Series: The Sweet Trilogy #2
Author: Wendy Higgins
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Genre: Young Adult
Blurb:
Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things.
Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.
When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?
I spent two days reading Sweet Peril & Sweet Reckoning, and they were both brilliant. I'd heard rumors Sweet Peril had been difficult for Ms. Higgins to write, and she stated as much in her acknowledgements, but Sweet Kaidan Rowe, did she get this book right. Heck, she pulled together quite a trilogy and I look forward to reading much more from this beautiful author.
Not having read Sweet Evil in quite sometime, I wished I had set aside time to reread it before hopping right into the second and third books. I found I'd forgotten some things, though Wendy set us up with a very nice reference for the Aura colors at the front of the book, and a "Duke Names and Job Descriptions Index" following the book, including their children. And lets be honest, there are 12 Dukes and many more Nephilim, it takes a bit of time to remember all their nefarious ways.
Anna and Kaidan are currently living on opposite coasts from each other due to the problems they faced in the debut novel. Anna's having a difficult time "working" as she's not comfortable with risking other lives, because as the Daughter of Duke Beliel, she is supposed to lead people astray via substance abuse. While most 18 year old girls live to party, Anna doesn't just get to be the guest, she has to push alcohol and drugs on the party-goers who happen to be her friends. On nights when she's been using her demonic ways, she turns to her angelic side and makes sure everyone has a safe ride home so no one gets hurt. Honestly, she'd rather just not work, but...
After the New Year's Summit, the Dukes decided to have several of the Nephilim followed by whisperer demons who reported back to them if something looked wonky. Anna was top priority for the Dukes, especially Duke Pharzuph, Kaidan Rowe's hostile father. He's hell bent on getting rid of the goody two shoes Anna forever, too bad Kaidan and Anna love each other and are not willing to just give up.
I enjoyed Sweet Peril for several reason. I always enjoy a well thought out struggle between good versus bad. I think we all struggle with this on a daily basis. Perhaps not to the extent Anna and her Neph friends do, but I often feel the weight of any decision I make, good or bad. And teenagers, as a parent, I feel blessed when my children even recognize the differences, though they've been pounded into their brain since birth.
Next, the journey in book 2 kept me hopping. Sister Ruth's spirit brought Anna a prophecy, and now Anna must find a way to help "fix" the situation. In an attempt to fulfill the prophecy Anna's father sends her to fetch other Nephilim who would make good allies. I should probably mention, Duke Beliel is one of the good Demons. An oxymoron, I know. Anna and Kope fly to Syria to fetch Zania, a Nephilim who is the daughter of Duke Sonnellion, Demon of Hatred. Her job is to promote civil unrest, but she dislikes her job so she'll make a good ally down the road. They travel to Australia for another, then Anna finally gets to start seeing the old gang. Ginger, Marna, Blake, and Kaidan. *SWOON*
I think Ms. Higgins put together a fine novel, dwelling on good vs. bad, misunderstood love, and personal moral integrity. The steamy appearances of Kaidan Rowe (Chapter 2, guy - that's all I can say) mixed with the action and adventure of pulling a group of misfits together to accomplish a goal unlike any other made for one heck of a ride. As I neared the end of Sweet Peril, I grabbed my youngest and pulled her to the bookstore with me so I could get Sweet Reckoning. I knew I would want to start on it right away, and I read it in one sitting. Crazy, I know. I'll have that review for you tomorrow.
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