Monday, November 07, 2011

Review & Giveaway: Become by Ali Cross

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Become
Ali Cross
Release date: November 11th, 2011

Goodreads / Purchase

Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she must face the evil she despises and the good she always feared.

When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn’t count on, is finding a reason to change—something she’s never had before—a friend.

*A copy was provided by Ali Cross for review purposes*

 
Become is not your average YA paranormal. We’re thrown into an intense novel about the battle between angels and demons. Lucifer’s daughter, Desolation, is our protagonist and against her wishes, she’s being sent back to earth where there are teenagers and people with… feelings.

Desolation has a really unique personality. Being the devil’s daughter she’s very cautious, socially awkward and a bit of a loner. She doesn’t want to fall in her father’s footsteps. In fact, she doesn’t really like him all that much. She also senses that there’s something very different about her; As though she doesn’t belong in Hell. I had a lot of fun with Desolation. She is very critical of herself, but you can tell that underneath it all she’s a great person who is just trying to figure out where she fits in.

I really enjoyed the style of writing throughout the novel. It’s very descriptive and sophisticated; I found it highly intense, and with a lot more depth than most. There are strong messages sent throughout the story about finding oneself and, most importantly, good vs evil. The intensity was a bit of a problem when it came to the theology and the myths behind the angel/demon battles. I found myself getting confused during the explanations. My only knowledge of it comes from the show Supernatural, so the elaborate lore were a bit overwhelming. I had to reread a lot of passages to get the gist. For this reason, I couldn’t entirely get caught up in the story as much as I had hoped.

Despite the complexity, I still enjoyed the plot. Like I mentioned, it was very intense with a lot of action and battle sequences. I did like getting to know why Desolation was seemingly different from the others. The romance also played a big part in the story which did alleviate the seriousness throughout the book.

As an angel/demon book, don’t expect this to be like the YA novels Hush Hush or Fallen. Become goes right to the core of Norse mythology: Asgard, Loki (Lucifer), Odin, Thor. But even if, like me, you don’t know a lot about these myths, it’s still a fun read, however I think people versed in it would absolutely enjoy it to it’s full potential.

3 Hot Espresso

Giveaway
Ali has generously offered up a paperback copy of Become as well as some swag to one of my readers.
Giveaway details:
Open to US/Can residents
Ends November 15th, 2011
Use the Rafflecopter below to enter.

<a href=”http://rafl.es/enable-js”>You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway</a>.

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Giselle

Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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27 Responses to “Review & Giveaway: Become by Ali Cross”

  1. Kereesa

    I’m not usually a angel/demon novel lover-Hush Hush kind of killed my love for them-but the concept of Norse mythology mixed in? Now that’s my kind of novel!

  3. Missie

    Wow! A story about Lucifer’s daughter. I honestly can’t say I’ve read one like that before. I don’t usually care for Angel/demon stories because I usually get lost in the explanation of the mythology as well, but Desolation does seem like an intriguing character. Thanks for the review. It’s marks the first time I hear of this book.

  4. Karen

    I’m really interested in this one. I’ve been looking for a good angel story that’s not like Hush Hush etc so this might be the perfect book for me.

  5. Caitlin

    I am very excited for this book. I love reading angel/demon books my favorite paranormal type. Also loving the swag thanks for the giveaway.

  9. Shannon O'Donnell

    I absolutely LOVED this book! I would rank it right alongside Courtney Moulton’s ANGEL FIRE. I loved the characters and the storyline and the oh-my-gosh-say-it-isn’t-so ending. 🙂

  10. Giselle

    Shannon O’Donnell: Actually I think I saw your review on Goodreads if I recall. I would have really loved it if I had more knowledge of Norse mythology. All the details went right over my head for that part. Though I did enjoy the plot! Enough to make me really curious about book 2! And since I’ve looked up Norse myth since, I’ll be more prepared. 🙂

  11. Lauren M

    Sorry, I just snorted at the main character’s name. But otherwise, the story sounds cool! I love Norse mythology. Glad the writing style was nice, too. Thanks for the review! 🙂
    – Lauren

  12. Mimi Valentine

    Oh my gosh, this one sounds so cool! I LOVE reading books about demons and angels, whether they include the actual Lucifer or not, and that this one does makes it sound so much cooler!

    Awesome review, Giselle! I actually haven’t heard much about this one before, but reading your review makes me want to pick it up, even despite those too-intense moments! 🙂

  13. A Canadian Girl

    I haven’t heard of this one but I like reading angel books and so I’ll probably put this on my wishlist. I like that there’s a lot of action, it has a good message and the character of Desolation sounds good.

  14. ali cross

    Giselle! Thank you so much for reviewing BECOME and for hosting this giveaway! I really appreciated that you shared what you liked and what you didn’t ~ honest reviews are the BEST!

    And thanks to everyone for your comments. BECOME was a lot of fun to write ~ I hope if you pick it up, that you love it!

  15. Giselle

    Thanks for your compliments ladies! 🙂

    @Ali: It’s you I have to thank for offering up a copy it’s much appreciated!

    Also, Rafflecopter is down at the moment. Anyone trying to enter the giveaway – come back in a few I know they’re working on it (as per their Twitter).

  19. Kathy Ann Coleman

    Oh! This looks like it could be totally awesome. Mixing mythologies? Intriguing. 😉 I’d love to check it out. Thanks for the giveaway. BTW, great review.

    I wonder how I’ll find the mythology with my background? *ponders* *has taken courses on various world mythologies and religions as part of cultural studies*. Anyway… Now I’m babbling. Bye!

  20. Giselle

    @Mary: I know, right? Though her name fits her very well. And it’s Desi for short! Which I actually like. 🙂

    @Kathy Ann Coleman: If you know a bit of Norse mythology, you will love this. When I read “Asgard” and “Odin” etc I kept forgetting what/who it was referring to. For someone in the know you’ll be able to keep up and really get into it!

  21. Aimee

    Thanks for stopping by my blog today! This book has an interesting premise, too bad it wasn’t love for you. I might give it a shot though…

  22. Lena

    Oh wow, Norse mythology? Sounds interesting. I love how you compare it to your knowledge from Supernatural, lol.

    I didn’t know about this book, but I’ll be sure to check it out now. Thanks for the great review!

  23. Darkfallen

    I’m not gonna lie you have me slightly worried about the “complex” part. Like if it is super preachy then I’m not sure if I would like it.

    But on the other hand I LOVE that her name is Desolation and that makes me want to read the book sooooooooo much! Thanks for the giveaway & awesome review:)

  24. Giselle

    @Darkfallen: I loved her name it’s totally her!

    @Lena: Haha yeah and I’m not sure how reliable Supernatural knowledge is. Just the apocalypse, arch angels stuff – I got it all from that haha.

  26. Tiffany Mahaffy

    I would be so happy if I won this book!!! I was part of a twitter thing that Ali did on friday and she is an AMAZING person!!! Her book sounds wonderful and like something new. Thank you so much for hosting this giveaway and thank you Ali for donating the stuff so I have a chance at winning it!! Good luck everyone!!!

  27. Tiffany Mahaffy

    I thought I posted already but I guess i did not do something right 🙁 I am super excited for this book! Not to mention that Ali seems like a really nice person (was on a twitter party with her) and I’d love to thank her for donating to your AMAZING blog. Giselle thank you so much for the giveaway and the review.