A couple days ago, I posted my review for book 4 (Anomaly) of the "Causal Enchantment" series as part of a blog tour for the book's release. Here is my complete review for the "Causal Enchantment" series by K.A. Tucker. Although book 1 (Anathema) only got a 3 star rating, the rest of the series got a well deserved 4 stars (read on and see why).
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
For the most part, this book is good, with room for improvement (which you get in the sequels). It's a modern day vampire teen love story with lots of intrigue & plot twists. With a fairly simple writing style, this series is appropriate and accessible to younger readers yet entertaining enough for adult readers. Once I started reading, I had trouble putting the book down. The romance is also good. I got shivers during certain "Caden and Eve" moments.
My issues with this book (note: most are addressed & resolved in the sequels & are no longer issues)(SAFE REVIEW, NO SPOILERS): The events at the start of the story happened too fast for my taste. I needed a couple more days or weeks in the characters' lives to make the events seem more probable & realistic. Ratheus: There are too many similarities with Earth and it bugged me somewhat (language, expressions, surroundings, etc.). Evangeline: I like strong willed & smart female characters but Evie is more on the fragile & weak side, however, she is very smart and her reasoning is sound.
Technical stuff: Book 1 of 4. Contemporary teen paranormal romance (vampires & witches). Told in the first person from Eve's point of view. It took me 10 hours to read.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is book 2 of 4 in the Causal Enchantment series (this is a teen / young adult series).
I must say, this volume had my complete and undivided attention! It was hard to put down. The series gets better with every volume, which is quite rare in a series. It was packed with all the stuff I love from a young adult paranormal romance: action, lies, deceit, evil characters, danger, beautiful vampires, unexpected friendships, mystery, mythical creatures, magic, ... For most of the book, Caden & Evangeline are appart but the romantic tension is still very strong and both characters are very present throughout the entire story. I had issues with the story line in book 1 (Anathema) but those issues were addressed & explained in book 2 and made more sense.
I was pleasantly surprised with the dual point of view! It was not what I was expecting at all! Half from Evangeline's point of view, half from Sophie's (I was expecting Caden), alternating from one chapter to the next. I LOVE Sophie!!! She is a wonderful character. This made the reading experience so entertaining and I was glad not to have Caden's point of view because it keeps you wondering about his true intentions and feelings! Evangeline is still very naïve and on the weaker side (which tends to put me off a bit) but she's slowly coming into her own, making important decisions (though not always thinking about the implications beforehand). She has trouble doing as she is told, which gets her into trouble. Her character is definitely evolving.
The story line gets twisted more and more as lies upon lies are being piled up from one character to another. The only 2 characters we can trust are Sophie and Evangeline, since we are in their heads and read their thoughts.
Technical stuff: 8 hours to read. Young adult paranormal romance set in a contemporary setting.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Part 3 of 4 in the Causal Enchantment series. Young adult paranormal romance novels about vampires, witches and greater powers that be. Loaded with action, plots, deceit & strategy, the books get better and better as the series progresses. After the magical altercation with a tribe in book 2, 18 year old Evangeline is changing and nobody knows what to make of it. She has become somewhat unique and a mystery and possibly lethal. New friendships are established, allegiances are pledged and hurtful truths are revealed. Now that Evangeline has deep secrets of her own, she battles with her conscience, wondering what is the right thing to do and what the cost will be. It seems everyone is keeping secrets and it's slowly eating away at them.
I thoroughly enjoyed "Allegiance". Well written, it was gripping and hard to put down. With non stop action, the story and the plot was well thought out. The romance between Caden and Evangeline is sweet, even though they have their ups and downs (I especially enjoyed their romance because they had ups and downs).
Told both from Sophie and Evangeline's point of view. Sophie is just as wonderful as before. Powerful and loving, she is an amazing character to follow, showing a vulnerable side that wasn't apparent in the first part of the series. Evangeline is still struggling with her inner and outer weaknesses. She is still insecure and weak but she's trying to find her way. Caden is still just as sexy and swoony. He even shows an angry side to him that makes his character all the more interesting.
It took me 11.5 hours to read "Allegiance". Parental guidance: Contains violence, death and reference to sexuality (no descriptive content).
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the 4th and last book in the Causal Enchantments series by K.A. Tucker. It is a wonderful young adult paranormal romance series about vampires in a contemporary setting dealing with end-of-world issues. There are twists and turns, more lies and revelations... you constantly wonder where the story is taking you and how all the problems will be resolved. Book 4 (Anomaly), was no exception. I really enjoyed it!
The series just got better and better with every book. It was hard to put down at times. I would classify this series in my "very entertaining & enjoyable" reads. It had all the ingredients that I like in a young adult paranormal romance: vampires, romantic tension, lies, deceit, magic, action, suspense, death, unexpected friendships, unpredictability... My constant main concern throughout the series had to do with Evangeline's character and how weak and naïve she was. In Anomaly, Evie evolves into a strong, confident young woman who takes charge of difficult situations. She stands up & defends her decisions, even if the outcomes aren't quite the ones she expected. Two thumbs up for Evangeline! As with books 2 & 3, book 4 is told from both Evie and Sophie's point of view. I've loved Sophie from the get-go and the turn of events in her character's story surprised me. She shows a vulnerable side of herself that I didn't know she had. None of the characters are perfect and that's what I love about them.
Book 4 has a bit more combat-strategy feel to it but it is not so overpowering that it takes over the story. The general feel of the story is true to the rest of the series.
As for the romance between Evie and Caden, it gave me shivers at times! They are such a cute couple! There could have been a bit more romance but, then again, when you're trying to save humanity, there may not be time for lovey-dovey stuff!!!
My only little minor concern: the ending may have been just a little too perfect for some readers. Personally, I like a happy ending & was quite satisfied but I can guess that some people may be cringing at the perfectness of the situation at the end.
Technical stuff: Young adult paranormal romance (parental guidance: violence, death, blood, sexual reference but no explicitly descriptive sexual content). It took me 7.5 hours to read it.
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