A girl from the Pacific Northwest (not Bella) meets an immortal boy (not Edward) when she moves to a new place (not Forks) into a house with a relative she hasn't spent much time with (not Charlie). There's a woman (not Victoria) out to get the girl, who drowns herself in sweatshirts.
MERITS
- Locale. It's exciting to read about my hood. Laguna Beach. Disneyland. (No mention of Stanton or Garden Grove. Maybe in a sequel?) Setting the story in the OC allows for insight into some of the unique and horrifying aspects of Southern California living--something that could play up the abstract reality of a parapseudo. The area has some of the most expensive real estate in the country parked right next to ghettos with some of the oldest gangs in California. Unfortunately, the author doesn't work too much with the potential; still, I liked visualizing something more paranormal than the freakish OC giant boob jobs and orange-skinned cheekbones that I see every day.
- Interesting back story. I can't really go into it without ruining the story, so I'll only say that it's somewhat like Angel and Buffy. If Angel and Buffy have sex, Angel turns evil again. Remember? It's sort of like that...in a way. I like the concept, but there's really no reason to wait until so late in the story to tell us. Fake suspense is bad suspense.
- Easy to read. Writing's not horrible, pace moves along, enough tension to make things interesting.
- Almost sex. There's a scene of sexual tension in a little Laguna Beach cove/cave that can safely titillate girls of all ages. Of course there is a giant reason why they can never have sex without their universe imploding (Angle/Buffy thing), so don't expect too much if you're looking for something pseudo-dirty.
- Weak females...once again. Nothing new here, so nothing new to say.
- Weird mistakes. They make me wonder about the author's credibility. Example: Sid Vicious was NOT the lead singer of the Sex Pistols as the author has written.
- Names. A girl named Ever? WTF? The dark love interest named Damen? That's like calling him Mr. Heart. I'm not saying that every story has to have a Mary or Beth or Lisa. But let's keep in mind how ridiculous it is when celebrities name their children stuff like Apple or Pilot Inspektor. One of the reasons I haven't enjoyed reading fantasy in the past is I get annoyed with the arbitrary Ys and apostrophes. Who the hell can say Byll'forn or Fha'urel-yspe in their minds for 300+ pages? Not me. A character BEING intriguing is much better than a character being NAMED uniquely.
- The ghostly sister. What is her role? Why does Ever depend on her so much? Why doesn't she cause more trouble, add to the tension? She could've added dimension to Ever's struggle with her past. Instead, she just takes on the role of being the annoying little sister--only see-through.
- Ever thinking she's to blame for her family's death. I understand that dealing with grief can really wreck a person's rationality, and I acknowledge that we all try to find answers to the questions left behind when a loved one dies. But since the author doesn't clue us in on any of the possible confusion of the deaths until almost the end, we can't really share in Ever's grief, which makes her more static than I'd like.
- Damen. Another guy who acts like a jerk because he's trying to protect the girl. Another guy who makes the girl feel like shit because he has to preserve their love. Another guy who can't help putting the girl in danger by hanging around and then rescuing her from his own selfishness.
When will I find the perfect parapseudo? Is it out there? Or will I have to write it myself?
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