Series Recap: The Sweet Trilogy by Wendy Higgins

Reading Order: (sort by date)

Sweet Evil (Book 1, Published on May 1, 2012)
Sweet Peril (Book 2, Published on April 30, 2013)
Sweet Reckoning (Book 3, Published on April 29, 2014)

Click the titles to check out my reviews

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Synopsis Recap:

Anna Whitt was the ultimate good girl. Until she met Kaidan Rowe. She discovered that she was a Nephilim, and the child of a duke of evil. But she was different from other Neph. She had an innocence that others didn't. And then there was a prophecy, one that stated that a child of light and dark will cast the demons out of Earth and to the depths of hell for eternity. This is Anna's story, of battling her inner demons and the greater evil.


Thoughts Recap:

Good things first. The trilogy has got great characters such as Anna herself. They're all three dimensional and very real (At least, the main ones are). Anna is my favorite. She's very strong through all the mess. Who wouldn't freak out when one discovers that he or she are not exactly human and child of a demon from hell? It's even more to take in when one is supposed to be fulfilling a prophecy but has no idea how to. Anna has taken in all these in a surprisingly calm way. Despite all the mess and depressing stuff, her innocence and purity stands. So yes, she's a very respectable character.

The romance between Anna and Kaidan is a really big part of the story. And boy, isn't it a hot and sweet part of the story. Yes, they're kind of forbidden lovers. Yes, they have to fulfill their duty or something. No, they are not your typical pair of forbidden lovers. They're not Romeo and Juliet, ending their lives for love (and by the way, I don't understand the fascination for Romeo and Juliet. Their actions are too reckless). They fight hard for their love, and most of all, for their lives and goodness. I like this couple, what can I say?

But despite all the goodness in the books, I still think the trilogy is overrated. The plot is not that impressive. It's smooth and it's got some surprising elements. But other than that the outcome is pretty predictable, which, in my words, is not that cool. The world building is actually okay because it's well-rounded, but totally not something unique. I have to say I'm a little disappointed of these two parts because the background of the story is good and has a lot of potential.

That's it. The Sweet Trilogy. A trilogy with its great goods and obvious bads, but still entertaining.


Overall rating: 7.5/10

Do I recommend this series? : Well, I won't recommend it like I recommend series like Throne of Glass and The Infernal Devices (which is two of my absolute favorites)...

Sweet Evil: Review

Synopsis:

Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

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I must say, I'm a little disappointed with the book, especially when I saw so many good reviews out there about Sweet Evil before I actually read this. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the book (well, most of the time). And there are really good parts. But overall I just don't think it's good enough to give a five out of five in Goodreads. 

The characters:

Anna Whitt is the... I guess you can say the ultimate good girl, just like in the synopsis. Personally, I really like this character because she's unlike many character I've read before. I mean, many female characters are so righteous that they are like the goddess of heroines sometimes. But no, Anna is far from it. She has her really dark side that is, surprisingly, closely related to the reality today. Her figure is familiar to teenagers nowadays and that's what I like most about her. She's really nice, by the way, which is a huge perk. But sometimes I don't think she's a strong enough character to stand out from all the characters. Sometimes she almost fades to the background and I don't think it's exactly a good thing for the book.

Kaidan Rowe... okay, I have complicated feelings for this hot guy. Yeah, he's freaking hot, and nice when he's not working, and sometimes... a little bit vulnerable. Yeah, the vulnerable part should be enough of a reason to love this guy. But... I just can't. I tried so very hard to like him. I totally understand his motives when he pushes Anna away. And trust me, I've read the extras of Sweet Evil and know exactly what he's thinking. But for some reason, I get so pissed off whenever Kaidan tries to push Anna away. I know it's dangerous for him to even like Anna, but I just can't but feel really angry and I can't like him. Maybe it will get better in Sweet Peril. But I doubt it.

The plot:

This book kind of reminds me of Hush, Hush because the Nephilim in Hush, Hush are also.... you can say evil in nature according to the Book of Enoch? But wow, Nephilim "working" for demons and polluting human souls? That's new. I love the base of the story. I started reading it with anticipation because I can't wait to see how Anna will deal with her inner demons. But as it stretches out, I'm a tad bit disappointed because the trip covers half of the book and there's not much about her struggle in the book. That makes the book a little boring to me. I'm sorry to say that, but I think the book is overrated. I hope Sweet Peril will get better.

The writing:

There's not much to say about Higgins' writing skills. It's not bad, obviously. It's quite good at times. But it's definitely not poetic like Lauren Oliver's, or lively, or dramatic. I guess it's a good thing on some level, but lately I want something more exciting. And... obviously I choose a wrong time to read Sweet Evil then. Don't get me wrong, Sweet Evil is exciting, but not as much as I thought it would be.

Conclusion:

This book is:
--- Almost too peaceful (Peaceful? I feel like an idiot for saying that)
--- A little bit flirty
--- Sexy sometimes
--- Dark sometimes

Rating: 7/10