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Girl Meets Underworld by Jess Watkins
Series: Girl Meets Underworld #1
Publication date: February 12th, 2013
Pages: 224
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
Having lost her mother and brother, Stella stands on the roof of her building, about to jump. She is stopped by a handsome young man, who jumps first. Somehow, he survives and Stella soon discovers that Conner holds a dark secret and more than a passing connection to her own unhappiness.
But Conner isn't the only man to take an interest in Stella. Will is dangerous. He has mood swings, a crazy older brother and the ability to heal abnormally quickly. Stella knows what Conner is, but what exactly is Will--and why does he appear to know more about Conner than she does?
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Review:
DISCLAIMER: I was given this book by the author in e-book format in exchange for an honest review.
When I first got into the book, I was a little confused on some aspects. It moved incredibly fast and before I knew it, Stella was finding out that Conner was a vampire and that she was starting to develop feelings for him and Will, another fantasy creature that most people would be well aware of. I found myself stumbling a little over the quick pace and some of the small aspects didn't jive well with me. I found myself more and more often ponding to myself, "but... she/he could do [insert idea] instead? Why are they making it so difficult?" or "Her/His explanation for their actions doesn't make sense. They could have done [this, that, or another]."
As stated in a few other reviews I have read, "It reads very similar to Twilight meets Vampire Diaries". The vampire race in this book was the most prevalent example of this Twilight/Vampire Diaries lovechild. The vampires are cold to the touch, turn to ash when staked (more Buff-esk than Twilight or Vampire Diaries surprisingly), can be killed by the bite of a wereanimal, and are turned by dying with vampire blood in their system. With their being so many vampire styles out there, I would have liked to see something a little different but really... how many different ways can you go with vampires? Pretty much everything has already been done so I do not fault the author for using the more well know attributes of vampires today.
Despite my hang-ups on some of the plot hiccups and the specifics of the vampire race being done already, the book still seemed to capture my interest relatively easily. I did not like that Stella was constantly crying, constantly in danger, and constantly needing to be rescued. At some points I did roll my eyes and wish Stella would fight back at least a little instead of needing Will or Conner to come to her rescue all the time.
When choosing a side in the book I totally chose Conner though. Everyone seemed to beat up on poor Stella like she was no more than a punching bag... except for Conner. You have to side with a guy who doesn't physically harm his woman, right? Conner was truly the all around hero of the story (although Will came riding in on his white horse a time or two as well). He was really the person that kept me reading. By the end even I wanted to smack Stella a little. I admire Conner's restraint. Bravo, Conner!
In summary, did I like the book. It was okay. Did I hate the book with the fire of a thousand suns? No. There are fine points to the book and there are points that are a bit lacking. It would be a good recommendation for someone looking for a book that was reminiscent of Twilight.
