Thursday, April 5, 2012

PREDESTINED

Predestined (Existence Trilogy, #2)You would think after helping save her boyfriend from an eternity in Hell that things would go back to normal. Well, as normal as life can be when you can see souls and your boyfriend is Death. But for Pagan Moore, things are just getting weirder.

The high school quarterback and reigning heartthrob, Leif Montgomery, is missing. While the town is in a frenzy of worry, Pagan is a nervous wreck for other reasons. Apparently good ‘ol Leif isn’t your average teenage boy. He isn’t even human. According to Death, Leif doesn’t have a soul. The quarterback may have skipped town but he’s still showing up in Pagan’s dreams... uninvited.

Dank has known from the beginning Leif wasn’t human. But he hadn’t worried about a simple soulless creature. Now, he realizes he made a grave mistake. Pagan’s soul has been marked since birth as a restitution, to a spirit so dark not even Death walks near it. Dank knows saving Pagan’s soul won’t be easy but Pagan is his. And he’s already proven he’ll defy Heaven to keep her. If Hell wants a piece of him too, then bring it on.  ~ From GoodReads

WARNING: I will NOT have spoilers for PREDESTINED, but if you haven't read EXISTENCE, you might want to avoid reading this review.


Pagan Moore cheated, and fell in love, with Dank, also known as Death. They've fought Hell to be together. Pagan and Dank...they deserve a bit of a break. A chance to be a real couple. But things don't always work out like you hope, especially when a soulless ex-boyfriend with an obsession shows back up, literally invading your dreams and willing to do whatever it takes to make you his. For all eternity.
I really liked EXISTENCE. A lot. I've loved every single book by Abbi Glines. But most, or all, of you already know that. And although I thoroughly enjoyed that book, I never fully connected with the characters. I liked them, but I didn't really feel them. But in PREDESTINED? Oh. Wow. I was blown away. Something felt different to me about this one. The characters spoke to me in a way they hadn't before and implanted themselves in my heart and mind. I think it's partially because Glines had already established most of their world, and I was past the "getting to know you" phase. I was able to focus wholly on their thoughts and actions.

All of the characters felt more fleshed out to me. Pagan was stronger, sassier, more sure of herself. She is loving, but not a pushover. She fights for those she loves and is willing to go to the ends of the Earth to protect them. She makes tough, but smart decisions. She doesn't sit around wringing her hands, hoping for things to sort out. Pagan went from a girl to a woman in PREDESTINED. [Sidenote: Does that last line sound as cheesy to you as it does in my head?]

I can't talk about kick-butt female characters without including Gee. Even though she doesn't play a huge role in the series, Gee is very important. I wanted to like her in EXISTENCE, but never felt sure of her intentions. Her no-nonsense, hilarious lines make her easily my favorite character in the book. (see my favorite quote) Gee is the comic relief in this otherwise incredibly intense story.

The two characters who made the largest transition for me, though, were Dank and Leif. I'll start with Leif. I loved him in EXISTENCE. He seemed like this great, All-American guy any girl would be lucky to have. I was kind of pulling for him to win Pagan's heart and was floored by the revelation that he was soulless. Say what?!? But in PREDESTINED? I won't spoil it, but I will say he was creepy, super creepy, but still kind of charming and sad. I know that's contradictory, but it's true.

Now for Dank. I think I'm the only lady in the world who wasn't hot for Dank. Yes, he was sexy as hell and an awesome singer. But I didn't feel as if I knew him. So when I started reading PREDESTINED I was worried that I would still feel apathetic towards him. And how hard is it to pull for the "it couple" when you don't even like the guy? Glines sold me on Dank in Chapter Two. I was floored, sobbing in my bed at 1am. To be inside his head as he does his job, knowing that he treats it and those he removes with dignity and care...well, my heart grew three sizes at that moment and made room for Dank. I am now happy to say that I know Dank now and I dig him as much as everyone else. What a relief!

I can honestly say I loved every little bit of PREDESTINED. Every thing about it exuded intensity. The ante is bigger. No one is safe, and I mean no one. The story is filled with moments of utter heartbreak and pure joy. No character, no scene felt extraneous. So many questions are answered. A  surprising face from the past shows up in Pagan's life. I have some big theories about that. PREDESTINED ended on an excellent note and was set up with just the right amount of suspense for book three in the series, CEASELESS.


Favorite Quote ~

(This is Gee laying the smack down on Dank. She cracks me up.)

" 'Whatever, listen, why is it that you can't just go say 'Yo, stop haunting my girl you stupid ass piece of shit' and then be done with it? I realize you're hanging with the humans these days but Dank, you're Death. What's with all this angst?' "
 
Published April 3rd 2012                                 

You can purchase PREDESTINED at:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Smashwords


Source: Received from author for review.







7 comments:

  1. Your not the only one that felt nothing for Dank. Yeah he was hot and played guitar I guess but I also just didn't feel like I got to know him. Glad that you connected with him more in this one. I'm very intrigued by Leif. I really loved him in the first one. He was so sweet and the bf we all dream of but he's creepy in this one? I'm interested in his story. Why he is soulless and what not. For being soulless he sure was sweet, unless he had ulterior motives...

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  2. I really need to read Existence!! I haven't been taking on too many books lately because I need some time for "me" books. There are a bunch I want to get to. Existence and Predestined are now towards the top of my list. Fantastic review!!

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  3. Awesome review! I did like Dank in the first one, but definitely liked seeing his role as Death more in this book. Definitely did define his character much more. I fell for Leif a little in this one. Agreed, he's creepy, but kinda hot. I love the way the story ended and can't wait to see how Abbi roles out the finale. :)

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  4. I kinda felt the same with Dank in Existence.. I didn't reall know him, just that he was named after a moldy basement. Ha!

    you have me very intrigued about lief. And Gee, I thought she was funny, but it appears she even funnier in this one.. love that quote.. too funny.

    I'm going to probably buy this tonight or tomorrow. I shouldn't.. because I know when i do, I will drop everything and just read this.. I have some other stuff I should read first. Oh, but her books are so addicting. lol.

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  5. Aw, I love that you loved this book so much! Your enthusiasm for it comes through in a big way. I have to admit, I read one of this author's previous novels and was just so-so on it, but I think I will probably try another one at some point, especially after seeing your reaction to this one! Happy weekend, Andrea. :)

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

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  6. I sort of skimmed your review since I haven't read either book yet. I hadn't heard of this series before but it sounds really good. Sometimes it takes a book to set things up before the good stuff kicks in. Much better than bk 2 being filler for a series.

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  7. I haven't start reading this series so I didn't read your review ... thanks for the warning :)

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