Clouded By Envy

See my full review of this book on my blog along with others at: foalsfictionandfiligree.com. I received an ARC of this book from the author, Candace Robinson, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much! Content Warning: Death, Murder, Explicit Sex Scenes ”But the cravings will darken your soul--your heart--more than the envy already has. It will all be insatiable--do you accept this?” BLURB: A green feeling. A bargain. A massive price to pay. Dracula meets The Picture of Dorian Grey in this creative and insatiable tale of two otherworldly creatures that find themselves in a world of humans and pavement. I’ll say this right away, I don’t typically read New Adult books. I’ve read a few, here and there, but tend to not care so much for their content because they focus a lot on relational...aspects...between characters. Clouded By Envy also includes this aspect. However, I prepared myself going into this read that it would be there. While reading, I simply passed over those parts. They just aren’t my thing. I was elated that this aspect ended up being far from the main focus! Clouded By Envy took me totally by surprise. This book was so inventive. I’ve read several books by this author now, and I must say, I’m amazed each time at how versatile her writing is! Not only does she create new fantasy beings and creatures, she paints a new world, AND brings forth characters with so much of depth! The story focuses around two peculiar characters. Siblings, Bray and Brenik are creatures known as bats. But they are not like the bats that come to mind--they are fae. Originating from a world known as Laith, the siblings narrowly escape a harrowing existence in their world, and are transported by the Stone of Desire to Earth. The stone grants their wish to pass, along with Bray to have the ability to shift into human form, unlike her brother, who is stuck in his bat-form. After living in secrecy for years, Brenik becomes tired of being “second” to his sister. A deep jealousy that has existed since their youth drives Brenik to seek the Stone of Desire again, so that he may for the ability to also change into a human. ”Brenik, there is a darkness and jealousy in you which has to stop now. I know you love your sister, but the envy needs to cease, or it will destroy everything that is a part of you.” When Brenik persuades the stone to grant his wish, the stone does, but it calls for a sacrifice. Brenik will forevermore lust after human blood in order to remain in his eternally youthful human form. And lust, he does. The overall theme of envy and jealousy makes this book such a powerful read! Jealousy snowballs into envy which snowballs into lust which only ends up badly. It shows how envy and coveting only lead to destruction of oneself and to those around. I could babble about this book all day and still have things to talk about! If you look for books with loads of meaning, here’s one for you! Vulgarity: Some. Sexual content: Quite a bit, including explicit scenes. (This is the only reason why this book wasn't a full five stars for me.) Violence: Moderate. My Rating ★★★★ My Blog ¦ Bookstagram ¦ Twitter ¦ Pinterest ¦ Facebook

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own. Book: Clouded by Envy Author: Candace Robinson Book Series: Laith Book 1 Rating: 2/5 Publication Date: February 19, 2019 Genre: YA Fantasy Recommended Age: 16+ (language, sexual content, violence) Publisher: Parliament House Pages: 234 Amazon Link Synopsis: Brenik has always been envious of his twin sister, Bray. Growing up as fairy-like creatures, known as bats, everything came easier to Bray. While Brenik spent his time in her shadows, never feeling he was enough. After escaping their world of Laith, and living on Earth for ten years, Brenik attempts to strike a deal with the Stone of Desire to become human. Though true humanity is not an option, he will accept the curse that will alter him to get as close as he can. Living in a tree trunk for the past year hasn’t been easy for Bray, more so after her brother disappears again. When a human boy and his brother, Wes, find her, a new friendship is struck. Through Wes, Bray learns there can be more to life than waiting within a tree. But worrying over where Brenik has vanished to always remains in the back of her mind. When Bray reunites with Brenik, she realizes she must help him break the curse after she discovers the need for blood is beginning to overpower him. The curse not only damages those who get close to Brenik, but it could also destroy whatever is blooming between Bray and Wes. Review: Ok this book was pretty good for the most part. The characters were well developed and the book was intriguing enough to keep my interest. I thought it was ok but very weird. However, there were some very confusing things about this novel. It read like a middle grade, but there was cussing and sexual content. The romance was weird and didn’t fit into the book. The book wasn’t cohesively written and the lack of world building made this hard to follow. Verdict: It was ok.