Marianne Curley

Holy cow, that book got devoured! In under 24 hours I completed the final book of the series, where as there was a massive gap between 1 and 2, and #2 took me so long to finish.

I want to give it full marks because I LOVED it. It was a fantastic conclusion, and there's so many bits of it that were just amazing. Unfortunately there's a few things that keep nagging at me, so if you're someone who's a perfectionist, sorry there's a few holes in this one. That doesn't stop it being epic, funny, show more shocking and heart warming. It's just that some bits were too obvious, or didn't feel right. Maybe I'm too used to Marianne's writing style and was able to deduce her thought pattern and plans for the characters. I keep thinking back to her other trilogy end book, The Key, and can see comparisons that might have hinted at some things for me. show less

Summary: Kate Warren believes in magic - she might try to hide it from the rest of her small town, but she and her grandmother can both do witchcraft. So when the new kid, Jarrod Thornton, starts demonstrating power beyond anything Kate's ever dreamed of, power that's out of his control, Kate's the only one to recognize it for what it is. But Jarrod doesn't believe in magic, and thinks the strange outbursts that occur whenever he's angry or worked-up are just part of the bad luck that's show more plagued him and his family his whole life. Kate knows better though, and thinks that the root of it might be in a centuries old-curse placed on Jarrod's family. But how can they break the curse when Jarrod doesn't even believe that it's real?

Review: I didn't go into this book with particularly high expectations - the blurb and the cover (and probably my summary up there, as well) all make it look like pretty run-of-the-mill YA paranormal romance. And, for the first half of the book, that's more-or-less what it delivered. I mean, good YA paranormal romance, but nothing particularly standout, other than the paranormal part was witchcraft rather than vampires or werewolves or what have you.

But the good news is, the book wound up pleasantly surprising me. About halfway through, the book takes a left turn into time travel and historical fiction, which added a very interesting layer onto the standard YA romance that I haven't come across before. I mean, I'm not sure that the metaphysics of time travel would play out like they did in this book, but there's something undeniably charming about forcing your two leads, who haven't even admitted that they like each other much, to play-act at being married, because why else would they be together unchaperoned in the Dark Ages? It was a fun twist to the story, and it's a much stronger book for not sticking strictly to formula.

I did have a few issues with this book. My primary one was that there was too much tell-but-not-show-ing going on, particularly when it came to the character development. Kate's chapters involve a lot of her telling Jarrod (and the reader) how much of a coward he is - primarily because he doesn't believe in magic - when his actions, even in the beginning of the book, don't really match that assessment. After a while, I was at the point of grumbling "He's not being spineless, he's being rational, you daft girl." every time it came up... which was a lot. I get that Jarrod developing his courage was supposed to be his major character arc, but I never entirely bought it, mostly because I didn't think he was that bad in the first place.

I'm also ashamed to admit how long it took me to realize that Marianne Curley was Australian. I spent an embarrassingly large part of this book thinking that it took place in the Pacific Northwest - my only reference for somewhere that has both rain forest and seasonal snow - and it wasn't until someone mentioned kookaburras outside their window that I finally twigged. And then I realized that what I'd been taking for strange narrative tics and weird turns of phrase were probably actually Australian colloquialisms. Whoops! 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Even if you're feeling burnt out on teen paranormal romance, I think Old Magic is a good choice for a light, fun read that manages to have a number of unique elements but still feels comfortable at the same time. show less

I think the blurb of this book really doesn't sell it - I put off reading it until I read Mandee's review, and when I found out she enjoyed it, I decided to give it a chance. I'm so glad I did, and also sad that I left it so long, because Hidden is a wonderful book that most readers will enjoy.

Hidden refuses to follow the usual formulaic outline of a paranormal romance - the protagonists are strong and rather more mature than the average YA characters, the plot is amazingly paced, and the show more concept is cool and exciting. I think the book has a lot to offer. My favourite aspect of the book is that it's told in dual point-of-view. I think this story hinges on the reader being privy to what Jordan is experiencing, and I love it when I get to see both sides of the story.

Ebony is refreshingly intelligent and independent - she thinks her decisions through, is careful and never idiotically blunders her way into dangerous situations, and always has the welfare of those around her foremost in her mind. She is careful and initially distrusting of the strangers that claim they can help her, which I found more realistic than the blind faith some other YA heroines have. I think her sheltered lifestyle contributed to this, in part, and I really like this smart, conscientious girl.

I was fully expecting Ebony and Jordan, as the narrating protagonists, to randomly fall in love, as is the way of many YA novels and was pleasantly surprised at the romance in the book. I subsequently had my heart broken, and am still reeling from it all, but I love the clever way the author has handled the predictability of romance in YA, and I'm looking forward to seeing how everything falls out in future books.

I love the plot of the book, it seems well researched and is vividly painted. The fictional Australian setting is great, and I enjoy the idea that a little valley Australia can hide an angel so well! I did initially think that the book is too heavily foreshadowed, because I guessed so many things before they happened, but now that I have finished Hidden, I feel it was intentional on the author's part. Readers almost always know what is going to happen before the protagonists and it added a sense of desperation because I wanted the characters to figure everything out before time ran out.

I can't really praise Hidden any more - you'll have to grab a copy and experience the awesome for yourself! I'm really looking forward to the follow-up books and following Ebony's journey to find herself.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.
You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic. show less

I read the Guardians of Time triology in one go. I loved them: well-written, exciting and the short chapters invite you to read just one chapter extra...The story follows a group of youngsters, who are 'chosen' ('named' because of their special talents, who are able to travel back in time, trying to prevent from changes to be made by the goddess of chaos and disorder. They guard our current time.