticism (and spoilers):
<spoiler> At times, I felt disjointed. I felt as if Thea wasn't acting how she should. However, this was understandable, as she is not typically a human. Her human form is accelerating her emotions and her actions. That made sense.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for all of the characters. At multiple points in the book, I felt as if the character development was too rushed or a character's actions didn't fit with their person. I can give you two examples.
1. Chamber: As much as I fell in love with Chamber, I felt like he was just too rushed. From the "ooh look at the driver's eyes *swoon*" to the insta soul mate love, I was just flat down skeptical. I could deal with it though because of the soul mate concept. However, I couldn't deal with how he flipped back and forth what felt like a dozen times. He constantly seemed to go from "I hate Thea, how could she do this to me" to "I love her, I can't leave her." I felt like he was just jerky in terms of character.
2. Brice: I hated him. Absolutely hated him. Which made me angry at May for loving him. But I also just didn't get his character. I felt like he was just a stock character for a villain. Yes, a villain is a villain, but he needs depth. He needs reason. I didn't feel like Brice had that. He was skeptical about the immortality, yet he was willing to kill Thea for it? I just didn't feel like he was real.
3. May: I didn't understand her at all. First, she was a stereotypical bitch. Then, she ended up as Thea's roommate? I felt like she was as shallow as a puddle. She had zero personality. </spoiler>
To sum that part of the review up, I felt like Transformed was a bit too plot driven, rather than character driven. The plot was wonderful, yes, but I felt like the characters were too lacking. Don't get me wrong, it was well done. I just felt like the story was empty in a few places.
I was willing to try out the novel for the author, especially as I initially thought it was my taste. However, with such heavy plot, I probably wouldn't have finished it on a normal day. I would've probably given up. I'm glad that I finished it because it had a nice ending (though mildly unbelievable--how?).
Therefore, though it wasn't exactly my cup of tea, it was well written and had a solid plot. I take off one star for lack of character development and one star for some jerky progression and lack of realism.
I would still definitely recommend reading it if you enjoy the concept. I found the entire way the puzzle fit together fascinating. It truly was well done! I'm just a huge critic.
