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

***

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 Reckoning: Review

Synopsis:

It’s time.

Evil is running rampant and sweet Anna Whitt is its target. Nobody knows when or how the Dukes will strike, but Anna and her Nephilim allies will do anything necessary to rid the earth of the demons and their oppressive ways.

The stakes are higher than ever, and Anna is determined that the love she feels will be her strength, not a liability. But trying to protect the ones she loves while running for her life and battling demonic forces proves to be perilous—especially as faces are changing and trust is fleeting. When the Duke of Lust sends Anna’s great love, Kaidan Rowe, to work against her, Anna must decide how much she’s prepared to risk.

In the most sensual and fast-paced installment yet, Sweet Reckoning brings all the beloved Neph together one last time to fight for their freedom.

***

Since I'm not in any mood to summarize things, I'm going to do the what-I-like and what-I-don't-like list again.

What I love:

1)This book is soooooooo sweet in general! We get to see much more Kaidan and Anna together in this book. And trust me there are plenty of romantic scenes that left me grin like an idiot. They're just so freaking adorable and beautiful together. But they're not the only sweet and cute part in the book. They're just the most obvious one. There are some scenes involving other characters (that I'm not gonna reveal here) that are really, really endearing. Oh god, I just want to love them and hug them.

2) Sweet Reckoning, despite the danger Anna and her allies face, is still one of the funniest book I read this month. It got me crack up in the most appropriate times. Usually when the characters are sad but they say something really awkward or when they're in danger and they say something really badass. It's a good thing because for some reason I'm very emotional about this book.

What I like:

1) Yes, I mentioned that above. I'm very emotional about this book. I don't know why, but there are scenes which I'm greatly affected by it when I usually won't feel much about it. Particularly scenes involving Kaidan and Anna. Don't ask me why, but it's been quite some time since I feel any great emotion and I'm grateful nontheless.

2) Anna. She retains her sweetness but she's way more badass. Braver and stronger than in Sweet Peril, she's totally one of the better heroines in YA history. I'm pretty sad this trilogy is over because I really want to get to see more of Anna. I just like her so much.

What I don't like:

1) There are not enough action scenes here. I thought with this book being the last installment there will be a lot of really cool fighting scenes. But there are not. And I'm pretty underwhelmed and a little disappointed. I can totally see Anna and her friends going kick-ass over the Dukes but mostly it's just the wit and the persuasion that does the work. Not that I don't like wit, but I'm more ready to see an action-packed book.

Here it is. The final installment of The Sweet Trilogy. Sweet Reckoning is a really good ending for the series and I'm content of it. And I hope you guys will like it too.

Rating: 8.5/10

Sweet Peril: Review

Synopsis:

Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things.

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

***

I want more! That's not nearly enough! Oh my god I love this book so much! When I finished reading Sweet Evil, I'm still hesitating whether or not to read Sweet Peril because I'm a little bit annoyed by Sweet Evil even though it's quite a good read. And I'm not sure I even LIKE Kaidan. No doubt I love him right now because he's plain awesome. 

The plot:

I love the plot, despite my tad-bit disappointment with the lack of some kick-ass excitement. It's peaceful comparing to Sweet Evil, yet I love it. I'm not one of those readers who are in anything without some action scenes. But this time I will definitely make an exception for it. It's short (the good kind, of course) and sweet, surprisingly fast paced, and really smooth. The book is so neat and in order, not messed up like some other books I've read recently. It's official: I'm in love with Sweet Peril.

The character:

First is our sweet Anna. When I first read the synopsis, I was a little afraid that I would be annoyed by our innocent good-ol Anna because... party girl Anna? Not what I expected in a million years. Even though she's a party girl on the surface, underneath the glamour she's still the good, caring and psychic sweet girl we first met in Sweet Evil. I love how strong she holds even with all the alluring substances surrounding her like poison.

And Kaidan. Aww, Kaidan. Now I know what's going on behind his annoying and frustrating shell of inhumane. Damn if I didn't ache for him. And finally more steamy chemical reactions (what?)! I was kinda worried that he will never show up properly in Sweet Peril and I'm so glad I was wrong! Be forewarned, because his drastic personality and attitude change (especially in the second half of the book!) will have you swoon all over the place :D

The supporting characters are very lively and strong, unlike Sweet Evil. Take, what, Ginger for example. We also get to see some change in her in Sweet Peril. And man, I actually like her. The bitchiness and the goodness in her heart is so strong. I don't like her in Sweet Evil. But this time... it's like the case of Sabine from Soul Screamers again :)

The romance:

Steamy. I love hot steamy burning scene. More Kaidan and Anna! I think I'm officialy shipping them now. I kept grinning like an idiot whenever I watch them having intimate and intense moments. Because, well, finally Kaidan isn't pushing Anna away and I'm so glad they can be together... well not whenever they want, but CLOSE. But even with all the constant ignition of need and want, there's one thing that can still get through the fog of swooning. The... love triangle. *Facepalm* Yeah, you know what I mean. Truthfully, I was not nearly as annoyed with the love triangle as I did with other books like... The Selection, I guess. But it's not very appealing either. I get that Kaidan is very overprotective when it comes to Anna, but jeez, give Kope a break.


So, where's Sweet Reckoning? I want it now!

Rating: 8.5/10

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?

***

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