Name: Dragonfly
ISBN: 9781484904787

Leigh Talbert Moore

"Things are not always how they appear"-- Page 4 of cover.

Dragonfly

Helena Cristina Nogueira Pereira

I requested and received an ARC for the second book in this series, Undertow, without realizing it was a sequel. So, of course, I one-clicked this book so I'd be able to better understand and review the second book. 

I have incredibly conflicting feelings about this book. I really wanted to like it. Summer love with a hint of mystery? Sign me up. But, I had a hard time getting into this one. The mystery wasn't as mysterious as I was led to believe, the love triangle kind of annoyed me and I just found myself having a really difficult time connecting to any of the characters. 


  "Julian drifted into my mind. He was different, and I was different with him - not desperate. Calm and smart. But my insides didn't work that way. They were torn and obsessed, and I still wanted Jack. He was a bad drug that left me craving more even when it hurt me." 


Anna was the kind of main female character that makes me want to throw things. She was wishy-washy and weak. She was more than willing to shove aside her hot, sweet friend (Julian) in favor of the mysterious, sexy, rich guy (Jack)... except in those moments when she was jealous of her friend and his other girls. But then he would make a play for her and she'd shove him aside. It got rather tiresome. The heart wants what the heart wants, but it wasn't the heart that was in question here. It was parts a little lower than that. 

"My legs trembled, and I just wanted him. All of him. I didn't care if it was a huge mistake. I didn't care if it made me weak and pathetic. I hated myself, but my need to have him was stronger than my need to hurt him."

Jack bothered me. I never once got the feeling that he actually cared for Anna. I can get behind the "I want her/him, but I know I can't have her/him, but I still want to sample the goods from time to time" mentality. That's not what I got from him at all. I think he liked the power he knew he had over her, but that there were no true feelings, aside from simple lust, driving his actions. Of course, Anna let him continue to get away with it, so can you fully blame him? More than "let him," she pretty much begged him to take things further, even though he flat-out told her they would never be more than what they were. It was all very frustrating to me. 

Julian was absolutely swoon-worthy. He was the kind of guy that made you want to grab the heroine, shake her a few times and try to make her realize what an idiot she was being. Julian was sweet, hot, artistic. He had a really sexy side, too. He actually cared about Anna. He was patient with her. More patient than I was as she continued to throw herself at the guy who clearly didn't give a damn about her. 

The other characters just kind of blended into the background for me. Truthfully, I felt virtually nothing for them. I actually found myself far more interested in what occurred in the past than what was happening in the present. I wanted to know more about the history of Julian's mom and Jack's dad. It looks like I'll get that in the next book. I hope I get a lot more, period, in Undertow.

But, all that said, this book was a good, quick read. I will definitely be checking out the remaining books in the series as they come out. While I didn't feel like I completely connected with the characters, I connected enough to want to know how it all turns out.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

My first Leigh T. Moore book, The Truth About Letting Go, had me convinced this was an author I was going to enjoy. From her wonderfully-relatable teenage characters to her drama-filled story line, her books are ones I really enjoy.

Dragonfly was a little different than TTALG. It had a bit more of the teenage drama we all love to hate (or just love, as the case may be) and also surprised me with an added mystery that appeared as the story progressed. It really took the story in a different direction, setting the tone for book two, Undertow, quite nicely.

As usual with Moore's books, Anna was a true teenager. Full of bad decisions and doubt beyond belief, she was an extremely realistic teenage girl. Aside from my occasional desire to smack her through my Kindle, I really could relate to her and her decisions, the anxiety she was feeling in life, and the struggle she had with her feelings for these two boys. Yes, two boys... I must mention there is a bit of a love triangle going on here. But before you gasp and put this book aside, I have to say it really wasn't too bad. I am actually a hater of love triangles, and this one didn't irk me as much as others. I felt Anna's struggle was sincere, and though there was a tad bit of insta-love as well, it just seemed to work.

I do have to say I'm totally disappointed with the cover change. Though cover changes in general kind of irk me, this one I just don't care for one bit. I was a huge fan of the original cover, which matched perfectly the rest of the series. These new covers just aren't for me. Seriously, how much better is the old cover:

 

So much better, right?  I'm so sad about this...

Okay, I'll move on.

This was a perfect beach read. An extremely quick read with just enough drama, romance and a dash of mystery to keep you wanting more. And trust me, this ending leaves you hanging a bit, so be ready to get your hands on a copy of Undertow asap.

(Thanks to Netgalley and Leigh T. Moore for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

The audiobook of Dragonfly is a quick, fun listen. I really enjoyed Christy Romano’s narration – she did a great job with portraying the teenage main character’s voice. While I didn’t love the story, I still appreciated the way the author was able to make her high school characters realistic and relatable. I’d definitely recommend this audiobook if you’re a fan of romance with realistic teenage characters and high school angst/drama.

Anna Sanders is that very typical high school senior girl who, in between dealing with school and college, has one mess of a romantic life. She has a fling with the hot and rich Jack Kyser, whose father practically owns the town they live in, and her feelings for Jack eventually grow into something deeper. But when Jack withdraws from her, her best guy friend Julian is always there for her. It’s obvious that both boys care deeply for Anna, and vice versa, but I felt like only one of them was really meant to be with her.

As many times as Anna annoyed me with her wishy-washy attitude, I really enjoyed the way she took the time to think over her feelings for both boys before making any rash decisions. I’m not a fan of love triangles but the author handled it better than I expected in this book.

There’s also a mystery involving Jack’s father and Julian’s mother, and Anna slowly unravels that secondary story throughout the novel. This mystery definitely made listening to Dragonfly much more interesting, especially when I sometimes grew tired of the romance.

The best part of listening to Dragonfly is definitely the narration. Christy Romano is fantastic! I love her voice. Dragonfly is a good start to Leigh T. Moore’s series, and while I didn’t quite love it, I’m still curious enough after finishing this to continue with the series. Anna and Julian were by far the most interesting characters, and I’m looking forward to more of them in the rest of the series!

Audible: http://amzn.to/1knLeBq
Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1OjZTup
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1OjZVT7

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