Review by Vanessa from Book Butterfly Reviews:
http://bookbutterflyreviews.blogspot.ca
Title: Revival
Author: Jena
Leigh
Series: The
Variant Series
Genre: YA,
paranormal, slight romance
Source: Kindle
Edition
Pages: 275 pages
Rating: 4
Available at:
Blurb: (via
Goodreads)
Possessing
the uncanny ability to fry a television set from twenty paces can really wreck
a girl’s social life.
If
you’re looking for proof, just ask sixteen-year-old Alexandra Parker. After
catching her boyfriend in the arms of the prettiest girl in school, she made
the journey from social elite to social pariah in a haze of electricity and
exploding electronics. But finding herself at the bottom of Bay View High’s
social hierarchy was nothing compared to the shock of discovering who—and
what—she really is.
After
being zapped out of a burning bookstore by the mysterious Declan—a hero nearly
as handsome as he is infuriating—Alex finds herself under the protection of the
powerful Grayson family. It’s through them that she learns the truth: that the
world she’s always known is nothing like it appears to be... and that she has
far more in common with them than she might want to believe.
Now,
on the run from a fire-wielding hit man and a secretive government
organization, Alex must navigate a strange and treacherous new world filled
with superhuman mutants known as Variants. As she begins to unravel the many
secrets of her family’s past, she uncovers the real reason for her parents’
death twelve years earlier—and finds out that the threat to her family, and to
everyone she cares about, is still dangerously real.
My Review:
I had previously read Revival and Reviewed Revival, but in
light of the sequel coming out, I wanted to reread the first book to refresh my
memory and I found that my opinion of the book has changed since I had
originally read it back in 2012.
My main problem with the story remained the same. The story
lacked on the realistic side. Some of the actions the main character did seemed
to be unlikely in the real world. When her world is turned upside down and
sideways, she almost immediately accepts her new circumstances with little
emotional protest. There was one particular scene (WARNING! SPOILER!) where the
main character, Alex, calls her aunt to tell her she is alright and just
confessed the complete truth as to what has happened that day. I just can’t see
that actually happening. I doubt someone would just confess about all the
paranormal things that have been going on to someone they obviously love and
respect for two reasons. 1) I wouldn’t want to drag them into potential danger
and 2) I wouldn’t want them to think I was crazy. How was she to know that her
aunt was actually paranormal as well? It was all a little to convenient for me.
(END SPOILER) Plus, all of the main characters were freakishly good looking, I
mean… come one. Not everyone is that attractive.
I also found the end extremely unrealistic, which was
surprising because the more unrealistic aspects happened at the beginning
before the characters started to develop more. (WARNING, ANOTHER SPOILER!) I
found it extremely unlikely that the Agency would be so willing to let Alex
just leave. Or rather, the way they let her leave. Alex throws a minor temper
tantrum and BAM, ‘sure, no problem, you can go.’ I would have thought they
would have put up a little more of a fight. It was just a little to
anticlimactic (END SPOILER)
Now, if we ignore the more unrealistic aspect of the story,
I found the writing itself to be quite pleasing. The plot had various minor
conflicts and subplots along the way that are seemingly going to shape the rest
of the series. The plots were intricate, interesting, and well thought out. The
actual style of the writing was sophisticated and engaging as well. It was easy
to read and it flowed very nicely. I found it immensely hard to stop reading to
go to class.
In addition, the characters themselves developed very nicely
throughout the novel. Although the time frame seemed a little short, you watch
the characters grow as people. Alex and Declan in particular showed phenomenal
growth as the novel went on. I would have liked to see more of what was going
on with Nate and the secrets he knows, as well as learn how Cassie is dealing
with everything. The development of those two characters started off nicely,
but seemed to be forgotten as the plot started to thicken. Hopefully, we see
more of them in the second installment of the Variant series, Resistance that is now out to buy.
Lastly, I want to point out that I LOVED the denouement
(epilogue). It was a fantastic way to end the book and it didn’t leave the
author anxious with an obvious cliffhanger. While some questions were obviously
not answered and this fact alludes to a sequel, the leaves kind of settle at
the end and it gives the characters a second to breathe after the fast pace of
events that had just unfolded. This is the main reason I am giving this book a
4 star rating instead of a 3.5 star one.
Overall, I liked it. I didn’t absolutely love it, but it was
a good introduction to the series. I am really excited to see what Resistance has to offer me and if some
of my questions from book 1 will be answered.
If you liked this review and would like to read more like it, don't forget to check out Vanessa's blog, Book Butterfly Reviews here:
http://bookbutterflyreviews.blogspot.ca
