Hidden by Marianne Curley Review

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Title: Hidden
Author: Marianne Curley (Twitter)
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's
Publish Date: June 25, 2013
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher

For as long as Ebony can remember, she's been sheltered. Confined to her home in a secluded valley, home-schooled by her protective parents, and limited to a small circle of close friends. It's as if she's being hidden. But something is changing in Ebony. Something that can't be concealed. She's growing more beautiful by the day, she's freakishly strong, and then there's the fact that she's glowing.

On one fateful night, Ebony meets Jordan and she's intensely drawn to him. It's as if something explodes inside of her--something that can be seen from the heavens. Ebony still doesn't know that she's a stolen angel, but now that the heavens have found her, they want her back.
Ebony's life has never really been all that interesting, but she's always know that she's different. She doesn't get sick, she has incredible senses and she's always been sheltered and protected by her overly-careful parents. But Ebony wants to be a normal teenager, so she does what any rebellious teen will do; she sneaks out to a club, and it turns out to be the very action that sets her entire future in motion. Ebony learns that there is more to her past - and her future - than she could ever imagine. But there is a strong possibility that all these revelations will hardly lead to a happy ending. 

From veteran author, Marianne Curley, comes a brilliant new planned series about angels, starting with Hidden, the first installment. I've previously read the Guardians of Time series from the author, and her writing is exceptional. She's known for her incredible world-building, flawless character development and realistic voices. With a firm fan base and a proven track record of solid writing, Hidden is sure to find a favoured niche in the paranormal market. With a solid plot, a host of characters and an unlikely romance, we're given a novel that embraces the best aspects of the genre.

I have so many feelings about Hidden that I'm almost unsure where to start this review. Guys, I'm a huge fan of Marianne's writing. She's a fantastic author, and I've really loved her previous work, but I think that might actually have taken away from some of my enjoyment of this book. I had very high hopes for the book, and it was probably tricky to even measure up to those. Nevertheless, I had some issues with Hidden, and they really start with Ebony. She's a pretty formulaic YA character. For the most part, she exuded this melodramatic immaturity that detracted from the actual storyline. Yes, I understand her rebellion stems from her sheltered upbringing, but it made her rather unlikable and difficult to relate to. Furthermore, readers of my blog know that I'm really not a fan of insta-love, so when a love story enters at the speed of light twice, I lost my marbles a bit. I think that the relationships with Jordan and Thane could have been deeper and more empathetic, and I would have been able to reconcile with the insta-love, but both connections were, unfortunately, lacking in depth. I will say that Hidden has a stellar premise and a really solid plot in terms of angel books. I thought that the world the author built was solid and intriguing, plus the prose was fluid and engaging, so I really wished we'd had more of an opportunity to explore those aspects of the story, rather than being thrust into relationships, which superseded the true highlights of the novel.

Overall, I think that Hidden will find a strong base of fans within its genre, but I'm not sure if this series is for me. I love the author's work, and I remain an ardent fan, but I couldn't seem to get invested in Ebony's plight. I give it a 2.5 out of 5, and I'd still recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy paranormal and angel books

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

17 comments:

  1. Aww, sorry you end up quite disappointed in this one. It's just really sad when you end up not liking a new book from you favorite author. Especially since you trusted them. And yes, an insta-love would definitely kill that. Haha. Maybe her future books will work for you, not just this one. Thanks for the lovely and honest review, Melissa. :)

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    1. Thank YOU, Eunice! I had such a hard time writing this review because I love Marianne, but this one just didn't work for me...at all.

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  2. "For the most part, she exuded this melodramatic immaturity that detracted from the actual storyline."

    Um, yikes. That paired with double insta-love ensures that this is definitely not a book I will be picking up. I have no doubt this author is wonderful, it just sounds like there are too many YA cliches in this book to make it enjoyable. I'll have to go back and check out some of her earlier work:)

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    1. She's an amazing author, Jenny, but don't read this book from her. Try her Guardians of Time series...it's amazing. This...just felt really bland, unfortunately!

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  3. I have seen a TON of not-so-positive reviews for this book. I think I'll still check it out (mainly because Angel books are generally a hit with me - some of them, anyway), but I'm already wary of this MC!

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    1. I totally struggled with this one, Leanna. I hope that more readers love it though, and that it was just a one-off for me!

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  4. Aww, I'm sorry you weren't really able to fall in love with this one. I hate when my expectations aren't met with a book. :/ The MC does seem a bit frustrating, and immature, which is definitely not what I like in MC. And gah, insta-love! Twice!! That just seems to blergh to me. And on top of that, we have a love triangle, which I seriously dislike. Even with such a fascinating premise (I mean, hello fallen angels), I think the negatives would definitely outweigh the positives for me with this book.

    Thanks for such an honest and stunning review, Melissa! It seems like this is one I'm going to be skipping out on.

    -Aneeqah @ My Not So Real Life

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    1. Thank you, Aneeqah! It's always hard when a great author writes something you just can't love...but I hope readers will give her other books a chance!

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  5. Ohh, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy this one as much! I agree about her writing - I absolutely love the Guardians of Time series, so will definitely be reading this one. It's interesting to read a review from someone who enjoyed her previous work, but not the new stuff. It's true about high hopes though - now I'm worried I'll have the same thing!

    Thank you for the honest review! =)

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    1. I hope you enjoy it more than I did, Rinn! It has a great concept, and I'm still an ardent fan of Marianne...this one just wasn't for me, unfortunately.

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  6. I'm very picky about angel books, so to hear that this one was a miss for you just makes me wary about it. I mean, it does sound quite intriguing! But the insta-love and the other stuff you mentioned don't sound like they'd work for me.

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    1. As am I, Alexa. I thought that because the author is a favourite of mine, it might work, but it didn't. I'm sure it will work for others though!

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  7. I've chosen to skip this after your review, even though Curley's Old Magic is one of my favorite books EVER. I hadn't heard many positive reviews before this, but seeing as you're a fan, we're bound to have a similar reaction to this. What a shame. I guess I'll just have to re-read my old Curley favorites instead. Thanks for the helpful review, Melissa!

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    1. Marianne is amazing author, Keertana, but this just didn't work for me. I hope she goes back to her old books because that's how she hooked me in the first place!

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  8. Yea, I was disappointed by this one too. The cover is nice though

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    1. The cover is gorgeous...the book definitely left something to be desired though.

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  9. That's too bad about the formulaic MC and double dose of insta-love. The concept sounds great, but there needs to more than that to carry a novel. It sounds like the author's Guardians of Time series is worth checking out, though.

    Nice honest review :)

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