Review: Illuminate

Mar •  12 •  2012

Title: Illuminate
Series: Gilded Wings # 1
Genre: Young Adult- Paranormal
Author: Aimee Agresti
Publisher: Harcourt Books
Release Date: March 6, 2012
Book: ARC sent by publisher

“Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything begins to change when she turns sixteen. Along with her best friend Dante and their quiet and brilliant classmate Lance, she is awarded a prestigious internship in the big city— Chicago—and is sent to live and work at a swanky and stylish hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous and shockingly young-looking strangers: powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit.

As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers a network of secret passageways from the hotel’s jazz-age past that leads her to the heart of the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the hotel?

Illuminate is an exciting saga of a teen’s first taste of independence, her experience in the lap of luxury, and her discovery she may possess strength greater than she ever knew.”

This book for me was slow, but once I warmed up to it and got into the middle part of the book it got better.Though the plot line is good, there is a lot of foundation to the character as well as a mystery. What I liked most about this book are the great characters. Here we have characters that are taken out of the world they’ve know and thrown into something else. I adored their strength in who they are and what they a becoming. Each character is given an incentive or motive to the plan. Each plan is carefully detailed into the plot so that the reader gets to go on an adventure!

The love interest in this book took a complete turn I did not see! I love that I was surprised as well shock. Not that I did not mind the new love interest, I just wanted to see more than what I did. I am hoping that in the next book we get more characters who were minor yet played a bigger role than I ever imagined.

Illuminate is an great book. Filled with loads of mystery, secrets, and paintings that change before your eyes, and a hot dude that makes your jaw drop.

I give it 4 BITES!
Happy Reading!

Posted by on Mar 12, 2012 in 2012, Aimee Agresti, Review, Young Adult | 10 comments

10 Comments

  1. Rebecca Hamilton
    Mar 12, 2012

    Thanks for posting the review! this one is on my to-read list (kinda far down on it, but I’m still looking forward to reading, more so now after this review!)

  2. Amy
    Mar 12, 2012

    Great review! I so have to check this one out – thank you for sharing! 🙂

  3. Jenny
    Mar 12, 2012

    A surprise love interest? That sounds promising. I always like when thing turn out differently than I expect them to! I’ve heard great things about this one, I’m excited to read it:)

  4. Shellie
    Mar 12, 2012

    I’m still reading this one but liking it so far. So much detail <3 Lovely review, makes me wonder who this love interest is now.

  5. Wendy Darling
    Mar 13, 2012

    Mysteries! Paintings that change before your eyes! Hot dudes! SOLD. Hah! Love how enthusiastic you are about this one, Savvy, can’t wait to read this. 🙂

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden