Review: The Wicked Awakening of Anne Merchant Book Two of the V Trilogy by Joanna Wiebe

SUMMARY:

Behind every secret lurks one much darker...
Thrust back into the cryptic world of Cania Christy, Anne Merchant finds herself tangled in a mystic plot she can't escape. Eerie visions haunt her. Whispers of her nefarious past vex her. But it's not until Ben Zin is forced to compete for the Big V—with a vengeful guardian to assure his failure—that she faces the reality of life in a world ruled by wickedness: she must embrace her inner demons to help those she loves. Hoping the ends will justify the means, Anne starts down a slippery slope that, if she lets temptation guide her, could lead her straight to the underworld.

MY TAKE:
I can't remember the last time a book took me on a rollercoaster ride the way this one did.

In The Wicked Awakening of Anne Merchant, Anne finds herself back on Wormwood Island. Her escape resulted in some changes at Cania Christy and the arrival of several new beings who may not be what they seem.

I started this book not really feeling high or low about the story. Then it started going in a direction that made me think that things were going to go downhill and I started to get bored and annoyed. Then just like that things started getting interesting. Then Anne did something that I wasn't pleased about. Then she did something I liked. This cycle continued until the end of the book. There were plenty of crappy things Anne and the others did that irritated me, and then there were twists that made everything interesting and bearable again.

Speaking purely of plot twists and the big picture, however, this is a very good book. Whereas the first book was a slow reveal, this one was jam-packed with revelations from the start. The book didn't give me that heavy feeling I got with the first book, and while the first book creeped me out a little, this book didn't really scare me. I found this one more fascinating than terrifying.

As for the characters, it was nice to see that the characters were mostly complex. Sometimes their actions are obvious, but sometimes they also do unexpected things, but more or less, these things still serve their purposes. I'm still unsure how I feel about Anne though. There's an aspect of her I like, but as a whole, I'm still not sure. I think I would have liked her more if she was a little less selfish and short-sighted.

Thanks to BenBella Books for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. The characters are complex.
2. The plot is becoming more interesting.
3. It's more fast-paced than the first book. 

THE BAD:

1. Anne is way too focused on her relationship with Ben. 

READ IT IF:

1. If you like paranormal romances.
2. You like complex storylines.
3. You're looking for a new supernatural series to follow.

RATING:


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