ARC Review: Jennifer L. Armentrout - Cursed

Jennifer L. Armentrout - Cursed

• Pub Date: September 18, 2012
• Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
• Format: Hardcover, 288 pp
• Age Range: Young Adult
• Source: Publisher

Dying sucks--and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he’s a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she's more than interested. There's just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she's willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't?

But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she’s not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life.
For real this time.

So far, this is probably my least favorite JLA book. Perhaps it's because of her track record that I have such high expectations for her books. This one felt a little generic and overdone. The whole 'gifted' thing and the 'death touch' have been done over and over, and I didn't feel like this one brought anything too new to the table. I usually ADORE her books, but this one fell a little flat to me.

Like always, it has JLA's particular brand of humor, so I did enjoy reading this one. While the story was still interesting and I read this in one sitting, it was just a little frustrating. But that could be from the MC's frustration in being put in her situation. So I did feel with this one. I wanted things to work out for all of them. I never knew who to trust, but I did know who not to trust. That was a little obvious. But Ember, the MC in this one, isn't as snarky as JLA's other female characters. She's easily worked up and, of course, special, but you would never hear her talk the way Alex or Katy do. I kind of liked that about her while I missed the snark at the same time. Weird.

My version of this book is an ARC, so it needs editing. Even continuity editing I think. I was confused on what day of the week it was. While that doesn't sound important, I do try to keep a timeline while reading, and it started out on one day, but three days later it was a day that wouldn't have been three days later. I don't know. Strange. Some grammar editing is needed as well, but this is normal with an ARC. I'd like to check out a finished copy to see how it all ended up.

I've been having trouble finishing books lately, so for me to read this book in one day was a big deal. Obviously it's entertaining and interesting enough to break a bit of a slump for me. But like I said above, I guess maybe I hold JLA to different standards, and this one wasn't as good as Obsidian or Half-Blood to me. I'm interested in seeing if she continues this one. While it wraps up pretty nicely, there's definitely an opening if she so chooses. I guess we'll see!

Bottom line: JLA has better books out there, but this one is good.

Rating:

3.5 / 5 book sharks