≡ [PDF] Gratis Illuminate A Gilded Wings Novel Book One eBook Aimee Agresti

Illuminate A Gilded Wings Novel Book One eBook Aimee Agresti

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Illuminate A Gilded Wings Novel Book One eBook Aimee Agresti

**This is a 3.5 star book**

In many ways, this was simply a gorgeous book....from the cover, to the silky texture of the pages (on an ARC, no less!), to the lush and lyrical prose surrounding a relatively unique plot. Haven, the lead character, is easy to like and admire without seeming too perfect or overly competent. Haven's friends are equally compelling, especially Dante who simply leapt off the page and managed to steal almost every scene he was in. The mystery of Haven's internship and how it all unfolds definitely had me glued to the book from the moment I opened it. And the prerequisite baddies are quite deliciously bad. Haven herself grows exponentially during the story and, I think, is an excellent role model for younger readers.

But...

1) The pacing is slooooooow....and then, it's almost way too fast towards the end.
2) Possibly due to the slow pacing, the passage of time appeared off. Haven is at the Lexington for roughly four months spanning January to May. But up until the last 1/3 of the book, it seems like she's only been there for a few weeks...a month at most. Yet in the final 50 or so pages, two or three months fly on by in the blink of an eye. Also, it seemed odd to me that she didn't visit Joan at all (outside Joan's visits to the hotel, of course). I get that Haven is kind of trapped there...and any curiosity Joan has about the hotel is pretty much removed when she does the spa visit. BUT...it just felt off to me.
3) If you are looking for some major romantic chemistry...it's there, for the first few chapters, once Haven shows up at the hotel. And then, it virtually disappears only to pick back up again (but only moderately) at the end. I won't mention any names but I just wasn't feeling it for the guy Haven ultimately ended up with. I also didn't find one of the big revelations at the very end REMOTELY believable. It just seemed way too far fetched and kind of lame.
4) There's so much wonderful tension and build up in this story. I had really high expectations for how it was all going to go down. But when it did....it seemed to fall into a big cliche trap. Considering the magnitude of what was going on, some of the revelations (especially the ones at the end about Haven) were overly simplistic and kind of a let down. I mean, it's pretty easy to figure out what's going on with Haven once you're a quarter or so into the story....but I hoped it would be revealed to her in a way that was more weighty, more formal, more dramatic.

In all honesty, I loved about 3/4 of this book. And then it kind of fell apart for me. I'm not really sure if I'll read the next book or not....the way this one ended, I'm not really feeling the need to see what happens next. But the writing was so great in parts, I'm wondering if the author just needs a little more time to hit her stride in which case, the second book might do the trick.


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Illuminate A Gilded Wings Novel Book One eBook Aimee Agresti Reviews

I haven't been looking forward to this review. I knew it was going to be a hard one for me to write because I never felt I had a firm opinion on the book. I'm hoping that writing this out will help me get a better grasp on my thoughts.

First off, Haven. She's seems like a smart girl, but she completely bought into this scholarship thing. What person would honestly believe they won a scholarship they never applied for. They just don't work like that. I didn't buy it, and neither should she. Besides that, I really liked her. I thought her background was interesting. I loved how she interacted with her friends. And even though I knew the opportunity was fake, I loved how she embraced it a made it the best she could. I also liked how she fell hard and fast for the wrong guy (we know teenager girls can do it), got hurt, but discovered something better.

I actually didn't mind the storyline either. I think it really could have worked. But, I don't think it was explained very well. While I understood what Haven was, it just seem that I fully understood what she could (or maybe it was I could never figure out why it mattered). She's suppose to be the really powerful being that hasn't unlocked her full potential yet. To me she just seemed like a smart, normal girl who just happened to see people as they really were. I just didn't get it.

I did like the hotel. It seemed creepy. I think that could have been explored more. I feel like we're barely skimming the surface of those who are working the hotel. What's they are doing to ensnare people, etc. I think Haven figures out way to quickly that something is wrong and is constantly on guard. Therefore, we see things through her eyes (obviously sense it's told from her point of view).

The biggest problem for me...it's long. And not in a good way. There are times this story seriously dragged on and on. It's a lot of information and very little action. I was bored for most of it.
**This is a 3.5 star book**

In many ways, this was simply a gorgeous book....from the cover, to the silky texture of the pages (on an ARC, no less!), to the lush and lyrical prose surrounding a relatively unique plot. Haven, the lead character, is easy to like and admire without seeming too perfect or overly competent. Haven's friends are equally compelling, especially Dante who simply leapt off the page and managed to steal almost every scene he was in. The mystery of Haven's internship and how it all unfolds definitely had me glued to the book from the moment I opened it. And the prerequisite baddies are quite deliciously bad. Haven herself grows exponentially during the story and, I think, is an excellent role model for younger readers.

But...

1) The pacing is slooooooow....and then, it's almost way too fast towards the end.
2) Possibly due to the slow pacing, the passage of time appeared off. Haven is at the Lexington for roughly four months spanning January to May. But up until the last 1/3 of the book, it seems like she's only been there for a few weeks...a month at most. Yet in the final 50 or so pages, two or three months fly on by in the blink of an eye. Also, it seemed odd to me that she didn't visit Joan at all (outside Joan's visits to the hotel, of course). I get that Haven is kind of trapped there...and any curiosity Joan has about the hotel is pretty much removed when she does the spa visit. BUT...it just felt off to me.
3) If you are looking for some major romantic chemistry...it's there, for the first few chapters, once Haven shows up at the hotel. And then, it virtually disappears only to pick back up again (but only moderately) at the end. I won't mention any names but I just wasn't feeling it for the guy Haven ultimately ended up with. I also didn't find one of the big revelations at the very end REMOTELY believable. It just seemed way too far fetched and kind of lame.
4) There's so much wonderful tension and build up in this story. I had really high expectations for how it was all going to go down. But when it did....it seemed to fall into a big cliche trap. Considering the magnitude of what was going on, some of the revelations (especially the ones at the end about Haven) were overly simplistic and kind of a let down. I mean, it's pretty easy to figure out what's going on with Haven once you're a quarter or so into the story....but I hoped it would be revealed to her in a way that was more weighty, more formal, more dramatic.

In all honesty, I loved about 3/4 of this book. And then it kind of fell apart for me. I'm not really sure if I'll read the next book or not....the way this one ended, I'm not really feeling the need to see what happens next. But the writing was so great in parts, I'm wondering if the author just needs a little more time to hit her stride in which case, the second book might do the trick.