Sweet Evil

4.5/5 it was really good loved the book plot was really different well thought out I loved the diverse cast of people I couldn't give it a full 5 bc there was comparison of a black man to coffee so yeah but loved it nonetheless.

Loved the concept and world building! Can't wait to start the next!!!

4.5. It was really good I read it in a day. Really keeps you wanting more.

Really enjoyed this book. Absolutely love Kaidan. His personality and characterization is great. Can't wait to start the next one in the series.

I really enjoy all the background information on Nephilim and the auras.

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins is a paranormal young adult book about angels, demons, and humans mixed into one world.

The main character, Anna Whitt, is a good girl that doesn't get into any trouble. She knows she is different from humans though because she can remember her birth. She has the possibility to see auras of how the people around her are feeling, her sight is extreme, and she can see guardian angels. She doesn't know until later in the book that she is half demon and half angel. Her mother was an angel of light and her father is a Duke demon.

The main male lead, Kaiden Rowe, is a sexy half demon that has the control of lust on the other girls around him. His job is to get as many girls in bed as he can because that is what he is supposed to do. His father is a Duke demon also. Kaiden is also a drummer for a band and this is how Anna and Kaiden meet.

[ WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ]

So this book was a good read and I really enjoyed both of the main characters. This is a re-read review because I decided to marathon all three books but that doesn't mean I really remembered what happened when I read it first in 2012.

The relationship between Kai and Anna is very complicated. Anna is worried about Kai's line of work in the first book mainly because she is still so innocent. She doesn't understand the world that Kai lives in and how demons cannot say no to their fathers. They must work to be able to live some sort of life with their dad off their back.
Throughout the book, I was really interested in Kai and how he worked. Wondered what he would do for Anna once he started showing feelings for her. This book was a normal way to show a want but can't have theme throughout the entire book. It seems like that may be the case throughout the whole series until something changes. Wendy Higgins has an interesting way to take that though because they don't try to be together against everyone else. That can mess things up in other books and upsets the readers. Even though this is also tedious because you want them to be together, there isn't any problems except how they feel.

I think the next two books will be a good journey to take with Kai and Anna. I cannot wait to read more about them in the final two books. I would recommend this series to anyone that enjoys a paranormal read with a love aspect mixed in with some drama.

He was smoking hot. As in H-O-T-T, hott. I'd never understood until that moment why girls insisted on adding an extra t. This guy was extra-t-worthy.Kai, like Thai, only yummier.Good gracious, he was sexy—a word that had not existed in my personal vocabulary until that moment. This guy was sexy like it was his job or something.

h-o-t-t

(Review originally posted here at The Book Barbies.)

Sweet Evil was a super-quick, super-addicting read. I sped through it in a flash. It had an interesting premise. The two main characters had some great chemistry. Higgins had an interesting habit of combining two words into one such as “bloodred” of “superfast,” which I actually wound up liking, because it made Anna's voice more authentic. I could totally hear her thinking like that. However, Higgins was entirely too fond of pronouns; there were two scenes (one of which was possibly on purpose) where I had no idea who it was who was actually speaking the lines. It really took me out of the story. Other than that, though, I liked it.

I liked the second half better than the first half but overall it was a well-written book. However, with the length that it was I would have much preferred it to be a stand-alone–which I don't think it is considering the cliffhangers at the end. And speaking of the ending, it killed me. I did not like it in the least. I do think that it was a great read but I'm tired of series. Plus, considering how thick the book was, it would have been an awesome book by itself (with a better ending, of course). The plot building was indeed very detailed and thorough, it wasn't difficult to comprehend, and included a variety of characters whom I have of course fallen in love with.

For those who have read it already, Kope is my favorite. (I mean, seriously, how could he not be?) And I do believe that Kaidan is a bit of a coward.

Grade: B

really good

Sweet Evil is a truly twitter-patted roller coaster of a ride, not just with the way Anna feels, but the emotions she sees in humans around her everyday. The journey alone for her in for the thirst to have questions answered is intoxicating.

The level of disturbing graphic detail is maddening to the scene of the characters at their age was like witnessing those movie moments (i.e. - Saw). All you needed was jigsaw and it would have been a gruesome situation by the end of the story.

I commend Anna with her vibrant integrity to say “no” at certain points. Not many teens can get up that kind of courage, but I found such a reflection of myself at her age, that it made me root for her even more. She is also truly confused at best, but as she grows up, I feel she'll know more in what she needs to keep fighting the insanity of the dark side in her bloodline.

Kaidan at best, is her weakness and ultimately is her strength; a double edge sword. He is a contradiction as well. He plays on Anna's desires, tries to lure her in, yet at the same time tries to push her away. He does however warn her from the start, but that doesn't last long by the time they get towards the end of the novel. I've got high hopes for him the sequel and intrigued by how things will play out between him and the choices he makes in regards to the second to last chapter of the book.

Patti was as typical, if not a little overbearing, of a mother. I do like that they kept a few of the southern hospitality traditions, like offering a beverage/sweet tea to guests. She also was really relaxed about Anna's father coming in and teaching her the ways of his life: drugs, alcohol, and excessive use.

The culture is important to add to the story, it's a character within itself. So major points to Higgins for not missing that part.

I've enjoyed the chaos that comes from Anna meeting her father, Belial, and knowing the other Nep. children, and the training she endures to prove herself. Seeing her with Kopano was thrilling and a good change to the story. Knowing he was different than the other Nep's was nice. Let alone when she meets the others in New York. Now that was quit a scene being played out! The cruel jokes and forcing choices on the Nep's like it was everyday stuff, just seemed inhuman to none other than humans, but to them, was part of their lifestyle. It was most certainly one of those worlds I would never ever want to be apart of for those reasons and more. But it was fun to venture into for reading fun.

I love the scene when they are in New Mexico and exploring the little rest stop area. You got to see another side to Kaidan with Anna.

One fact about the book I loved is that Higgins was found on the site Figment (originally was from Inkpop, but they closed down and moved everything to Figment.) If you wish to see more about her Figment page, head on over here to see it! Anyway, on a side note this should encourage other reader/bloggers out there to maybe start writing and publishing their work over at the website. Maybe someday they can get the chance just like Wendy Higgins and Katie McGarry.

Anyway, back to the book.... I'm also dying to know how the story continues with Anna and Kaidan. It left it with such an interesting, yet simple way, that you can't help but crave more. Overall, I've really enjoyed it! Not many straight up paranormal romance books hook me, but Sweet Evil most certainly was worth every page.

Looking for a book that has a different take of the popular angel vs. demons angle? Well, look no further, because Sweet Evil is one of those books that manages to set some sort of distinction from the crowd. From the sweet deal the author, Ms. Wendy Higgins, scored from an editor in HC finding her work on Inkpop, a former writing website for teens that recently shut down and the way that another book, [b:The Carrier of the Mark 10335701 Carrier of the Mark (Carrier Trilogy, #1) Leigh Fallon http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1307640737s/10335701.jpg 15238300] got published, you'd think that this is a really epic novel.And it is. Well, almost. There are a few nitpicks, but we'll get to that later on, shall we?Sweet Anna Whitt, a girl from the South, has a pretty decent life, like all YA novels these days. Well, she's almost normal, save the fact that she can see other people's auras. But that's okay, since she can handle that element of her life. Unfortunately, she says goodbye to any sense of normality left the day she turns sixteen, where she meets a British hottie called Kaidan Rowe with a dark past and who's more than just a bad boy your mother warned you about (and yes, that part's from the trailer). When she is told that she is not who she thought she was—BAM, just like that, everything changes.I wasn't so sure what I was expecting when I picked up this book. Before Inkpop shut down, I was one of its members, and I felt like rooting for the author. I wasn't given the opportunity though to read it before it got published, since I was a fairly new member. But, there were other factors that kept me throwing a supportive fist pump in the air. One example was . . . as much as I hate to say it, [b:Carrier of the Mark 10335701 Carrier of the Mark (Carrier Trilogy, #1) Leigh Fallon http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1307640737s/10335701.jpg 15238300]. I literally read the first few pages for that one, and then abandoned it, due to it looking like a Twilight knockoff. The synopsis also looked fairly unoriginal. I mean, come on? Haven't we all seen that stereotypical girl meets boy story, boy is a sadistic playboy, they kiss and make out despite their love is forbidden, add a dash of paranormal trouble to make the story to have some substance—and tada! The perfect recipe for a generic paranormal story. I just have to thank my lucky stars that Sweet Evil isn't like those stories.First off, while I'm pretty sure that I'll have trouble stumbling upon a person like Anna, she was a pretty good heroine. I wasn't expecting to like her that much when I first started reading, and gradually, until the story was over, I realized that she wasn't so bad. She managed to stand up for herself when needed, but she wasn't any feminist gone overboard kind of character. I can't say I could genuinely get into her head, but either way, Anna was realistic, slightly flawed, yet had the qualities for a decent person that the fans would like. My other issue with her is that she's a bit of a Mary Sue at times. It's not that obvious until you look deep down, but I'll present one situation: when Anna first meets other Nephilm, all seem to like her, except of course, this person who's portrayed as a mean girl. It's almost as if she was made to be there, so that there could be someone to dislike her. And how come her dad is the only one who can hide the fact that she isn't doing her job? If that was so easy, and Anna being less skilled than the other Nephilm, couldn't someone like Kopano's father do the same thing to his son whom he loves so much?The supporting characters were also likeable, if you ignored the fact that they were a bit stereotypical at times—like Anna's guardian, Patti, who was the normal parent figure who loves Anna very much (normal, but not seen in books these days due to the Disappearing Parents Syndrome), and Ginger, a brash, if not slightly rude character. Kopano was also another interesting addition. I wasn't so sure if I liked him though, or whether I preferred the other romantic interest over him. The otherSpeaking of romance, I think I'll cover it up now. Kaidan is the typical boy most female readers would swoon for. Heck, I fancied him a bit because he was British. Yes, he's a drummer, hot, has a dark past, a even darker father, AND he's British! How could you not like anyone like him?I couldn't find a better one to represent Kaidan's demeanour, so here's a somewhat similar guy. :PThat is to say though, he isn't that type that's kills everyone in the room when somewhat stares at Anna. Well, he is sometimes, but it's not in that caveman style that any second you're expecting him to say something like, “This is my prey. Do not touch her, or I will bash you with this club.” The romance is enough to satisfy most people—there are a couple of steamy scenes, and the attraction between the two of them seems believable. His feelings for Anna switch between hot and cold, which I actually felt okay with for once. He had real reasons for doing them, and it wasn't something forced. Some of his actions didn't make sense though Such as him willingly disobeying his father all of a sudden to go on a road trip with a girl he just met. If he's used to the life of deceit, it's a bit unrealistic for him to do such a thing. Come on, why should there be a cold male lead, and every time when a different chick appears, they have to change their mindset so suddenly?Girl, please!While romance is a main factor in the plot, that doesn't go and say that it had absolutely no other substance at all. Like what I said above, the way the demon lore was presented was interesting, but it never go too info dump-y. Unfortunately, almost nothing really happens. I was expecting something super exciting to happen, and when the climax came, I wasn't jumping out of my seat—but at least it wasn't that bad. It's definitely set up in the style most paranormal series are going these days, the first book enough to pique the reader's interest, and only the exciting things happen in the last two books. I wished there would've been something more though. The writing style was easy to get into though, and although like what I said earlier, I couldn't settle into Anna's narration that much, it flowed pretty quickly.I'm actually torn with rating this though. My overall score would be 3.5 stars, but I'm not so sure whether to settle for three or four. While I don't think that it wowed me that much to give it four stars, three stars seems a bit too low for it. Currently, I'm switching through the stars stars, so whatever is presented will be my score. In a NutshellWhile entertaining and exciting for a fan of paranormal romances and demon lore, others tired of reading a same old storyline over and over again may get a bit weary of this. Since this presents a whole new perspective on the stereotypical of the heaven and hell concept though, I think I'll give it 3.5 stars.