Review: Whispers In The Woods by T. J. Dell

Name of book: Whispers In The Woods (The Complete Collection)
Author: T. J. Dell
Publication: May 21st 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal
Source: Provided by the kind author...

Vol. I
When Evie Parker meets Lucas Spencer she begins to feel hope again. Lately she's been going through life in a fog and Lucas is all about teaching her how to have fun again. For the first time since the accident she knows what it means to be happy.

So who cares if Lucas is a little odd. It isn't that strange that she's never met his parents, or that teachers never seem to notice when he's late for class. Evie tries not to care, but on top of all his peculiar behavior she's been feeling kind of sick lately-- ever since she met Lucas actually.

When Lucas decides it is time to come clean with all his secrets Evie has to make some hard decisions. 

Vol. II
All Evie wants is a little bit of normal in her life-- is that really too much to ask?

Lucas isn't normal, but he makes her happy. That should count for something. Evie thinks she can find a balance that will let her be normal and also be with him. 

Of course she hadn't counted on adding his family into the mix, or his ex-girlfriend.

Life with an elf is never boring. 

Vol III
Lucas and Evie were finally at a place where Evie was comfortable with her mix of normal human teenager and fantastical elf boyfriend. Then she went and got herself crushed by a tree.

Evie wakes up with a whole lot of extra issues to deal with. Not the least of which is a trip inside the Veil to see Lucas's home. She never would have agreed to go if she'd known she was going to have her own secret to hide.

-- My Rating --

-- My Thoughts --

      I had no idea what to expect from this book. I thought it was one of those books; where there is a damsel in distress who is saved by the PERFECT, SEXY boy. I hate those types of books, but this one, wasn't like that. It concentrated on some other aspect entirely: Elves.

     Evie has just moved in with her Grandma after her parents died in an accident. She is heartbroken, depressed, and has only one friend, Anna. But all that changes when she meets a handsome, mysterious boy, named Lucas, in the woods. Now, she has a bunch of friends, she can get away from her grandma whenever she wants, and she has a protective but still very strange and mysterious boyfriend. 

     Turns out, Lucas is an elf, a third-lord in the kingdom of elves in an otherworldly place. He can control the energy in his surrounding and use it to disguise himself or to easily make people believe what he says. As if things aren't weird enough, he has "accidentally" made Evie his bonded (forever-partner). What Evie doesn't know is that there is still MUCH MORE to come.

     Why isn't Lucas in his own kingdom? Why does Evie experience immense physical pain if she is away from him? And is this really love when it causes so much pain? Find out when you read the complete collection of T. J. Dell's heart-warming, intriguing paranormal novel.

     I liked this book. It was a nice combination of paranormal and teenage love. Maybe it was a little "cheesy" for me,  but altogether, I liked it. T. J. Dell has a wonderful and simple writing style, it was very easy to keep up with it. But there were some stuff that I didn't like: I didn't like the plot of the book, it was the all-too-common teenage girl who "accidentally" meets a mysterious boy, and they fall in love. I am grateful that it wasn't insta-love. Although I hated the "rush" in Evie and Lucas's relationship, they just RUSHED into their relationship, it was TOO QUICK and unbelievable. 

     I didn't connect with the characters as much as I wanted to. They were good, but not TOO good. I liked Evie, she was easy to love and relate-able. Lucas was totally hot and swoon-worthy but I didn't like him, I thought that he was too bossy and arrogant. I liked the side-characters much more. Anna was my favorite, I know that every girl should have (and has) an Anna-like best friend. I liked Lucas's parents, too.

     Aside the minor flaws, this book was pretty enjoyable. There is a nice story going on, it's three volumes, but the end of each volume is with a cliffhanger so you NEED to read the next volume. This book was a wonderful edition to my reads for 2012. It is recommended to fans of the YA Paranormal and Contemporary. This was exhilarating!