ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: FLAWED
Author: J.L. Spelbring
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Pub. Date: August 12, 2014
Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble
In a world where Hitler won the The War, and perfection is constantly sought, Ellyssa has broken free from her austere life and has found another meaning for her existence. Family, friendship, and love.
But her happiness is short lived. Ellyssa finds herself on the run, again. Her father's work didn't die with him, but lives on in her siblings, Aalexis and Xaver, and they are determined to complete his unfinished dream.
MY REVIEW
Warning: some very mild spoilers, although they largely deal with events right at the beginning of the book.
Right from the start, I want to say just how impressed I am with Flawed. Since this is the second book in a trilogy, you would think that, like most seconds, this book would be the "sagging middle". Not so with Flawed. There's enough conflict, movement, and twists to keep things going along at a good pace between here and the series finale.
The book is impressive right from the very beginning. The book's action picks right off where the last book left off. Ellyssa, Rein, and Woody, having just come back from destroying The Center, find their Renegade hideout has been decimated, along with many of the people who lived there. And here is one point that I'm impressed with. J. L. Spelbring doesn't hold back but daringly goes where you would hope she wouldn't. This is a world ruled by Nazi, Germany, after all, and we all know the atrocities committed by them.
The plot's main focus is on the surviving Renegades who are on a search for their friends who were not killed but have been captured by the Nazis. At the same time, the plot also follows the movements of Ellyssa's surviving brother and sister, Aalexys and Xaver, who are bent on finding Ellyssa and continuing their creator's experiments to create the perfect human race. In addition to these main plot points, there are also plenty of other personal conflicts the characters in the story must face. Each character is incredibly fleshed out in this story. I especially enjoyed watching the three siblings, Ellyssa, Aalexyis, and Xaver, and how they each handle their own abilities, as well as how they develop relationships with other characters in the story despite being raised to turn off all emotion to become perfect fighting machines.
Finally, there is definitely romance in this book. I have grown to appreciate the relationship between Ellyssa and Rein in this story and how strong the bond is between these two characters. I think in an earlier review of Perfection (check out said review here: http://georgesbackloggedreviews.blogspot.com/2013/10/review-perfection-by-j-l-spelbring.html) I mentioned I thought the relationship between Ellyssa and Rein went a little too fast, but by this point their relationship seems very natural, and this is in fact one of the strong points of the novel as far as I'm concerned. Rein's love for Ellyssa empowers her, and her learning to give in and trust her emotions, especially concerning Rein, strengthens her character even more.
Overall, I rate this book a 4 1/2 out of 5, and the only reason I take that 1/2 off is because the book has some obvious typos in it. I only mention this so that if someone from Spencer Hill Press runs across this review they'll be aware. But believe me, this is the only thing I could find even remotely negative to say.
I highly recommend you check out both Perfection and Flawed!
Thank you Rockstar Book Tours, Spencer Hill Press, and J. L. Spelbring for the opportunity to review this book!
ABOUT J. L. SPELBRINGJ.L. Spelbring lives in Texas, where she wanders out in the middle of the night to look at the big and bright stars. Besides knocking imaginary bad guys in the head with a keyboard, she enjoys being swept away between the pages of a book, running amuck inside in her own head, pretending she is into running, and hanging out with her kids, who are way too cool for her. Her novel, Perfection, released in July, 2013, and the sequel, Flawed, releases August, 2014.
To contact J.L, try: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Giveaway
Details:
1 Butterfly Necklace US Only.
1 finished copy of FLAWED US Only.
