REVIEW: Manipulated by Kimberly Montague

Manipulated by Kimberly Montague

Publication Date:August 19th 2012

Publisher: CreateSpace

Paperback, 254 pages

Useful Info: Goodreads, Author's Website

While this novel is set in the Setenid Blight world, it can be read as a stand-alone novel since no prior knowledge is required to enjoy it.

Two months ago, high school senior, Risa Neely had it all going for her: good friends, a good education, and a supportive mother. But all that changed the night her new stepfather attacked her. When her friends and even her own mother believe her stepfather's twisted lies, she has no other alternative but to turn to her absentee father.

Just when she thinks she's been able to move on and carve out a very safe, albeit lonely existence, bad-boy Brodie Decker, the school's hottest man-whore, literally knocks her off her feet. Drawn to the way she's completely unimpressed by him, Brodie knows she hides herself behind a mask and is determined to get underneath it. But he's blindsided by the connection they feel for each other.

Can Brodie accept Risa as a permanent fixture in his life? Can Risa trust Brodie enough to tell him her awful secrets? And will their connection be enough to hold them together when their friends, family members, and entire city are pulled under a deadly Setenid Blight quarantine?

Recommended for ages 15&up.

Kimberly Montague truly astonished me with her YA series! I mean I had read in the past her adult novel Until the Morning Sun, so I was already familiar with her writing style and I kind of knew what this author is capable of, but still, I think that YA is her strong point.

Manipulated is the third novel in her Setenid Blight series and even if I hadn't read the previous two books in the series, as Kimberly says, it can be read as a stand alone. I didn't feel lost at any point in her narration, the world building and the details of the whole setting were given in a way that helped me follow the story and slowly get into everything. I can't really say if I missed anything not having read this series in its order, except maybe the fact that I now really want to read them just to satisfy my curiosity :P

Honestly, Kimberly Montague did an amazing job and helps her readers follow the story even if they haven't read the previous two books in the series. After all, Manipulated features a brand new couple, and characters of the previous novels only make a brief appearance, at least as far as I could tell.

Manipulated isn't your typical YA novel. It starts much like a contemporary romance title would only to change direction somewhere after the second half and become a much darker urban fantasy one. This split in the narration is what made me love so much this novel and at the same time it was my main source of problems. Funny right? Let me explain.

You see, the fact that I was expecting an Urban Fantasy novel and it started with a very contemporary romance feeling took me by surprise, a really pleasant surprise. I loved seeing Risa and Brodie get together, how their relationship evolved and most of all I liked reading about the changes in Risa herself and her relationship with her father after all the bad things that happened to her. Especially Risa's relationship with her father is maybe my favorite part of the whole book. I loved the way Montague slowly worked the details of their tenuous relationship and the misunderstandings that kept them apart.

But, like I said, Manipulated in essence is an Urban Fantasy novel and somewhere along the second half of the book, it was more than obvious where the story was heading. And I didn't mind this change, if only the transition was smoother. I kind of felt that everything exploded rather untimely or maybe a little bit unexpectedly. There wasn't a balance, and from a teen romance/drama, the whole novel turned into a dystopian fight for survival. And if only that transition was smoother, I would have no problem whatsoever with that. On the contrary. But as it is, I feel like the biggest part of this book is contemporary and only a small part Urban Fantasy. There's no balance between those two genres. And as a result, vital information about the virus and how exactly that dark world operated are missing. There wasn't simply too much space for the world to unfold. It was consumed by Risa and Brodie's love story, which I really liked, but it kind of ruined the balance of the narration.

The character development is really good, with both main and secondary characters being explored. The plot, if split in half is evenly paced. The romantic part and the action part have a pace of their own, they just don't meet each other. I really don't know if I'm making much sense :P

All in all, Manipulated is a fascinating novel, that apart from some details is a great YA story. I fell in love with Risa and Brodie and I'm looking forward to see how things will unfold in their future. And I hope that in the future instalment most of my questions will be answered. The ending left me craving for more :)

* This title was provided for review from the author

REVIEW: Until the Morning Sun (Sun,#1) by Kimberly Montague

Until the Morning Sun by Kimberly Montague

Publication Date: September 5th 2011

Publisher: Kimberly Montague

Kindle Edition, 220 pages

Buy via Amazon.com

24 year-old Aeva has existed and survived by a somewhat sheltered and ordinary life. As a high school librarian, her life experiences have primarily come through the eyes of characters in novels. She's never really been in love, never travelled the world, and never experienced the adventures and magic life can offer.

But all this is about to change when she discovers that her father, who died six years earlier, is not actually dead. Now, she must struggle with the very powerful form of magic inside her as she finds out that the paranormal adventures she's only read about in books are not-so-fictional.

With the help of the experienced playboy, Grey, she enters into a new world of vampires, magic, and at long last, love. But can she handle the horrors lurking around every corner when her life tends more toward nightmare than fairy-tale?

Until the Morning Sun was a fun read, one that I really enjoyed and for that I am deeply grateful to the author Kimberly Montague for providing me with a copy of her book.

Until the Morning Sun is a very interesting read, the world building has some fresh and new elements and although the book had some awkward moments many first book in a series have, it managed to entertain me up to the end.

I really liked the way Montague sketched her main heroine Aeva. She was a real character if you know what I mean, I just could easily picture her as the woman next door, so down to earth and so realistic, I just really liked the way she was portrayed.

Grey was a bit of a mystery to me for the better part of the book and I guess that was the author's intention.

Now, despite the fact that I enjoyed Until the Morning Sun, as I said there were a few awkward moments in it. And those for me, mostly consisted of the way the plot progresses. I mean, the book has a good and strong first 1/3, then it slows down just to pick up again by the end of the story. All the middle of the plot focuses solely on Aeva's training and nothing actually happens. I get that her training was crucial to the story, but I kind of needed more to happen. Reading about only Aeva's training and her romance with Grey just wasn't enough. And talking about the romance, that itself was a bit awkward at times as well. I just wanted a little less back and forth in their relationship to fully connect with them.

All in all, Until the Morning Sun was a fun read that I enjoyed reading.