Exceptional Series Reviews: Descended

I debated sharing this series review, but since it took me most of March to read, I wanted readers to know what I thought, despite my mixed feelings.
Let me know what you think if you've read the novels.
Book one, Jett.What would you do if you were a young artist and a famous billionaire personally called you and invited you to his house for a proposition? Haven is more than flabbergasted, especially over the elusive man’s presumptuous nature. As a bold young woman, Haven is more than confident with her skills as an artist. But when Jett doesn’t give the curtesy of making an appearance, speaking to Haven through speakers and spying on her from cameras, Haven bristles and her personality clashes with the overly cocky man.
Sparks of contention fly. Every word they exchange is riddled with meaning and goading, emotion and intimacy. You could say Haven and Jett have effectively dug themselves under each other’s skin.
As the reader, I was so drawn in by how one character was so acutely aware of the other and how Haven had such an effect on Jett. Every time we dipped into Jett’s thoughts from his POV we saw deeper into his mind and soul. Right from the beginning, he couldn’t get Haven out of his mind. What it comes down to, he wants her, so much so, that he begins revealing glimpses of himself to her, against his better judgement. Haven learns more and more just how twisted Jett’s past really is.
But she can’t help herself either. She is drawn to him. And his supernatural abilities. But Jett believes they make him a monster. Here in lies the Beauty and the Beast vibe.
As seductive as the author paints the words to this novel, it’s a clean read. I’d rate it PG-13. Mild swear words. Jett makes several references to how much he desires and wants Haven. So much so that the average Christian reader will be hanging on to—I mean swooning—with every word. Jett is dark. Like Heathcliff or Mr. Rochester. Haven is pure and innocent. She believes in God. Jett does not. Rest assured, they delve into delicious kissing, but it doesn’t go beyond that.
The novel is intense, gripping. Devourable. I must say that I read this with ferocious hunger.
Readers who loved the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi will enjoy this read.

A vast amount of the novel talked about the characters coming to know God. It even included sermons and prayer. Those parts grew very lengthy and were hashed back and forth several times as the two main character’s lamented their faith. And while there was talk of faith in the first novel, it happened at the end and was part of the character’s growth, which made it believable. But in this second novel, the character’s debates about faith felt forced and not at all enjoyable to read.
The most confusing parts—these novels are sensuous. The characters aren’t afraid of passionate kisses and touches and expressing how they feel during such encounters. The reason this was confusing was because one second the novels are teetering on the edge of erotica and the next second the characters are vowing to be chaste and spouting scripture. I had whiplash.
It was a relief when I finished the second book. I didn’t like the characters either.
Book three, Aaro.I tore through this book. I loved the characters. There wasn’t loads of faith talk. And the book was hot, and it brought in the other characters. The plot was solid as the characters hunted for a serial killer. I really enjoyed seeing the powers of the three Descended and how the characters all worked together.
Book four, Ulrich.This feels too much like the other novels. All about finding his mate. While I enjoyed the characters in the other novels looking for their mates, much like the other novels, this one had too much talking and not enough action. And by this time the same storyline became old.
The concept of finding his girl in his dreams was fun, but the novel was spent trying to convince a girl to fall in love with him and not be scared of him.
And again, the main guy, Ulrich seemed so focused on sex. Sex seems to be the driving force in these novels. The novel is way too sensual, but the characters never have sex, actually, unless it’s in a dream, but even then, it’s not described. But there are plenty of sensual descriptions of how she makes him feel.
Mostly, I really wanted the characters to stop talking and do something. Anything, even if it was sex. But a bit of action could have been good too. The plot lines in these novels fall by the wayside. They are minor, but thankfully for them or else the novels wouldn’t have much grit.
Bottom line. This novel sends mixed signals, pushing the agenda of being saved, but it leads the reader to believe that fooling around and thinking sensuous thoughts is okay as long as you are saved. Not something I’d want a teenager reading and adopting as a mindset.
My absolute favorite character was Aaro, followed by Jett. But all the men had such different personalities. That made the novels fun. All the women felt too similar for my taste.
Note: This novel had minor grammatical errors that most readers won't notice or care about.
Reader Rated for ages 17+ for detailed fade out sensuality; also contains mild violence and language.
Published on April 02, 2018 16:22
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Writing and Beyond
Blog adventures about my writing, my gardening, and my faith.
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