Gifted (A Donovan Circus Novel) Book Review

 Gifted

Donovan Circus Series

Book #1

Liz Long

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Fantasy

Release Date: January 18, 2014

ISBN: 978-1475195620

ASIN: B007VT34J2

Pages: 299

Goodreads Rating: 3.84

My Rating: 5.0

Book Description:

Even in a world of freaks, being a Firestarter is considered a dangerous Gift.

Lucy was born with the ability to create and control fire. She longs to leave the human world for one filled with Earthshakers, Transporters, and Chameleons, to name a few. When she rejoins the circus, it’s everything she hoped it could be—new friends, a potential love interest or two, and a place where she can be herself.

When troupe members begin turning up dead, however, Lucy is suspected of foul play. She must not only prove her innocence but also realize the full extent of her power. To find the real murderer, she must uncover the truth behind her father’s fiery legacy while figuring out whom to trust within her new circle. Little does she know the history of the Donovan Circus and its enemies might actually destroy the entire gifted world.

 My Take on the Book:

Squee! That was ah-maze-ing! I loved every second of it. From page 1 I was enthralled. This was a completely different kind of book for me. I loved the characters, the story itself and the setting. It was filled with mystery, intrigue, some bad ass action and romance. Plus there is a healthy dose of empowered kick butt girls!

The Great (Pros):

• Girl Power. With the risk of exposing my 90s girl obsession with the Spice Girls, I’m throwing up a peace sign and singing this books praises. The women in this book are massively kick ass, whether they have active or passive ‘powers’. I’m a big fan of the girls in this book and Denata & her temper tantrum had me lolling.

• Keegan. Swoon. He’s such a sweetie and super supportive. And while I like Gabriel I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that I’m #TeamKeegan. I just wish there was more of him in the book.

• Gabriel. I liked his character a lot. He is definitely the type of male that pushes a girls buttons and frustrates them. I liked his banter with Lucy, he’s your typical bad boy with a heart of gold but for once, I’d like the good nice guy to get the girl.

• The Circus. Come on! It’s a book, called Gifted, with characters that have powers, set in a CIRCUS/CARNIVAL. While I’ve never been to the circus and my idea of a carnival is closer to The Fair that’s held here yearly… I know, I haven’t lived lol. I hear this from friends and family regularly. But anyway, I loved the setting and it kept me thinking about Ghoulies 2 & Cirque du Freak. It was an interesting concept with a super cool setting!

• Finely. There isn’t much to say about Finely except that he’s hilarious, awesome, dorky and an awesome friend.

The Not So Great (Cons):

• Predictability. No surprise here. You all know this is my biggest pet peeve, so I obviously didn’t like knowing what would happen throughout the story. It happened a couple of times especially where Gabriel was involved. So that unfortunately took away from the wow factor.

• Love Triangle. I’ve said it once and I will say it a bunch more I’m sure, but I’m not a big fan of love triangles. It’s especially irksome when both ‘contenders’ don’t get equal time with the main character making it pretty obvious who’s gonna win their affections. Then I start rooting for the underdog good guy who deserves more and deserves some happiness and then I ultimately start to resent the lead character for being such a pain in the ass. And then lastly my frustration blinds me from the epicness of a book leaving me resentful that the typical ‘bad boy’ loner who I would love had he been the only love interest wins the heroine’s heart. My only hope is that if there is a dreaded love triangle, then the lead actually picks the guy/girl of their choice and its not some cop out where they die or some other nonsense that make me wanna fling my kindle/book. What? I take my book romances seriously. Sheesh. 

• Yo-Yo Emotions. Tying in with the whole love triangle theme is the inevitable back and forth emotions that get so tiring I kinda wanna skim through those inner dialogues… but I never do, because I hold out hope for something to surprise me. It makes the lead seem so wishy washy and unlikeable at times for BOTH camps.

5 Quills

It’s an amazing book, with the chops to create an amazing series… One that I am very much looking forward to reading. You guys can expect a conjoined review of the next 2 books when I get finished with all my previously scheduled reviews. I am a bit nervous at the outcome of the remaining book, but don’t worry loves, I promise to keep you in the loop regardless :)

About The Author

Liz Long is a ridiculously proud graduate of Longwood University with a BA in English. Her inspiration comes from action and thriller genres and she spends entirely too much time watching superhero movies. Her fabulous day job as a social media editor includes writing for a publishing company in Roanoke, VA.

Her first book, Gifted, is the first book in the Donovan Circus series, where superpowers meets the circus. Burned is the second adventure. Her standalone book Witch Hearts, is a story about a serial killer hunting witches for their powers. Her newest book A Reaper Made is an NA Paranormal tale of a Reaper using magic to save her family from demons. All titles are available at Amazon on Kindle and paperback, Barnes & Noble for Nook, and iBooks.

To learn more about Liz or her books, visit her website at www.lizclong.com

 
  Thanks for stopping by,

Review Opportunity Offered By:

 “I received a free copy of the book from the author/publisher for my honest opinion. I was in no way compensated for this review and all opinions are expressly my own”