Monday, June 21, 2010

Review: Penitence by Jennifer Laurens

Penitence
Title: Penitence
Author: Jennifer Laurens
Paperback: 322 pages
Published: April 2010
Reading Level: YA
My copy: Around the World Tours
My rating: 4 out of 5 wicked hearts


Blurb from Amazon.com:

Book Two. Seeing good and evil spirits is a gift Zoe guards with her life. Despite her guardian angel's disappearance, Zoe forces herself to accept that she still has a purpose-but how does she carry the weight of her brother's drug abuse, the hardship of living with an autistic sister, and a best friend who's obsessed with a guy who only wants Zoe? She's never felt more alone. When a mysterious spirit appears, Zoe thinks she has a new guardian angel. Instead, her brother's addiction worsens, her parents are on the brink of separation, and her best friend tries to kill her. The spirit she thinks is her new guardian isn't there to protect her: he's out to destroy her family and seize Zoe's soul. . . for Hell. Will Matthias' return mean that he is Zoe's guardian angel again? Or is their love the reason the jaws of Hell now gape open? 

**Possible Spoilers if you haven't read Heavenly**

My quick wicked thoughts...2nd book in the series does not disappoint with action, drama, romance and a surprising change up of characters.

Why I was tempted to read this...I **loved** Heavenly and after reading chapter 1 of this in the back of it...I knew I had to read this asap!

Cover thoughts...Kinda underwhelmed just like Heavenly, I think they could be more dramatic,.

Romance Meter...A surprising twist of a love triangle in this book, I won't give away WHO but if you read Heavenly, you will be shocked...and shocked when your opinion of the guy in question changes too! I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 since Matthias is missing a good part of the book and the new guy isn't trusted much.

Character and Plot...All the same characters are back with a few new ones to stir things up.  The book picks up after Zoe is ripped from Matthias' arms in Paradise and plunked back down in the real world.  She is trying to embrace this new chance and life the best she can while missing Matthias who has gone MIA with no word.  When things start spiraling out of control with her family, her brother and her best friend, she needs Matthias more than ever but has to turn to an unlikely person for support.  As she begins to trust this person, Matthias comes back in the picture to stir up her heart once again.  Enter the creepy guy in black that is following her around and you have all kinds of drama.

The Ending...It was a solid ending but left the door wide open for book #3, Absolution, due out 10/11/10.
 
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