Future Edit: This review is something that I consider to be rather inaccurate, especially after thinking more and more about this book's characters, story, and writing style. In short, it is nowhere near the amount of praise that I gave it in this review. I'm changing the score to a 3.5 out of 5 rather than a 4.5. It was above average, but I gave it way too much praise in this review. You can go ahead and read the rest of this review if you'd like to, but just keep in mind that I view this review to not truly reflect my feelings towards this book very accurately.
What better way to start of the Month of Love (and Heartbreak, depending on how you look at it) than with a romance book review! Happy February to you all!
When it comes to paranormal romance, you pretty much have to suspend disbelief for many plot points. Whenever you’re talking about werewolves, vampires, angels, or elves, you have to make yourself believe that these things exist within the book. However, there are times where the amount of bullcrap is so overloaded that your disbelief does not stay suspended and you can’t help but question what’s going on. However, when it came to this book, I never felt like I had to suspend anything. This is one of the most realistic paranormal romance novels that I’ve ever read; everything from the characters, to the plot, to the mystery, to the writing style…I never found it hard to believe what was happening. But, even though it’s realistic, does that make the book good by any means? Sit back, relax, and read on as I review Existence by Abbi Glines.
The Setup:
The setting of the book is in Florida, in a high school. Our main character for this evening is Pagan Moore, a senior who is pretty much normal except for the fact that she can see souls. One day, she encounters a new soul that can talk and interact with her…and to be honest that’s about all I really want to say concerning the setup. It sounds fairly generic, but just because something sounds generic doesn’t mean that it truly is. I’ve stated before that I don’t care how clichéd or generic something is as long as it’s entertaining, has great characters, or turns into something unique and original. Well, Existence hits all of these marks.
The Characters:
This cast of characters has to be one of the more memorable ones I’ve come across in a very long time. The main character Pagan is absolutely fantastic. She doesn’t fall under the generic “I don’t know that I’m pretty” girl, she’s quiet and smart but isn’t a nerd or an outcast, she’s very capable of fending for herself, and also tends to let her emotions run wild. I managed to really connect with her, and felt her heartbreak, happiness, anger, distaste, and pretty much every other feeling that she felt. See, Stephanie Meyer! This is how you depict your average teenage girl! Overall, Pagan is now one of my favorite female characters to date, for her perseverance through some truly difficult times for her. Normally, when a girl is so obsessed with a guy that it starts to have a psychological effect on them, I would normally want to yell at them to get over it, but since I understood Pagan I understood why she felt that way, and it’s all thanks to the fantastic writing of this book. Next, there’s Dank, or the soul that can talk to Pagan. I honestly can’t talk about him without veering into heavy spoilers, but let’s just say that even though you don’t know much about him, he’s a pretty understandable character. Next, there’s Leif, the quarterback of the football team and Pagan’s eventual boyfriend. Again, no spoilers here, but I will say to not judge a book by its cover. I should also address the obvious love triangle, which is something that I would normally condemn, but because this book and its characters felt so realistic I honestly can’t. This is one of the few love triangles where I seriously couldn’t decide who Pagan was going to end up with, and was presented as more of a “logic versus emotions” situation, with Leif representing Logic and Dank representing emotions. It kept me wanting to see which aspect that Pagan would choose to follow, which is what love triangles should be doing in the first place. I hate seeing them being used as plot devices without any true meaning, and this is one of the few books that I’ve read that actually makes it feel genuine. Kudos to you, Existence; you proved that all love triangles don’t have to suck. As for the side characters, they did their jobs perfectly, being memorable but not overshadowing the mains, so no complaints here.
The Story:
The story of this book is honestly nothing special, but seeing as how this is a character-driven book, I don’t mind as much. However, one aspect that I need to point out about the story is that you don’t learn exactly what’s going on within the paranormal section of the story; it’s built up as a mystery that will gradually have to be solved. Now, when it comes to stories like this, it is very hit-or-miss for me; it is very easy to make a story like this unbearably slow. However, Existencemanages to pull it off, with great pacing and interesting enough characters that make you want to learn what’s going on because you care about the characters. This is also a perfect example of why I think characters are vital in your enjoyment of anything; if you’re not invested in the characters, then the story, no matter how well-done it is, falls flat. If you’re invested in the characters, any story, despite how clichéd, generic, or seemingly uninteresting it is, then you want to see what’s going to happen to the characters because you care about them. A lot of this is also attributed to the pacing of the book, and the writing style.
Writing Style/Grammatical Errors:
I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. It wasn’t very fast, but it allowed you to let the atmosphere and the resulting emotions sink into your mind, combined with perfect pacing and a likable voice. The descriptions were pretty good, but the book kind of skips describing the physical characters to a point of which I just have to imagine them in accordance to their personality. As for grammatical errors, there were some, but it wasn’t nearly enough to hinder my enjoyment of this book (but it did slightly irritate me).
Final Judgment:
Overall, I think that this book is excellent. Despite its seemingly generic plot and lack of an interesting story, it has fantastic characters that somehow holds the entire weight of the book and a smooth, atmospheric writing style. I give Existence a 3.5 out of 5, and a recommendation to read it. I know I will; I still have to read the other two books in the trilogy (three including the novella)! But, like always, it is up to you to decide whether or not you like it.
By the way, is it just me or have I been reviewing a lot of good entertainment lately (with the exception of Girl of Nightmares)? I need to review something bad. ScoreCard: Further Recommendations:
The Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout
This is my favorite paranormal romance series of all time. The story is captivating, the characters are unique and fantastic, the writing style is fresh and original, and they’re just excellent books. Read these as soon as you possibly can.
Darkness of Light by Stacie Marie Brown
This book and Existenceare similar in the sense that they both have slow-moving plots, but the characters are strong and interesting enough to make the book entertaining, along with having enough mystery and intrigue to keep your brain wondering what the heck is going on. I recommend this book if you want a similar plot in that sense, along with another strong female lead.
Anime review next week! Here's the hint: Bonds of people is the true power.
See you then!
