2014 has already come and gone and I have yet to share with you my favorite reads of the year. For those who don’t follow me on social media, the answer as to why is simple: I was dying of the plague. Okay, not really. I REALLY had the flu. And not just one. I had TWO different strands. So for my Christmas vacation, I spent 16 days in bed. Sleeping. Barely moving. Barely reading—which is the real tragedy. But now that we have enjoyed a full two weeks of 2015, let me share with you my favorite reads of 2014. First, I met my Goodreads goal of 115 books. As a matter of fact, I didn’t meet it—I spanked it. By year’s end I read 144 books (mostly YA and mysteries). I really like rounded up numbers, so I am bummed I didn’t reach 145, but hey, since I spanked my original goal, I will take it. Of those 144 boys, below I am sharing with you 15 of my favorite tween/YA reads in no particular order. Enjoy! ‘The Impossible Knife of Memory’ – Laurie Halse Anderson I did...
I have put off writing this review because I was just not ready to say good-bye to this series. This is one of my favorites, and up to the final page, Fitzpatrick did not disappoint me.
Title: Finale
Author:Becca Fitzpatrick
ISBN: 9781442426672
Available: NOW at your local bookstore and library
Summary (from the book jacket):
Will Love Conquer All?
Nora and Patch thought their troubles were behind them. Hank is gone and they should be able to put his ugly vendetta to rest. But in Hank’s absence, Nora has become the unwitting head of the Nephilim and must finish what Hank began. Which ultimately means destroying the fallen angels—destroying Patch.
Nora will never let that happen, so she and Patch make a plan: lead everyone to believe they have broken up, and work the system from the inside. Nora will convince the Nephilim that they are making a mistake in fighting the fallen angels, and Patch will find out everything he can from the opposing side. They will end this war before it can begin.
But the best-laid plans often go awry. Nora is put through the paces in her new role and finds herself drawn to an addictive power she never anticipated.
As the battle lines are drawn, Nora and Patch must confront the differences that have always been between them and either choose to ignore them or let them destroy the love they have always fought for.
My Thoughts:
As the title suggests, this is the end of Nora and Patch’s story. I was hesitant to read it because I love these two, but ultimately all good storytelling must come to an end, and I was anxious to see how Fitzpatrick was going to end this one.
The plot contains the basics: romance, intrigue, kidnapping, betrayal, grueling workouts, addiction to Nephilim stimulants, you know, the usual. But these basics all build and explode to a heart-pounding conclusion. I almost felt as if I ran a race by the time the novel was over. I may have even said a few things out loud too in the anticipation of where the author was leading me.
Fitzpatrick does a nice job bridging the events together to a satisfying conclusion. At least, I was satisfied. Were you?
Nora’s character becomes more developed. She is now the fearless leader, and she must act as so. This means training with Dante to prove that she is worthy of the title, a title she must keep in order to protect the one she loves. This was a fun Nora, one that was all about “girl power” and fighting for what she loves the most. But I did not buy the element of “addiction”—not even a little bit. I felt that was too contrived and too out of character for her. Maybe that is what Fitzpatrick was going for, but it is the one flaw I had with the novel.
With Nora’s character development, don’t expect the same from Patch. We do not learn anything new about him. We only see his dedication to keeping Nora safe—the same from all the novels. But I am okay with this. I think sometimes it’s important to see that in a relationship growing happens in all forms. For Patch, it is his growing love and protection of Nora that makes him a worthwhile character. And he’s hot, so that helps too.
The secondary characters in this novel added a lot, and they helped compliment Nora’s character. Whether it was during training or during a bar fight, all the characters acted as pieces to a bigger puzzle. I think my favorites were Dante and Marcie. I enjoyed reading Nora’s interaction with these two for very different reasons, but there were times I found myself smiling, laughing, and even cringing, especially during Dante’s training sessions with Nora. Ouch!
As a whole, I enjoyed Finale. I am a huge fan of Becca Fitzpatrick’s storytelling. I find Nora and Patch to be a lovely paranormal couple, and I am sad that with this review it is finally time to bid the two adieu.
Patch and Nora FOREVER!!!
Have you read/reviewed Finale? Share your thoughts/links below.
Who is your favorite paranormal couple?
Happy Reading!
Nhận xét
Đăng nhận xét