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manragoo's review
3.0
This book had a really interesting take on mythology. It was a mix of mythology and religion that ended up being pretty cool! I'm glad I took a chance on it.
tyrean's review
4.0
Extremely engaging, powerful fantasy adventure focused on the struggle between light and dark. Desi is surrounded by evil, a child of Satan and a human, yet she refuses to give into the temptation to "become" - which means to embrace all of her dark powers. Sent to Earth by her father, she makes some unexpected friends, has visions of a past she didn't know she had, and discovers how to release the secret spark of light inside herself.
Out of all the books I read over the Christmas season, Become by Ali Cross was the finest crafted novel. Tightly woven, intense, and packed with meaning, I was drawn into this story immediately and read it in one sitting. However, it is dark fantasy, and I had to wrestle with that a bit in my head. I really enjoyed it, but I struggled with some of the intense moments, and it made me realize that I have a tendency to bury my head in the face of some the world's sinful and ugly realities. The dark stuff in the novel is based on real life, ugly stuff that is in our world this very moment. We can't all be kickin' superheroes like Desi but we can make a difference if we take the time to pay attention to the hurting world around us.
Out of all the books I read over the Christmas season, Become by Ali Cross was the finest crafted novel. Tightly woven, intense, and packed with meaning, I was drawn into this story immediately and read it in one sitting. However, it is dark fantasy, and I had to wrestle with that a bit in my head. I really enjoyed it, but I struggled with some of the intense moments, and it made me realize that I have a tendency to bury my head in the face of some the world's sinful and ugly realities. The dark stuff in the novel is based on real life, ugly stuff that is in our world this very moment. We can't all be kickin' superheroes like Desi but we can make a difference if we take the time to pay attention to the hurting world around us.
volubleloki's review
5.0
In the beginning of this book, you are told the story of when Desolation aka Desi, is born and that her father, Loki or Lucifer came to collect her. Although she is Lucifer’s biological daughter, her mother is not a demon. Being raised in Hell and surrounded by demons her whole life, that is what Desi associates herself with, even though she hides her “spark” from her father and Akaros, her trainer. She thinks that having this “spark” is a weakness.
Desi is given the job of going up to Earth by her father. Being that this came from her father, she knows that she cannot refute it. She is not looking forward to going to Earth, or Midgard. She doesn’t understand why she is being sent. The last time she went to the human realm was eight months ago and she still has regrets from that experience. Once she is there, she is staying with the Masons, Daniel and James and attending St. Marys Academy. It is not too soon after Desolation arrives at Casa del Diablo, she learns what her father wants of her.
At St. Mary Academy, she meets Miri, who turns out to be a true friend. The only other friend Desi has had was Lucy, so she is not entirely comfortable with the experience. She also meets Michael, and gets a feeling that she knows him from somewhere. It is during her experience there and through the help of Miri, Michael and a group known as “The Hallowed” that Desi finds out who she is and what her destiny is.
This book blew me away. I loved the writing in it. It was deeper than most YA novels that I read. Not that it was like a chemistry textbook, but it was interesting to see more depth in the characters and storyline. Cross draws you in by the way that she describes things. There were some parts in the book that I am sure that I missed and will require additional readings to fully understand them, but this does not take away from the book.
I Like:
▪Desolation. I love her personality. The fact that she was raised by demons in Hell and she still has a “spark,” as she calls it, is amazing. She is truly an unforgettable person. The journey of discovery that Desi goes through is paramount to the plot of the book, and yet it is not always your main focus.
▪Lucy. Her part in this book is short, but it is essential to the progression that Desi experiences. She is one of the first people to show Desi what being loved means.
▪Miri. At first, I’m unsure about this character, but she turns around and in the end is a good friend for Desi. She helps her get through a lot of things which never would’ve been possible.
▪Michael. Of course you have to love the cute boy in the story. You find out that he is more than just a pretty face (and a warm touch) in this book. I am curious to see what his character will do when the second book, Desolation, comes out.
▪James. Even though he is kind of sleazy at the beginning of the book, he has a good heart and eventually that wins out.
▪The Cover. (I haven’t really discussed covers much in my reviews and I plan on rectifying that.) On this cover, you see Desi with wings in the background. You don’t get a full understanding of the cover until after you have read it, but I love how you get a sense of Desi even before opening the book.
▪The mythology that is thrown into the book. I have always had an interest in mythology and love that more books are incorporating the themes that I know into their stories.
▪The battle between good and evil. This has been a common theme in books since the beginning of time. The way that it is described in Become is different than anything I have read in this genre. This is a young adult book, but it will be enjoyed by older adults as well. This is a topic that demands seriousness and Become has a good balance of being serious, romance and friendship.
▪Odin. I love that he is portrayed as a Father figure in this story. It just makes you all warm and fuzzy.
I Did Not Like:
▪Loki, Lucifer…whatever you want to call him. Are you surprised by this one? He is deceitful and uses people to get what he wants. (That seems to be a common theme amongst the demons.)
▪Daniel. He acts as Desi’s uncle who has taken her in to protect her. That is the cover story that was given for the sudden appearance of Desi in school. He is not a very good person and tries to get people to commit sin.
▪Akaros. He was Desi’s trainer while she was in Hell. He is a demon. Enough said…
Desi is given the job of going up to Earth by her father. Being that this came from her father, she knows that she cannot refute it. She is not looking forward to going to Earth, or Midgard. She doesn’t understand why she is being sent. The last time she went to the human realm was eight months ago and she still has regrets from that experience. Once she is there, she is staying with the Masons, Daniel and James and attending St. Marys Academy. It is not too soon after Desolation arrives at Casa del Diablo, she learns what her father wants of her.
At St. Mary Academy, she meets Miri, who turns out to be a true friend. The only other friend Desi has had was Lucy, so she is not entirely comfortable with the experience. She also meets Michael, and gets a feeling that she knows him from somewhere. It is during her experience there and through the help of Miri, Michael and a group known as “The Hallowed” that Desi finds out who she is and what her destiny is.
This book blew me away. I loved the writing in it. It was deeper than most YA novels that I read. Not that it was like a chemistry textbook, but it was interesting to see more depth in the characters and storyline. Cross draws you in by the way that she describes things. There were some parts in the book that I am sure that I missed and will require additional readings to fully understand them, but this does not take away from the book.
I Like:
▪Desolation. I love her personality. The fact that she was raised by demons in Hell and she still has a “spark,” as she calls it, is amazing. She is truly an unforgettable person. The journey of discovery that Desi goes through is paramount to the plot of the book, and yet it is not always your main focus.
▪Lucy. Her part in this book is short, but it is essential to the progression that Desi experiences. She is one of the first people to show Desi what being loved means.
▪Miri. At first, I’m unsure about this character, but she turns around and in the end is a good friend for Desi. She helps her get through a lot of things which never would’ve been possible.
▪Michael. Of course you have to love the cute boy in the story. You find out that he is more than just a pretty face (and a warm touch) in this book. I am curious to see what his character will do when the second book, Desolation, comes out.
▪James. Even though he is kind of sleazy at the beginning of the book, he has a good heart and eventually that wins out.
▪The Cover. (I haven’t really discussed covers much in my reviews and I plan on rectifying that.) On this cover, you see Desi with wings in the background. You don’t get a full understanding of the cover until after you have read it, but I love how you get a sense of Desi even before opening the book.
▪The mythology that is thrown into the book. I have always had an interest in mythology and love that more books are incorporating the themes that I know into their stories.
▪The battle between good and evil. This has been a common theme in books since the beginning of time. The way that it is described in Become is different than anything I have read in this genre. This is a young adult book, but it will be enjoyed by older adults as well. This is a topic that demands seriousness and Become has a good balance of being serious, romance and friendship.
▪Odin. I love that he is portrayed as a Father figure in this story. It just makes you all warm and fuzzy.
I Did Not Like:
▪Loki, Lucifer…whatever you want to call him. Are you surprised by this one? He is deceitful and uses people to get what he wants. (That seems to be a common theme amongst the demons.)
▪Daniel. He acts as Desi’s uncle who has taken her in to protect her. That is the cover story that was given for the sudden appearance of Desi in school. He is not a very good person and tries to get people to commit sin.
▪Akaros. He was Desi’s trainer while she was in Hell. He is a demon. Enough said…
isotope_s's review
1.0
Eh... I really have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, parts of it were really well done; and some parts really were not. I liked the detail and the unique word choice used. I loved the idea. The plot was interesting and I love the whole heaven, hell, angels and demons concept; but the execution was poorly done. It was confusing and even though it should have been easy to understand, I found myself looking back at parts trying to understand what was going on. It wasn't very well planned out and most parts were very disorganized. Sometimes I felt myself fighting through this book just to get to then end. On the fence whether to read the next one.
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