Monday, January 21, 2013

Taste by Kate Evangelista -- YA Review

Taste by Kate Evangelista -- YA Review


At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans. When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn't realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

Details: Crescent Moon Press, Released April 30, 2012, Trade Paperback, 259 pages
Genre: YA
Source: Giveaway Win
Links: Goodreads

Stars? 5/5

In one sentence? A new and interesting take on the zombie genre.

Review:

One mistake can change everything. Phoenix isn't supposed to be at school after hours but when she falls asleep at school and wakes up amidst the night students. Students that want a 'taste'.

Phoenix is a likable character. She's brave but dumb. She's got the best of intentions but she ends up leaping without even attempting to look. She turns into the damsel in distress several times but there were reasons for it, it wasn't just an opportunity to have one of the boys rescue her. I wanted to knock her upside the head, to root for her, to sympathize with her and to give her a hug.

I adored the boys, Dimitri, the tall, dark, handsome, brooding, dutiful prince and Luka, the playful, kind, teasing, haunted prince. I thought they were both good matches for Phoenix and I appreciated the way Evanglista handled the love triangle, but not a love triangle, triangle. I'm not a big fan of triangles but this one was well done, both the guys were good to her and good for her.

I liked Evangelista's writing style. The story never seemed to lag and I thought she did a good job of portraying the world she created and describing the people in it. She made me care about the characters, I was emotionally invested in them and their journey. Evangelista is also excellent at crafting chemistry between her characters and conveying that to the reader.

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