Devoted (#2 in the Elixir series) by Hilary Duff

Rating: 5/10

Summary:  Clea Raymond, is back for the sequel, we see a more depressed and emo side of her as her soul mate sage has been kidnapped. Through her efforts trying to find Sage, she meets a ghostlike family who is in part affected by the Elixir. With the help of the youngest “ghost” Clea turns to Cursed Vengeance, a group intent on destroying the Elixir to release the curse affecting them.  (This is as much as I will describe since the rest will tell you too much.)

My thoughts: This one is a little hard for me to rate, I did enjoy Elixir, and definitely enjoyed Devoted, however I was disappointed with the turn the story took. While Hilary Duff’s writing and creativity definitely shines in this book and has greatly improved, I was completely disappointed that her search for her father which was the main focus of Elixir, completely took the back burner in this novel, as she is utterly devoted to finding Sage. As much as I understand the need for romance and wanting her soul mate, this neglected thread in the story really affected my final opinion of the book. I was also a little annoyed that Clea became depressed and obsessed about Sage, it reminded me a little too much about the 500 pages of Bella (Twilight series) constant whining.  On a more positive note; the addition of the new characters, such as Amelia’s family and Cursed Vengeance created a more complex universe affected by the Elixir and offered the reader more options to relate to characters and feel for them. The end was slightly disappointing, but in a good way, as it finishes with a slight cliff-hanger (if cliff-hanger is the term to use) for the third book which will follow.   

While my rating is low on this book for many reasons, I still enjoyed the series so far and will read the third when it comes out.

 Quote p.222: “He knew me so well. Even better than Sage, in some ways. He knew details—like my favorite brand of energy bar, my favorite tea, my favorite place to sit on an airplane, and a million other favorites. They were the kinds of things anyone who spent enough time around me would know, if they cared enough to pay attention, and Ben had. Sage wouldn’t know any of those details, but he knew me. He knew my darkest places and deepest flaws, and he loved me not despite them but for them.”

Elixir Series:

1. Elixir

2. Devoted

Elixir (#1 in the Elixir series) by Hilary Duff

Rating: 5/10

Summary:  Clea Raymond, famous due to her parents is an avid photographer. After her fathers mysterious disappearance she begins to notice an eerie figure of a young man in every single one of her pictures. A man she has never met before.  Fate soon entwines their lives together and an intense bond is immediately felt between them. Together and with the help of her trusted friend, Ben, they try to solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance and understand the bond between each other.

My thoughts: Although many have strong negative feelings about this book, it roughly seems to revolve around 2 main ideas. One; they don’t like it because Hilary Duff is the author, Two; they believe it to be too similar to the Evermore series by Allison Noel.  I am neither a fan nor a hater of Hilary Duff and have yet to read the Evermore series (I do plan to someday).  But think of it, aren’t most paranormal YA books following the same structure; A love triangle, an immortal, and soul mates? This combo tends to make for good reading; therefore many, many, many authors will continue to write books around those themes. This book is not horrible! Let me repeat this, Not Horrible! So stop people can stop their whining. The beginning of the book was a little choppy and definitely had the feel of an author’s first book, with the progression of the book, the writing improved and the story became more realistic and easier to follow. The plot was interesting enough to keep me reading and considering I finished her book within two days, it kept me captivated.

One thing that could have used improvement was the characters description. I feel like I know more about the secondary characters than the main character.  All in all, for an author’s first book, it’s a good start.

Quote p.228: “Fine, I know, you don’t like that word. But you can’t possibly deny that you have a deep, powerful soul connection. By definition you have that. You said yourself, he found you in four different countries and four different times. Out of all the people in the world at any given time, he found you. The only possible way he could have done that is if your souls were connected. He’s a soul-seeking missile.”

Elixir Series:

1. Elixir

2. Devoted