My Bookish Review: Sweet Evil

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Published: 1st May 2012
Publisher: Harper Teen
Series: The Sweet Trilogy #1
Pages: 453

Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Anna Whitt has a reputation for being a good girl. Unlike normal teenagers her age, she refrains from certain addictive substances, like drugs and alcohol, but at the same time feels a compelling attraction towards them. Along with that, she's grown up to discover certain abilities which no one she knows has an answer for - that is, until Kaidan Rowe comes along... *gives knowing smile*.

For me, the layout of a book is pretty important. I know it seems really petty and all 'don't judge a book by its cover,' but it's just something that makes me more eager to read the book. I'm not saying that if the book has a really bad print I'm going to just abandon it; I'm saying that if you have named chapters, a contents page and little quotes by famous authors or philosophers, I'm going to squeal with delight and kind of get addicted to your book. So you can imagine by pleasure when Sweet Evil had all those things. And a prologue. Prologue's are awesome. 

The character of Anna seems admittedly easy to relate to. I'd love to be like those hardcore, determined, fearless protagonists which most YA novels star. Alas, I am not. So when Anna comes along I find myself agreeing practically with everything she does and says. Anna has a different way with dealing with rejection; she goes and confronts it. I admit I did find it slightly clingy and desperate... but I also admit that's what I would've done. Especially when the person she's hung up on is someone as fit - er, I mean good looking - as Kaidan.

Kaidan Rowe enters the book as a drummer for a band Anna goes to the concert of. It's the first scene in Chapter 1 and something which didn't fail to grab my attention. Who wouldn't fall for him? He has his own group of fangirls. As if that wasn't enough, he turns out to be English! Not 'British,' but English. What's the difference, you ask? Well. For those readers out there who don't happen to currently live in the UK, a British accent isn't really an accent - there are four countries which make up the UK. They all have their own accent. It's a big pet peeve of mine when the author fails to research facts about a location. Luckily for me, Wendy Higgins did her research. She made sure Kaidan used appropriate terms such as 'mum' instead of 'mom' and 'petrol' instead of 'gas'. I had to adapt to all of those American terms, so it makes me quite happy to see something familiar.

During Sweet Evil I wondered a lot when Anna and Kaidan were going to admit their feelings for each other. It was one of the most frustrating times in the book for me. Yet at the same time, I couldn't help but feel for them and the situation they were in. To know what kind of situation, you'll have to read it yourself - it'll be worth it.

In the beginning I wasn't that into the book. It was OK-ish. I was promised quite a lot, thus expecting quite a lot. I even thought that I might have to write a review about my first low-rated book. Yet, the further I delved into the book, the further I fell in love with it. The ending was just... wow. For me, it ticked all the boxes. 

All I know is I can't wait to get my hands on Sweet Peril.

5/5 stars - Go! Buy it! NOW!

Teaser Quote:

“I felt you come alive when we kissed, and I know you’re afraid of that. Afraid to unleash that other side of yourself. ” 

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