Review & Giveaway: Essence by A.L. Waddington (Blog Tour)

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ESSENCE

The Eve Series #1

by A.L. Waddington

Publisher: Booktrope Publishing (Jan 2014)
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Format: eBook (308 pages)
Source: Free book from blog tour for honest review
Find It: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 stars)

Summary
Jocelyn Timmons does not believe she is anything special — just an ordinary high school senior, living an ordinary life full of school-work, volleyball and friends. She’s about to find out how wrong she is. Jackson Chandler moved in to the house across the street. His dark wavy hair, green eyes and charismatic personality draws everyone to him. Everyone, but Jocelyn. Whenever Jackson gets near Jocelyn she feels ill and dizzy. When he touches her, she blacks out and has visions of another life, in another time. As the odd hallucinations evolve and become clearer, she feels a strong pull towards the people she sees there. Frightened, she watches her once stable life begin to crumble around her and she begins to question her own sanity. Could it be possible that these episodes are actually her own memories of a life she is living somehow, somewhere, some-when? Maybe this is time-travel or some other paranormal mysticism? Our minds often wander, but can our souls?(Enlightened, Book2 releases April 21, 2014.)

At A Glance
The concept is amazing but the book is very slow and nothing much happens.

The Good
The new boy, Jackson, comes into town and all of a sudden Jocelyn starts having dreams about living in the 1800s. However, it's not really dreams, it's more like Jocelyn is living in two different time periods. But she isn't aware of it...at first.

I was fascinated by the concept and storyline of Essence the whole way through. It was definitely unique. But the best part for me was the storyline in the late 1800s. The drama was so freaking good. I was totally on Jocelyn's side the whole time as her family and fiancé were being pretty unfair. But I loved how everything turned out. It was a good wrap up.

Jocelyn's story in the current time period was mostly about her falling for Jackson and her not being able to be around him without getting sick, and her trying to figure out why she has memories of living in the 1800s. I loved how the stories kind of intertwined but also remained separate with their characters and plots. It was a good balance. And Jackson was a lot more cute and lovable in this time period. I would have felt all warm and giddy if a boy like him was interested in me.

The mystery was definitely fun and interesting. I would like to see where the author is going to take this series, especially with how this book ended, a little bittersweet.

The Bad
It takes the whole book to finally get an explanation on what the hell was happening. And that's not always a bad thing, as long as there is some kind of action in the middle, but there isn't. You think the slow pacing will pick up somewhere, but it never does.

I also really disliked the 1800's Jackson. Some of his actions seemed sexiest and patronizing. And, yeah, you might say, duh, he does live in the 1800s, that's kinda common behavior. But if you read the book, you would know why that does not apply to Jackson. And the whole Jocelyn getting sick, fainting, and getting injured every freakin' time Jackson gets close to her got annoying real fast.

You would think I would have rated this book lower with how much crap I have to say about it, but I have to admit, I still enjoyed this book despite these downfalls. And I don't even know why.

The Snuggly
Since I didn't like the 1800's Jackson so much, it was harder to get into Jocelyn's relationship with him in that period, but I did love how they ended. They seemed very much in love. The current Jocelyn and Jackson were a lot more fun but also frustrating since it took forever for them to be able to get close to each other.

No sex but some kissing.

Final Thoughts
I am not sure if I would continue this series only because I don't want to wait so long again for something to happen, but if I knew the next book had more going on, I would snatch it up. This story is very interesting and I want to know what is going to happen next. Recommended for people who don't mind slow books.

Quotes
“Time will reveal my love…”


 Jackson approached me with an amazing smile on his beautiful face and his hand extended. "Sorry. I haven't gotten the chance to properly introduce myself. I am Jackson Candler."
His hand barely brushed my fingers in his attempt to shake mine when complete darkness overwhelmed me. Suddenly, my head hit the asphalt with a loud thump.


"I am just happy to know you do not hate me." His green eyes held mine with sincerity, making me all the more nervous.
"I don't hate you. I don't even know you," I stated flatly on purpose.
"So do you do this around all guys, get nauseous and pass out?"
"No, this has never happened to me before." I wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.
"Maybe it means you really like me." His smile widened.
"Or that I'm allergic to you." I gave him a coy smirk.

Author Bio

A.L. Waddington completed her undergraduate studies at University of Texas Dallas and Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis with a BS in Psychology. Angela and her husband, Ty, have a son, two daughters, a puppy, and an oversized cat.  They reside in Indiana.

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