Kallos- Perfection in Plot but a Little Troubled

 link to book: Amazon

Book Description:Kallos is a shy sixteen year old girl unready to face the world, but when she meets Ian and Sean Hunter the world will open up for her. Secrets revealed are to much to bear and her past life as a goddess, unimaginable. A visit from the goddess Aphrodite, Kallos is told her soul mate must be found or her life will be forfeit. Kallos desperate to find her one true match has discovered she may have two possibilities. Kallos has a choice to make and her decisions may have life ending consequences.

Review: 

General: I desperately wanted to give this book 5 stars. Khelsey Jackson has one of the most creative minds in the YA world I have read in quite some time. Her plot idea had my head spinning with “what if’s” and hopes as I was reading. In fact- the book went with me from bathtub to couch to bed as I devoured this book in one sitting. I could not get enough of the concept – that the Greek Gods are being reborn into today’s society into teenagers. Why was this happening? Was it predestined? Is it just the gods or are some others thing bleeding into the mix? I cannot express enough how entertaining the idea is and even though the characters were a bit of a problem for me as well, I am personally routing for one of the Hunter brothers and can’t wait to see if my boy wins!

The  biggest pitfall? This book is riddled with a lack of proofreading from start to finish. Throughout the book character names were interchanged at a massive confusion to myself as well as changes in spelling and grammar issues. Something a stronger look at the writing could have easily prevented and while I do not wish to point blame I think errors of this nature show a carelessness for the final product on all parties involved in the publication. Another flaw for me is the first person perspective. As I’ll state millions and millions of times from here till the end of eternity, first person perspective is merely a pet peeve of mine, that I find no fault in authors that use it, that I simply do not enjoy reading it. The final flaw is emotional depth, which I’ll discuss a bit more under characters.

Characters:

Kallos- A teen destined for greatness to be the only reincarnation of the Goddess Aphrodite to make it through the transition, and a powerful girl to boot. I personally found Kallos an annoying mix of intriguing and shallow. Throughout the book Kallos will flip flop from emotion to emotion with no understanding for the reader as to why her feelings are changing, they just do. I think a stronger connection between kallos and her emotions would make her a top notch heroine.

Sean/Ian Hunter- I unfortunately have to review the Hunter brothers together to give the most accurate review possible. The reason for this? Multiple times in the books the names were interchanged and after two read throughs I am not entirely certain which traits all belong to one brother. I can however say they are brillant characters! Part demon and either Ares or Apollo’s reincarnation the Hunter brothers are the cool kids in school and the to sides of the love triangle with Kallos. There is a much stronger emotional connection with the two boys than with Kallos for myself. They had wonderful personalities and secrets I cannot wait to see unlocked in further installments. I just hope for some clarification as to exactly who is who! **Spoiler** This reader happens to be routing for Sean, the interactions were more sincere, less forced onto the page.