Evading the Dark Review

Title: Evading the Dark
Author: E.M. Rinaldi
Series: The Cross Chronicles #1
Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing
Publication Date: 24 April 2018
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
Format: eBook
Pages: 182
Rating: 3 Stars
Reading Timeline: 29 July 2018

Goodreads Synopsis:

High school sucks. It doesn’t matter who you ask; jock, cheerleader, computer nerd, or band geek, they will all say the same thing: It’s a nightmare. But Casey is still wondering how she got the short end of the stick. Just a Sophomore at the prestigious Luthos Academy for Magical Beings, Casey already knows more about heartache and fear than any almost-sixteen-year-old should. Orphaned and left to be raised by the Academy, she spends her days training to become a Guardian, but that dream is looking dimmer with every day that passes.Unlike the wand-waving heroines in all her favorite books, Witches in her world don’t cast spells, they are born wielding the power of nature: water, fire, earth, or air; powers Casey never developed. She’ll be lucky if they even allow her to take her final exams. 

She is top of her training class, but that doesn’t keep her from being looked down upon by every other being at her school. All Casey wants is to be given a chance, instead she finds the only life she’s ever known targeted by an unfathomable evil. Thrust into the center of an age-old prophecy, a war is coming with Casey at the reins. 

Will relying on her hard earned training be enough for her to make it out alive?

Book Review:

Pre-Reading Thoughts:

I kind of forgot that I requested this, i know, i am terrible. But I am intrigued by this book. I don't know what it is about because I don't remember but I love the cover so I am ready for it.

Writing Thoughts:

The writing was odd in this book. I found myself getting into a rhythm and then just falling out of it. It wasn't particularly detailed nor did it really attract me. The dialogue, however, was quite natural and flowed really well into the story.

Plot Thoughts:

I have to say that I felt out of the loop in the beginning. We do learn more about the world as the story progresses but it kind of takes a while. However, I really liked how the book started. I think that it really pulls the reader into the story. The author uses our curiosity to her advantage. I felt like the plot slowed down after the beginning. We have another incident for me before things dull down quite a bit. I sort of lost interest quickly. I did enjoy the interesting twist in this story but beyond that, I didn't find that the book held my attention until the end.

Character Thoughts:

I liked Casey's character. She seems like someone that just about anyone can connect to. It really makes the story easier to digest. Cedric also caught my eye. However, the characters seemed a bit shallow. I was expecting a little more development to happen.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, the book wasn't bad. I enjoyed it for the most part but I also felt like I was going through the motions. The writing jarred me a bit bu the dialogue worked well in the book. I felt out of the loop in the beginning but we had a really good story start to the novel. The main character felt like anyone could connect to her but the characters felt a little underdeveloped. It's not a bad beginning to a series but personally, I won't be continuing with it. The story has potential and I am positive that it will get stronger with time. Thank you so much to Xpresso Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book.

Yours in Reading,

Melleny

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