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momwithareadingproblem 's review for:
Trial by Charm
by Jolene Buchheit
I received an eARC of this book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
Trial By Charm by Jolene Buchheit is an interesting read, to say the least, about Julia Wright, a high school senior who has zero interest in boys and doesn’t understand her friends obsession with them. She wants to have a fun senior year, one that resembles the movie Grease but when she’s caught breaking into the school’s pool, her coach blackmails her into becoming the male’s swim team’s manager much to her own chagrin. Vander Thelxinoe is the captain of the team, a jerk and the bane of Julia’s high school life. When Julia inadvertently learns that Vander has the ability to charm people’s minds AND that it doesn’t work on her, Vander introduces her to a world that she once thought was myth.
Combining contemporary teen angst with Greek mythology the author has created a fun book, full of snark and wit. I couldn’t help but snort a few times at the banter between Vander and Julia. The two are complete opposites which sometimes works really well for a romantic pairing. It’s a slow burn too instead of insta-love, even though it’s obvious from the reader standpoint they’ll wind up together.
The plot itself though was a little too predictable and all over the place. It was like the author wrote a contemporary novel, but decided it needed something else and wrote in the mythology scenes after. I mean seriously if you were on a quest, would your main concern be prior plans with friends?! I don’t know, I just didn’t buy that part of the book. Plus the blurb brings up the quest like it’s the main part of the book when in reality it isn’t. In fact it’s only the last 4 chapters of the book which left me a little confused. I did however enjoy the build up and suspense surrounded around Vander, what he was and how he could do what he could do. I liked learning the myths from him as he teaches Julia.
Overall the book was an ok read. I’m not a big fan of teen angst so I found the characters a little too immature, but I think it would appeal to the young adult crowd it’s written for. The reason it lost stars for me though was the language. I didn’t like the strong language or the constant talk about boys. I felt that it was a little much for a young adult book. But that’s just my opinion. Otherwise the story was good, the cliffhanger ending (while confusing) piqued my interest for book 2. If you enjoy Greek-inspired urban fantasy, I recommend you check it out.
Trial By Charm by Jolene Buchheit is an interesting read, to say the least, about Julia Wright, a high school senior who has zero interest in boys and doesn’t understand her friends obsession with them. She wants to have a fun senior year, one that resembles the movie Grease but when she’s caught breaking into the school’s pool, her coach blackmails her into becoming the male’s swim team’s manager much to her own chagrin. Vander Thelxinoe is the captain of the team, a jerk and the bane of Julia’s high school life. When Julia inadvertently learns that Vander has the ability to charm people’s minds AND that it doesn’t work on her, Vander introduces her to a world that she once thought was myth.
Combining contemporary teen angst with Greek mythology the author has created a fun book, full of snark and wit. I couldn’t help but snort a few times at the banter between Vander and Julia. The two are complete opposites which sometimes works really well for a romantic pairing. It’s a slow burn too instead of insta-love, even though it’s obvious from the reader standpoint they’ll wind up together.
The plot itself though was a little too predictable and all over the place. It was like the author wrote a contemporary novel, but decided it needed something else and wrote in the mythology scenes after. I mean seriously if you were on a quest, would your main concern be prior plans with friends?! I don’t know, I just didn’t buy that part of the book. Plus the blurb brings up the quest like it’s the main part of the book when in reality it isn’t. In fact it’s only the last 4 chapters of the book which left me a little confused. I did however enjoy the build up and suspense surrounded around Vander, what he was and how he could do what he could do. I liked learning the myths from him as he teaches Julia.
Overall the book was an ok read. I’m not a big fan of teen angst so I found the characters a little too immature, but I think it would appeal to the young adult crowd it’s written for. The reason it lost stars for me though was the language. I didn’t like the strong language or the constant talk about boys. I felt that it was a little much for a young adult book. But that’s just my opinion. Otherwise the story was good, the cliffhanger ending (while confusing) piqued my interest for book 2. If you enjoy Greek-inspired urban fantasy, I recommend you check it out.