Author: Eliza Crewe

BOOK REVIEW – Crushed (Soul Eaters #2) by Eliza Crewe

BOOK REVIEW – Crushed (Soul Eaters #2) by Eliza CreweCrushed (Soul Eaters #2)
by Eliza Crewe
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Meda Melange has officially hung up her monstrous mantle and planted her feet firmly on the holy and righteous path of a Crusader-in-training. Or, at least, she’s willing to give it a shot. It helps that the Crusaders are the only thing standing between her and the demon hordes who want her dead.

The problem is, the only people less convinced than Meda of her new-found role as Good Girl are the very Crusaders she’s trying to join. So when a devilishly handsome half-demon boy offers escape, how’s a girl supposed to say “no?”

After all, everyone knows a good girl’s greatest weakness is a bad boy.

I’m the black sheep of the crowd on this one, and to be frank, it’s the first time I pondered if I would post a review or not, because at first I felt like I wouldn’t be able to explain my feelings. But it was without counting my complete inability to shut up. Hey, everyone has his own flaws, right?

Just – hear me out : I can’t deny that Eliza Crewe does an INCREDIBLE job at ruining all the stereotypes we can expect in a PNR, and for that, really, BRAVO. As you will see, I developed more my reproaches because let’s face it : most of readers agree with what I loved. No need to explain again why Meda is amazing.

Awesome facts about Crushed

No TSTL heroine, but Meda, basically the most powerful weapon living on earth and a believable selfish person by the way (believable because really? How many selfless people do you think there are on Earth? Huh? Am I pessimistic? I am pessimistic). Not to mention her sarcastic thoughts and her craving for freedom. Favorite scene? Her coloring-bonding with little children. PRECIOUS.

No instalove, but characters who struggle to trust each others, and WITH REASONS, because duh, war it is.

No girl hate, but FRIENDSHIP GUYS!! Woot woot! (I missed Chi, though)

▧ Armand is quite stereotypical but then, his puppy sexy eyes won. Well this and the fact that he doesn’t hide behind false pretences : you want a demon? You got a demon. Bad, bad me. Oh, and for ONCE here’s a French character who doesn’t annoy me (even if the French accent has no effect on me, of course). I even giggled a little at his “mademoiselle”

Mademoiselle. Do you know that officially this word isn’t meant to be used anymore in France? YES BECAUSE WE’RE ALL MADAMES NOW (yes, it’s in the law, for the official papers anyway). And I fucking love it. It’s no one business if I’m married or not, and I don’t need to be married to get the “adult word” that “madame” always was. Not to mention that men never had this kind of “young word”. But I digress, sorry.

“You arranged a murder?” Awww, that’s so sweet.
“Nothing elaborate, of course.” He grins slyly. “Didn’t want to overdo it on a first date.”
And he ruins it.”

Feminists vibes, which if subtle, were definitely here. My favorite of the bunch is …

“Some might call me a ‘tease’, but I don’t believe it. ‘Tease’ implies that I owe him something, that I should feel guilty. As if my flirtation is forced on him and he merely tolerates it for an eventual pay-out. That’s bullshit. We both have goals in our little game; why should his goal (sex) take priority over mine (to mess with his head)? Is it because he’s a man?”

YOU GO GIRL. *thumbs up*

Let me down facts about Crushed

▧ In my opinion the story dragged in the first half, and if I always loved Meda, the plot never captivated me. Look, I see what makes this book a favorite for a lot of my friends, I really do. This is a complete case of “It’s not the book but me”, because I have to admit that I wasn’t enthralled as I thought I would be. To be frank, I think that I’m not a PNR reader anymore – Plots involving demons and all that stuff just rub me the wrong way and that’s the same thing with Urban Fantasy : It’s not for me, not for now, anyway.

We don’t know enough things about the demons AT ALL. Maybe that’s just me, but I like to make my opinion by myself and as it is, I don’t know them enough. One might argue that DUH, demons are demons for fuck sake (!!!) but isn’t it the whole point of the series? If Meda gets to catch our attention and love because nothing is as simple as it seems, why couldn’t we learn more about the demons and their possible complex nature?  Because tell me, if the demons are bad and the crusaders are the good ones, what’s new to this? Let’s face it, we already know that the crusaders aren’t perfect, and I LOVE THAT. I only want for the demons to not be Manichean either, but perhaps am I asking for too much.

Miscommunications. Hey, don’t look at me. I never hid that it IS one of my peeves. I can’t wrap my head around situations where people only had to TALK to each others for the story to change.

▧ Was I supposed to not guess one of the end’s major twist? Huh? While it didn’t prevent me from liking the story, I can’t say that I didn’t see it coming. And frankly, I didn’t feel a lot of things. I don’t know. Oh, well. I can’t force myself to feel invested.

► Here I am – while I liked following Meda again, sadly the story didn’t hold my interest the whole time I was reading and yeah, I’m disappointed. But then, I’m clearly in the minority on this one, so don’t let my opinion stop you from meeting Meda, because the girl ROCKS.

BOOK REVIEW: Crushed (Soul Eaters #2) by Eliza Crewe

BOOK REVIEW: Crushed (Soul Eaters #2) by Eliza CreweCrushed (Soul Eaters #2)
by Eliza Crewe
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Meda Melange has officially hung up her monstrous mantle and planted her feet firmly on the holy and righteous path of a Crusader-in-training. Or, at least, she’s willing to give it a shot. It helps that the Crusaders are the only thing standing between her and the demon hordes who want her dead.

The problem is, the only people less convinced than Meda of her new-found role as Good Girl are the very Crusaders she’s trying to join. So when a devilishly handsome half-demon boy offers escape, how’s a girl supposed to say “no?”

After all, everyone knows a good girl’s greatest weakness is a bad boy.

“It’s illegal, you know,” he murmurs. “Stealing.”
I clear my throat. “Stealing?”
“My heart. I could have you arrested.”


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Holy Shit. Holy freakin’ (SEVERELY HOLDING IN STRONG CURSING) cow. This book. This. Fucking (whoops, I tried). Book. I liked book one, okay? I really did. Meda is a bona fide badass and the story (felt) unique and original. Now, to be fair, I don’t really read many demon books. I don’t. Really. So to say it’s original? I might be off base here. But, to me, everything about it was a breath of fresh air. The plot, the characters, the voice. Just altogether a great book, if you ask me. But nothing, I really mean nothing, could have prepared me for how much I loved this second installment.

We’ll face each other in battle, and when that day comes, we will do our utmost to reduce the other to bloody pieces. And we will do it unapologetically.
We know what we are.

Epic. Gripping. Harsh. As. Fuck. Oh, heyo, did I mention that my insides are literally ripped to shreds? No, you say? Well…yeah. They might be a heaping pile of mush at the moment. And I can’t quite decide whether they are a good ‘oooooh, how about that amazing Chelsea peril right there??? That was some good shit!’ or a ‘Noooo. Nononononononononono this can’t be, this can’t beeee’ kind of thing. There are one of two ways my heart can be crushed (tee-hee) and while one is still painful (3), the other is unbearable (2).

Options:

View Spoiler » What does everyone think??? I HAVE NO IDEA! And what did that final line of the book mean and who was it referring to?!


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And wah wah wah, call the wah-mbulance. I know I knooooow, I focus on romance waaaaay too much, but I don’t care!!!! I don’t give a heaping pile of Ellie’s dog poo! To me, while the story was more than enough to stand on its own, romance only adds to the story.

I laugh. “How exactly do you see this…” I wave between the two of us, unable to come up with a descriptor.
“Beautiful friendship?” he supplies with a devilish grin.
“…going?” I finish, ignoring him. “Us being mortal enemies and all.”
“I prefer the term ‘star-crossed lovers.'”

And we all know I’m a sucker for bad boys with dark hair and dark eyes and long eyelashes and…Hmm. You didn’t know? Lol. Well you do now. And I wants to tells ya….oh boy oh boy was he bad. Now, this is speculative, he was more of a quiet, doing it behind the scenes guy. But it doesn’t make it any less of a certainty-The sky is blue. The grass is green. Armand isn’t a sweet or reformed demon. Duh. But I loved him, guys. I luhhh-huuhhh-huuuuuvveeeeddddd himmmmmmmm *whiney voice*.


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Every time I saw his name I got giddy, excited, breathless. He and Meda-together-made this story something I craved when I couldn’t be near it. I literally ached for it. It was this deep, visceral longing. A lot of it had to do with Meda’s voice-she’s hilarious. But add a sexy boy to an already badass story? Meda+Armand+more snark+great story+ sexy sexy sexy=happy happy happy Chelsea. It’s simple MATH, really ;).

“That’s what I get for playing with fire, he grumbles, rubbing his head. It can’t hurt too badly-his head is far too hard.
“And here I always thought I was the one playing with fire. You being the bad boy.”
“Nope,” he says, dropping down beside me. “The one playing with fire is the one most likely to get burned.”
“Ah, well, that settles it. You were only bumped not burned.”
A pause. “Maybe today.”

This second story, to me, was a favorite because we got past all the introductory stuff, for the most part. Jo and Chi and Meda are besties and Meda is a beacon who hangs with the demon hunting crusaders. 90% of the crusaders don’t want her to be at the camp, seeing as she eats souls and all… but Jo and Chi are always at her side and on her side (though it’s not always clear), and would do anything to keep her there/save her-especially Jo. I adored their friendship. I know I tout about the romance blah blah but another layer to this intricate story was the friendship. For real. It was so beautiful to see two total opposites (and old enemies, really) become so close and to see what has became of their unlikely friendship and what’s still to come. I loved it. Not only did it add to the book, it was another key component to making it irresistible.

What a thing, to have your best friend also be your worst enemy.

So, yeah, I could fangirl all day but eh, I think I made my point. I enjoyed this one immensely, and the only thing I can say is that I must love torture. I must love pain. Because my heart? It’s pretty well ripped to shreds, due to recent developments and what’s most likely to come. And, before anyone asks, YES I figured things out and YES I guessed. I won’t elaborate. It changes nothing, ya hear? Nada. So back off on that front, anyone who has anything to say about it. lol. I’m thinking people need to read this. Stat. It’s pretty epic….and I can’t wait to see what happens (maybe…maybe-I might possibly die a slow and painful death, too…who knows? *shrugs).

BOOK REVIEW: Cracked (Soul Eaters #1) by Eliza Crewe

BOOK REVIEW: Cracked (Soul Eaters #1) by Eliza CreweCracked (Soul Eater #1)
by Eliza Crewe
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Meet Meda. She eats people.

Well, technically, she eats their soul. But she totally promises to only go for people who deserve it. She’s special. It’s not her fault she enjoys it. She can’t help being a bad guy. Besides, what else can she do? Her mother was killed and it’s not like there are any other “soul-eaters” around to show her how to be different. That is, until the three men in suits show up.

They can do what she can do. They’re like her. Meda might finally have a chance to figure out what she is. The problem? They kind of want to kill her. Before they get the chance Meda is rescued by crusaders, members of an elite group dedicated to wiping out Meda’s kind. This is her chance! Play along with the “good guys” and she’ll finally figure out what, exactly, her ‘kind’ is.

Be careful what you wish for. Playing capture the flag with her mortal enemies, babysitting a teenage boy with a hero complex, and trying to keep one step ahead of a too-clever girl are bad enough. But the Hunger is gaining on her.

The more she learns, the worse it gets. And when Meda uncovers a shocking secret about her mother, her past, and her destiny… she may finally give into it.

Sometimes bad things need to be reminded they’re not the only ones who can bite.

Fun, witty, and surprisingly deep and heartfelt, this story was a page-turner from beginning to end. Meda was a character that will be impossible to forget-if not because of her devious habits, then because of her snarky and hilarious humor. A fun cast of characters makes this book easy to devour and there’s no character you don’t have strong feelings for.

Like any fatherless child, I’ve wondered about the man responsible for the glory that is me. Needless to say, it’s disappointing to learn he’s the kind who’d probably eat his young.

More than once I found myself tearing up and fighting back tears-this story wasn’t without it’s tragedies, despite the hilarious undertones. I was, admittedly, a little shocked that my heart strings were starting to fray by the end of this story….from the beginning I knew that this was going to be deeper than I thought, but not once did I believe it would bring tears to my eyes. The mocking narrative took away from the harshness of what Meda really does, but it’s not so easily forgotten when surrounded with her brethren.

They claim revenge is a dish best served cold, but I’ve found it to be equally delicious hot-not unlike fried chicken.

Dark, gritty, and fast-paced, I found this one hard to put down. Not often does a romance not including the main character (yet) pull me in, but I was addicted to Jo and Chi’s story. So cute and a little desperate, we get all the action and a slab of romance on the side. I can’t wait to see where Meda and Armand’s story goes (what? I’m ALL about the romance, sorry lol) in the next story. He seems to be a dark little soul…Come to mama.


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Oh, and did I mention the peril was through the roof near the end?? Points to Crewe! I LOVED that.

*Sorry-my review reflects my mood-dark and dry….I don’t normally flub or write such short/drab stuff, but I just can’t write right now. I had lots of funny quotes and quite a bit to say but…Oh well.*

BOOK REVIEW : Cracked (Soul Eater #1) by Eliza Crewe

BOOK REVIEW : Cracked (Soul Eater #1) by Eliza CreweCracked (Soul Eater #1)
by Eliza Crewe
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Meet Meda. She eats people.

Well, technically, she eats their soul. But she totally promises to only go for people who deserve it. She’s special. It’s not her fault she enjoys it. She can’t help being a bad guy. Besides, what else can she do? Her mother was killed and it’s not like there are any other “soul-eaters” around to show her how to be different. That is, until the three men in suits show up.

They can do what she can do. They’re like her. Meda might finally have a chance to figure out what she is. The problem? They kind of want to kill her. Before they get the chance Meda is rescued by crusaders, members of an elite group dedicated to wiping out Meda’s kind. This is her chance! Play along with the “good guys” and she’ll finally figure out what, exactly, her ‘kind’ is.

Be careful what you wish for. Playing capture the flag with her mortal enemies, babysitting a teenage boy with a hero complex, and trying to keep one step ahead of a too-clever girl are bad enough. But the Hunger is gaining on her.

The more she learns, the worse it gets. And when Meda uncovers a shocking secret about her mother, her past, and her destiny… she may finally give into it.

Hey, Meda !!

Good God, children. Can we focus on what’s important? Me.

Oh. My. That girl. That girl. She was amazing. No need to remind that female leads and me are always on very thin ice : perhaps I’m sometimes too harsh with them but come on, that’s kind of sick how girls are portrayed in almost all young-adults books. When they aren’t Mary Sue, they have this ridiculous habit to melt on the floor at the first sign of hot boys – as f*cking annoying as it is, it became so frequent that I almost expect this when I begin a new book. How many, I’m asking, how many so called kick-ass heroines prove to be gentle puppies after the first half of their story? Too much.

A small girl, still young enough to suffer the indignity of pigtails, holds out a dead golfish in her cupped hand.
Thanks, but I just ate.
“My fish died,” she lisps around missing teeth. She looks at me expectantly.
Ah – catastrophe has struck and she’s in search of an adult to handle it. (…) Fortunately, I know just how to handle this one.
“Flush it down the toilet.”
(…)
What? It’s a fish.

While Meda never disappoints. Her sarcastic and selfish way of thinking is so damn refreshing and funny – You can’t not enjoy that book. Seriously. I’m totally fangirling here : she says sentences we almost always said thought once and even if she’s pretty insensible in the major part of that book, I adored her. Be my friend, Meda. I could totally be useful – you know, the bear catchs the slower thing.

She kinda reminds me of Dante from The Collector – I could totally copy/paste his description – Let’s see what I wrote about him :

– perfectly selfish, conceited, smart-ass, liar, and he completely doesn’t care – but then, totally – what others may think or feel.

That’s my Meda. This description fully suits her : she’s a daemon (okay, Halfling) who eats souls and uses people when she needs to. Well, she decided to kill bad guys only, but not because she’s a kind person, no. I’ll let you discover why.

One brightly coloured announcement contains a collection of smiling, gap-toothed children with the words “Be Yourself” in big block letters. Worst advice I’ve ever been given by a poster.

She’s a total kick-ass

But also reminds me a little bit of –

You know, this funny but selfish lizard dragon (oups, sorry sorry Mushu) who is continually trying to hide his hole of a heart? Who’s afraid of the very word of feelings? See? I think he could give Meda a high five. Seriously.

And maybe, maybe, as Mushu, she’ll discover her heart – maybe. Guess you have to read it to know^^.

And the other characters? Want to meet them? Read that preview and enjoy.

Asinine solo plan where I risk it all to save the planet! Chi.
Rude comment. Jo.
Fake attempt to be included in dangerous mission. Me.
Slightly less asinine plan involving the two of us. Uri.
Rude comment. Almost-sane plan using Chi and me. Jo.
Overprotective response. Chi.
Reeaaally rude comment! Jo.
Cringe-worthy comment about Jo’s leg. Chi.
Head explodes. Near homicide. Jo.
Life-saving intervention ending the debate and getting everyone to agree to Jo’s plan. Me.

That book is filled with friendship : how can we trust someone enough to accept him as a friend? Do we have to trust someone to become friends?

I really appreciated the dynamic of this nutty team and that’s why the lack of romance didn’t bother me – even if I root for this french guy, I totally ship for him. I’m the captain of that ship. He sounds awesome. He ‘s sarcastic too. I love evil. Let’s meet him. Please.

The plot : Templars, did you say templars?
Really? I don’t know why this kind of plot gets to me so easily. Perhaps because I’m a huge nerd fanatic of history. That’s something I struggle to understand with my pupils : the majority isn’t interested in learning how people lived before whereas I always was crazy about it. I mean, hey, what could be more amazing than touching an artifact some hero used centuries ago? Okay, maybe a lot of things, actually. I admit it. Sort of. Playing Assassin’s creed? The truth is, I was this kind of wide-eyed child who stayed hours listening stories about these mad knights (because of course they were nutty, right?) – those annoying children who ask so many questions the museum curator begins to glare at their parents (who shrug, obviously, hey, they have to stand them all the freakin’ days). What I loved here was the fact Eliza Crewe used the Templars mythology in an original way and (almost) never fell into the trap of the religious side of it. Because well, I know Templars were fanatic religious, I know it – and that’s an aspect of the history I like not so much. Magic and fighting are so more fun, don’t you think? That’s why I’m really eager to discover the rest because that manner Eliza Crewe renewed the Templar stuff?

I freakin’ loved it.

✸✸In other words : An enjoying and fascinating immersion in the head of a wonderful sarcastic b*tch, tinged with a reckless but likeable almost-templar and a screwed-up BBF, the whole thing wildly hilarious, fast-paced and never boring. Plus, icing on the cake : I’m pretty sure I’ll love this Armand guy. Instalove here. Yep.✸✸

PS : OMG, I’ve just seen the ridiculous little number of ratings of that book. What are you waiting? Go read this book! Now!

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