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Mesmerized
Seventeen-year-old succubus Lily Anderson can’t have a normal She isn't allowed a boyfriend, she has no friends, and school is just one mess-up after another. Lily’s parents send her away to the prestigious Emerson Academy. It doesn’t appear to be any different from the others. That is, until she meets her roommate, Hannah, and a blue-eyed boy named Jake. Lily makes an almost deadly mistake, and Jake has a mysterious past that has come back to haunt him. Together, they must go on the run from things neither of them understand in order to save the people they love—and each other. But, Jake’s foe is more dangerous than they realized, and it will take the help of friends and family to save the man Lily loves. She must learn to use her powers for good before it’s too late. This is a mature YA. Due to sexual content and some language it is not recommended for younger teens.
324 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2011
13 people are currently reading
1076 people want to read
About the author
Julia Crane
78 books967 followersJulia crane is the author of the Keegan’s Chronicles, IFICS. She has a bachelors degree in criminal justice. Julia has believed in magical creatures since the day her grandmother first told her an Irish tale. Growing up her mother greatly encouraged reading and using your imagination.
http://juliacrane.com
http://juliacrane.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
January 30, 2012
Oh, how I wanted to like this book. The premise was interesting enough (you don't see a lot of teenage succubi in YA literature these days). And, of course, it had all the hallmarks of a slightly schlocky but readable teen book: girl moves to a new school, wants to fit in but can't, meets the One Boy to Rule Them All, etc, etc. All of which I was on board with, until the plot line took a right turn straight into absurdity.
See, on top of Lily's "woe-is-me, I'm-a-beautiful-succubus," antics, her would-be boyfriend Jake has been cursed with immortality. Which, on the one hand, means sexyfuntimes are free to be had, since Lily can't kill him with her succubisity. BUT. BUT. Jake has managed to attract the attention of a super bad guy who wants his immortality and also, IDEK, to eat little babies or something.
So Jake and Lily take off on the run, and, of course, get kidnapped; at which point Lily is forced to acknowledge the useful of her succubi powers when getting them free (learning experience!). They finally turn to Lily's parents for help...which is about the time a giant deus ex machina takes over the end of the book. Lily's Super Succubus Mom, Secret Special Forces Dad, and Random Witch swoop in and defeat the Very Bad Man as quickly as you can say, "You're a Very Bad Man."
Random Witch gives Lily a Magic Bracelet so that men don't act like creepy stalkers around her. Jake decides his immortality is worth it so that he can stay with Lily FOREVER. Everyone lives happily ever after, THE END.
On the other hand, the cover art is really pretty.
See, on top of Lily's "woe-is-me, I'm-a-beautiful-succubus," antics, her would-be boyfriend Jake has been cursed with immortality. Which, on the one hand, means sexyfuntimes are free to be had, since Lily can't kill him with her succubisity. BUT. BUT. Jake has managed to attract the attention of a super bad guy who wants his immortality and also, IDEK, to eat little babies or something.
So Jake and Lily take off on the run, and, of course, get kidnapped; at which point Lily is forced to acknowledge the useful of her succubi powers when getting them free (learning experience!). They finally turn to Lily's parents for help...which is about the time a giant deus ex machina takes over the end of the book. Lily's Super Succubus Mom, Secret Special Forces Dad, and Random Witch swoop in and defeat the Very Bad Man as quickly as you can say, "You're a Very Bad Man."
Random Witch gives Lily a Magic Bracelet so that men don't act like creepy stalkers around her. Jake decides his immortality is worth it so that he can stay with Lily FOREVER. Everyone lives happily ever after, THE END.
On the other hand, the cover art is really pretty.
October 17, 2012
Wah wah wah, I'm a stunning succubus. Guys fall in love with me left and right and act like complete fools when I'm around. The premise of a succubus has been done brilliantly before, in Richelle Mead's Succubus Blues series. Yes, I know succubi are supposed to be beautiful and seductive, but Richelle Mead wrote about it in such a way as for the main character to be sympathetic, flawed, and eminently likeable. In this book, the main character comes off as a whining, whingeing sniveling bit of a Mary Sue instead of a real person (so to speak). 10 pages into the book and I was ready to strangle her. Lily makes Bella seem likeable in comparison.
November 26, 2012
I can't believe this book. I'm pretty certain that I can write books that have better grammar than this (my grammar is terrible), and also it sounds like the sort of story that I used to write when I was in grade six-- skipping some parts, grammar really bad, and some things not making ANY sense. For example. on page 62/146 for an epub e-book, this is a scene where Jake is telling the main character LIly about his dad. He has said previously that he just celebrated his 203rd birthday, except on this page, it says that his father died of the plague. The only plague I can think of that is referred to as "the" plague, is the Black Plague, which was around in the 1400's. First off, that would make this boy 600 years old, at least (if the book's set in the 2000's), and secondly, then that would mean they're all in the 1600's, and I'm pretty sure there were no cars back then. For the rest of the book, I just skimmed through it, so no comments about that. Previously, however, there was another part that annoyed me (one of many, of course). Anyways, these girls are supposed to be about 17-years-old right? When Lily first comes to the school, the popular girl, I think her name is Rebecca or something, dislikes LIly immediately. Because of this sudden dislikes, Rebecca asks Lily to leave the school, and when Lily speaks back and says no (*gasp*) , Rebecca sticks her foot out to trip her during class. Personally, I've known plenty of bitches myself, but none of them have done that. I mean seriously, sticking your foot out? How old does Ms. Crane think they are? I think she's imagining eight year olds getting in a fight, because I definitely wouldn't see a seventeen year old doing stuff like that.
So, overall, I would suggest this book to… *drumroll* …. no one. Actually, if it had less sexual content, I would suggest it to grade 6's, but then the overall plot wouldn't work out with the main character being a succubus. I liked the plot idea (after all, that's why I bought the ebook), but the writing skills of the author just made the book really…. really bad. Some people obviously like it, but for me, the author has to have a good plot, and good writing skills. Call me picky, but it's true, and this author so did not have good wiring skills. Then again, this is just my personal opinion.
So, overall, I would suggest this book to… *drumroll* …. no one. Actually, if it had less sexual content, I would suggest it to grade 6's, but then the overall plot wouldn't work out with the main character being a succubus. I liked the plot idea (after all, that's why I bought the ebook), but the writing skills of the author just made the book really…. really bad. Some people obviously like it, but for me, the author has to have a good plot, and good writing skills. Call me picky, but it's true, and this author so did not have good wiring skills. Then again, this is just my personal opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2012
I received this book from author Julia Crane, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Julia.
"Mesmerized" is the first book with succubus that I read. I can tell you that I liked even more than I expected. It was an easy reading, but sometimes, emotional, managing to snatch a few tears.
I liked that although Lily is condemned to a difficult life because of her condition, and seems to be resigned with this, meets Jake, a simple human, but special than everyone else. From this meeting, Lily's world is radically changing, and her love story with Jake, meets an unexpected obstacle.
I liked the book so much that I could not leave it. I was curious to see how it's all over, and I was happy with the ending, and the entire action. Just sometimes I would have liked that action be developed.
This, and that was over too quickly, are the weaknesses of the book, from my point of view. If you want a easy reading, but thrilling and exciting at the same time, I recommend you this book.
"Mesmerized" is the first book with succubus that I read. I can tell you that I liked even more than I expected. It was an easy reading, but sometimes, emotional, managing to snatch a few tears.
I liked that although Lily is condemned to a difficult life because of her condition, and seems to be resigned with this, meets Jake, a simple human, but special than everyone else. From this meeting, Lily's world is radically changing, and her love story with Jake, meets an unexpected obstacle.
I liked the book so much that I could not leave it. I was curious to see how it's all over, and I was happy with the ending, and the entire action. Just sometimes I would have liked that action be developed.
This, and that was over too quickly, are the weaknesses of the book, from my point of view. If you want a easy reading, but thrilling and exciting at the same time, I recommend you this book.
January 19, 2012
Could've been a really interesting storyline - definitely haven't read any books touching on this aspect of the paranormal realm, but the plot was way too rushed and there was no character development so it was hard to make any relationships believable. (Hey, I dream about you. Hey, I wanna jump your bones. I'm immortal. I'm a succubus. We need to run away. Oh, hey, use those powers you have never used before and cannot remotely be comfortable with and steal a car. Ok.) It was just bizarre. Like a check list the author was trying to run down.
Also, I never review a book based on editorial mistakes because I understand they can be missed, but there were tons here. Lots of repetitive words and fragmented sentences.
Also, I never review a book based on editorial mistakes because I understand they can be missed, but there were tons here. Lots of repetitive words and fragmented sentences.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2012
This one really pissed me off. For one thing, the main character was the most immature, spoiled brat I have ever heard. She whined and overreated about everything. There is no way an "old soul" would have been attracted to her. Also, I was sick of his preaching about her desires. Hello, she's a succubus. You knew this. And did the author(s) really think I wouldn't notice they never explained what her father did for a living? There were few explainations to the entire story and none of it made sense. Such as her mother constantly lecturing her about how dangerous she was to boys yet never actually explaining her powers or whether or not she was immortal. I could go on but frankly, I'm sick of even thinking about this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2012
I'm rating this 2 stars b/c it's just like it say "it's OK" I wasn't moved by this book, I never got caught up in relationship of Lily and Jake, never felt like that was much of a friendship between, Hanna and Lily. Most stuff in this book seemed but move at an unreasonably fast pace, nothing felt rooted. I felt like the book had so much potential in reading the description, I just felt let down.
February 15, 2012
This book was really good! I'm a big romance fan so this book was one of my favorites. It reminded me of the quote "Love conquers all". I rated this book 5 stars and recommend it to every one! :)
January 20, 2012
I really wanted to love this book. Honestly. The story itself was good - unlike anything I'd read so far. A succubus who hates her powers? Finding love and all the dramas of boarding school, a little action... sounded great to me. However...
It didn't read well. It sounded more like a series of events, the characters weren't hashed out properly, there wasn't enough development. How about some explanations of her feelings, especially the sexual side? You can't write a story about a teen succubus coming into her powers and ignore exactly that! But the biggest thing for me was the grammar. Mistakes are very common in the cheaper e-books and it's something you just have to deal with. But this felt like reading my 8 year olds homework. These writers need to learn the value of , - and ; these little symbols can make a story, completely change the feel of what you ate reading. It's incredibly important! Honestly I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, and I absolutely hate saying that. As I opened with, it had hope, a fresh story, could have been great.
It didn't read well. It sounded more like a series of events, the characters weren't hashed out properly, there wasn't enough development. How about some explanations of her feelings, especially the sexual side? You can't write a story about a teen succubus coming into her powers and ignore exactly that! But the biggest thing for me was the grammar. Mistakes are very common in the cheaper e-books and it's something you just have to deal with. But this felt like reading my 8 year olds homework. These writers need to learn the value of , - and ; these little symbols can make a story, completely change the feel of what you ate reading. It's incredibly important! Honestly I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, and I absolutely hate saying that. As I opened with, it had hope, a fresh story, could have been great.
August 6, 2013
This was an okay read, but bored me in a few parts.
Lilly was an alright character. She was nice, and stuck up for herself.
Sometimes she really annoyed me though.
I get why she found guys being obsessed over her annoying, because they were basically following her around drooling, and were all over her. She got kisses forced onto her, and one guy even went as far as breaking into her room before she moved to Emerson Academy. Though, it really annoyed me how she kept on mentioning that. It was just really repetitive and sounded whiny.
I also hated how, on the subject of her powers, she turned into a hypocrite. She hated how her mother used her powers to get what she wanted, but done it herself. I get that she had to do it, but after being so anti-powers, you'd think she'd be more understanding with her mum afterwards.
Overall, it was an okay read, I just wish Lilly stopped switching from an okay character to a whiny one.
Lilly was an alright character. She was nice, and stuck up for herself.
Sometimes she really annoyed me though.
I get why she found guys being obsessed over her annoying, because they were basically following her around drooling, and were all over her. She got kisses forced onto her, and one guy even went as far as breaking into her room before she moved to Emerson Academy. Though, it really annoyed me how she kept on mentioning that. It was just really repetitive and sounded whiny.
I also hated how, on the subject of her powers, she turned into a hypocrite. She hated how her mother used her powers to get what she wanted, but done it herself. I get that she had to do it, but after being so anti-powers, you'd think she'd be more understanding with her mum afterwards.
Overall, it was an okay read, I just wish Lilly stopped switching from an okay character to a whiny one.
February 22, 2012
I enjoyed the story line a lot. I was probably one of the more original ya I have read in a while. With that said the story was to fast paced, the story did not dwell on anything long enough to allow for an attachment to characters. They could have written it better and maybe drew out Lily and Jake's relationship better to make the reader believe that it was truly more than physical and and Teen love and not an everlasting love that the book clams there's is.
The book was written in third person and from the beginning that bugged me. First person point of view with switching perspectives would have made for a better attachment to the characters. They could have turned this into a trilogy and made for better character development. It was still a c=good read.
The book was written in third person and from the beginning that bugged me. First person point of view with switching perspectives would have made for a better attachment to the characters. They could have turned this into a trilogy and made for better character development. It was still a c=good read.
February 9, 2012
Mesmerized started out really great. The main character- gorgeous but not pretentious, great character building, wonderful story line.
Not even half way through the book, it felt like a different writer took over. Maybe her 7th grade daughter. The relationship between the two main character happened so fast, and without any sort of explanation, then they run off together- mom thinks its fine.
The rest of the story/plot seemed rushed and shallow. It was really hard to finish this book. I wish Julia Crane would clock back in and slow down!
Not even half way through the book, it felt like a different writer took over. Maybe her 7th grade daughter. The relationship between the two main character happened so fast, and without any sort of explanation, then they run off together- mom thinks its fine.
The rest of the story/plot seemed rushed and shallow. It was really hard to finish this book. I wish Julia Crane would clock back in and slow down!
April 6, 2014
I think this book had a good plot but I feel like it was much too rushed. Even though lots of characters fall for each other in really short periods of time, Lily and Jake went from knowing nothing about each other to being the most important ant things in each other's lives. It just felt really unnatural. The problem Jake has with his hunters is just thrown into the mix. It was awkward. I think this book would have a lot better if there was more detail throughout.
October 11, 2012
Will add a review at a later date.
December 21, 2012
The book was ok. I really would have liked a more dramatic ending. I did enjoy the
Romance between Jake and Lily.
Romance between Jake and Lily.
May 9, 2019
No matter how many times I read this book it always brings out emotions in me. This is a brilliantly written books and the characters are easy to love. Would highly recommend.
July 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
November 2, 2016
Absolute shite .......no offence to the author I'm sure her other books are ok
March 31, 2014
Read this review on my blog! http://roseshadowink.wordpress.com/20...
I wanted to try a paranormal YA with more adult themes, and the cover, name and blurb were enticing, so I used some of my Christmas book money and ordered this one.
So we meet Lily, who is highly attractive and hates it. This aspect is done very well. The angst of being a succubus, hated by all females and desired by men for all the wrong reasons; Lily's struggle is well-executed. She meets her new roommate Hannah, an awkward girl who manages to see past her inevitable envy of Lily and be her friend. Hannah was a nice character we didn't see nearly enough of.
I felt the insertion of the cliche Mean Girl Samantha was a bit unnecessary to the plot and didn't add anything.
Jake is a nice love interest. Not too perfect. At first, his relationship with Lily was sweet, and I liked being in his head and seeing Lily through his eyes. Of course, they end up on the run due to an accident involving Lily's powers, and it doesn't take long for them to get down to it. A lot. Which is fine - she's a succubus, after all, and the rating is mature YA. Plus, there's real love there and I don't have a problem with that. It was the constant "our relationship can't be all about sex" angst, and then not a whole lot of showing of their non-sex relationship, which grated me a bit.
But what really killed the rating for me was the second half of the book. Lily'a problems can be taken care of solely by her mother, like an afterthought, which really too away from the sense of conflict in the story. Jake's problems are a bit harder to solve, but again, the issue is left to Lily's parents. I suppose that this might be more realistic and perhaps more moral, since most YA has teenager saving the world while their parents do God-knows-what, but it did make it harder for me to connect to Lily and Jake's struggle.
So Lily's mom - powerful succubus, enlists the help of her friend Camille, a powerful witch. Lily looks up to Camille as a powerful woman, but her character is really too mysterious I'm sure that's what the author was going for, but it is overdone. I just don't understand who she is or what her powers really are or what makes her tick. And when Camille simply disposes of an antagonist because "he was too evil to live" it is done more as an afterthought. This is unfortunate. That could have been a serious source of conflict and rumination between the character, but instead the character is just conveniently killed of so the plot can breeze on into Lily and Jake's relationship.
Lily's mortal father also helps out, through his super-secret job, that is never remotely explained, though it does conveniently advance the plot. Which would have been fine, if it had been explained.
But my biggest problem was definitely the lack of explanation of Lily and her mother's powers. The entire plot hinges on what these succubi can do, but it is basically brushed off - Lily never asked much, and her mother never told much. How old is her mother? From where did her mother get her succubus powers? What other supernatural creatures are out there and how do they get along? These issues are never really dealt with and that didn't work for me.
All in all, I think this book just wasn't for me. I don't read straight romance, entirely BECAUSE I need conflict, depth and high stakes to make me care about the characters and feel invested in their relationships. Lily mentions several times how much she likes romance novels, so maybe that is more what this is intended to be. I felt like everything that wasn't immediately concerned with their relationship was considered afterthought and throwaway. But this made me LESS invested in their relationship, not more. I don't have a problem with romance AS AN ASPECT (I can't get enough Sydrian, for example), but as I said, I need high stakes and a multi-layered plot and well-formed paranormal world to back it up. So fans of straight romance will probably like this more than people who need solid paranormal world-building.
I wanted to try a paranormal YA with more adult themes, and the cover, name and blurb were enticing, so I used some of my Christmas book money and ordered this one.
So we meet Lily, who is highly attractive and hates it. This aspect is done very well. The angst of being a succubus, hated by all females and desired by men for all the wrong reasons; Lily's struggle is well-executed. She meets her new roommate Hannah, an awkward girl who manages to see past her inevitable envy of Lily and be her friend. Hannah was a nice character we didn't see nearly enough of.
I felt the insertion of the cliche Mean Girl Samantha was a bit unnecessary to the plot and didn't add anything.
Jake is a nice love interest. Not too perfect. At first, his relationship with Lily was sweet, and I liked being in his head and seeing Lily through his eyes. Of course, they end up on the run due to an accident involving Lily's powers, and it doesn't take long for them to get down to it. A lot. Which is fine - she's a succubus, after all, and the rating is mature YA. Plus, there's real love there and I don't have a problem with that. It was the constant "our relationship can't be all about sex" angst, and then not a whole lot of showing of their non-sex relationship, which grated me a bit.
But what really killed the rating for me was the second half of the book. Lily'a problems can be taken care of solely by her mother, like an afterthought, which really too away from the sense of conflict in the story. Jake's problems are a bit harder to solve, but again, the issue is left to Lily's parents. I suppose that this might be more realistic and perhaps more moral, since most YA has teenager saving the world while their parents do God-knows-what, but it did make it harder for me to connect to Lily and Jake's struggle.
So Lily's mom - powerful succubus, enlists the help of her friend Camille, a powerful witch. Lily looks up to Camille as a powerful woman, but her character is really too mysterious I'm sure that's what the author was going for, but it is overdone. I just don't understand who she is or what her powers really are or what makes her tick. And when Camille simply disposes of an antagonist because "he was too evil to live" it is done more as an afterthought. This is unfortunate. That could have been a serious source of conflict and rumination between the character, but instead the character is just conveniently killed of so the plot can breeze on into Lily and Jake's relationship.
Lily's mortal father also helps out, through his super-secret job, that is never remotely explained, though it does conveniently advance the plot. Which would have been fine, if it had been explained.
But my biggest problem was definitely the lack of explanation of Lily and her mother's powers. The entire plot hinges on what these succubi can do, but it is basically brushed off - Lily never asked much, and her mother never told much. How old is her mother? From where did her mother get her succubus powers? What other supernatural creatures are out there and how do they get along? These issues are never really dealt with and that didn't work for me.
All in all, I think this book just wasn't for me. I don't read straight romance, entirely BECAUSE I need conflict, depth and high stakes to make me care about the characters and feel invested in their relationships. Lily mentions several times how much she likes romance novels, so maybe that is more what this is intended to be. I felt like everything that wasn't immediately concerned with their relationship was considered afterthought and throwaway. But this made me LESS invested in their relationship, not more. I don't have a problem with romance AS AN ASPECT (I can't get enough Sydrian, for example), but as I said, I need high stakes and a multi-layered plot and well-formed paranormal world to back it up. So fans of straight romance will probably like this more than people who need solid paranormal world-building.
April 10, 2015
When I first started this book I really wanted to like it. I was willing to look past the flawless main character and the fact that boys are constantly falling all over her (even though that's pretty much the plot) in order to truly appreciate the book. I don't have anything against supernatural characters, in fact I quite like them. What I don't like, however, is when they're beautiful and perfect and are overly-dramatic like 'oh no I'm a vampire/demon/whatever I'm so awkward everyone hates me yet I'm perfect'. For once I'd like to see a book with a supernatural main character that's not exactly pretty, has flaws and doesn't have 2678 enemies at school.
I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a young adult book, but if so I find the constant 'he's hot I'm a demon I want to rip his clothes off oops I can't' extremely boring, overdone and frankly, annoying. I understand that teens Lily's age think like that and I get that she's a demon that thrives on male attention but that she's trying to control herself, but the constant reminder of the sexual tension and desire between them begins to wear thin after a few pages. Sure, a lot of teens might like to read about desire ant lust and whatnot, but can we just get on with the plot and not have to stop every chapter to mention how hot he looks and how much she wants him?
Speaking of the plot, it's pretty bad. Sending Ben to the hospital I can understand, seeing as she's a demon, but the whole running away with a boy she's just met? Over dramatic and unnecessary if you ask me. I find it hard to believe that someone who felt so guilty would be able to leave, even if they were worried about being found out for what they truly are, and put their trust completely unto someone that they hardly know. I also find it hard to believe that her parents would be okay with running away with a strange, overprotective boy who seems to control Lily and likes telling her what she can't do.
The romance side is also pretty poor. It's unbelievable for starters. Who falls madly in love with someone they've only laid eyes on once? Who runs away with a stranger and thinks it's totally okay because they're 'in love'? Who's parents would be okay with that? And then the whole getting angry at him when he thinks about becoming mortal again? Darling, not everything is about you so let the boy decide without the 'you don't care how could you' attitude. I find it hard to believe that people in real life actually act like this, and that people actually enjoy reading stuff like this.
One thing I did enjoy was the line 'we have to get these people off our backs'. I couldn't help but laugh after reading it. Just because you love him doesn't mean they're suddenly hunting you down. Sure, they want to torture you but they aren't 'on your back' all of a sudden. They're on Jake's back because he's immortal. They aren't on Lily's back because she's not important to them, but they think they can use her to get Jake to talk.
I just don't even know what to say, really. I was expecting this to be different from all the other supernatural books I've read, due to it not being written in first person, but I was wrong. Overall, I didn't enjoy it, thought it was cliché and I wouldn't recommend it.
I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a young adult book, but if so I find the constant 'he's hot I'm a demon I want to rip his clothes off oops I can't' extremely boring, overdone and frankly, annoying. I understand that teens Lily's age think like that and I get that she's a demon that thrives on male attention but that she's trying to control herself, but the constant reminder of the sexual tension and desire between them begins to wear thin after a few pages. Sure, a lot of teens might like to read about desire ant lust and whatnot, but can we just get on with the plot and not have to stop every chapter to mention how hot he looks and how much she wants him?
Speaking of the plot, it's pretty bad. Sending Ben to the hospital I can understand, seeing as she's a demon, but the whole running away with a boy she's just met? Over dramatic and unnecessary if you ask me. I find it hard to believe that someone who felt so guilty would be able to leave, even if they were worried about being found out for what they truly are, and put their trust completely unto someone that they hardly know. I also find it hard to believe that her parents would be okay with running away with a strange, overprotective boy who seems to control Lily and likes telling her what she can't do.
The romance side is also pretty poor. It's unbelievable for starters. Who falls madly in love with someone they've only laid eyes on once? Who runs away with a stranger and thinks it's totally okay because they're 'in love'? Who's parents would be okay with that? And then the whole getting angry at him when he thinks about becoming mortal again? Darling, not everything is about you so let the boy decide without the 'you don't care how could you' attitude. I find it hard to believe that people in real life actually act like this, and that people actually enjoy reading stuff like this.
One thing I did enjoy was the line 'we have to get these people off our backs'. I couldn't help but laugh after reading it. Just because you love him doesn't mean they're suddenly hunting you down. Sure, they want to torture you but they aren't 'on your back' all of a sudden. They're on Jake's back because he's immortal. They aren't on Lily's back because she's not important to them, but they think they can use her to get Jake to talk.
I just don't even know what to say, really. I was expecting this to be different from all the other supernatural books I've read, due to it not being written in first person, but I was wrong. Overall, I didn't enjoy it, thought it was cliché and I wouldn't recommend it.
June 25, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Enjoyable and worth picking up!
March 29, 2013
Ich hatte vorher in einem Kommentar gelesen 'ich habe wirklich versucht das Buch zu mögen, aber ...'.
Und mir ging es genauso.
Es geht um Lily, eine 16-jährige Succuba (wenn mein Latein mich hier nicht gerate verlässt ...). Das alleine klingt shcon spannend. Sie hat echt ihre Schwierigkeiten mit Jungs, die hinter ihr her sind. Außerdem darf sie keinen Jungen küssen, da sie ihm damit die Lebenskraft aussaugt und tötet. Aber statt die einfache Lösung zu suchen - eine Mädchenschule - schicken ihre Eltern sie auf ein gemischtes Internat.
Dort lernt sie Jake kennen, der nicht ganz so stark von ihrer Anziehungskraft beeinflusst wird, wie andere Jungs/Männer.
Nachdem sich ihr ein Junge aufdrängt und sie küsst und prombt ins Koma fällt, flüchten Lily und Jake.
So, und da fängt es dann an merkwürdig zu werden. Denn Jake ist ein verfluchter Mensch, der nicht sterben kann, daher kann Lily ihm nichts anhaben. Aber er ist ebenfalls auf der Flucht vor irgendwelchen Leuten, die ihm das Geheimnis seiner Unsterblichkeit abjagen wollen - und das auch schon seit Jahrhunderten.
Ab da habe ich dann aufgehört zu lesen. Zum einen wird der Stil immer schlechter. Das fällt mir eher selten im Englischen auf, aber wenn jeder Satz mit 'she'/'he' oder 'Lily'/'Jake' anfängt, nervt das nach einer Weile. Vor allem, wenn der Plot es nicht ausbalanciert. Wie gesagt, die Sachen kommen oft aus dem Blauen und den zwei durch die USA zu folgen, fand ich auch seltsam. Jake hat überall seine Häuser und selbst Lilys Eltern nehmen alles recht gelassen.
Dann kommt dazu, dass es sich hier um eine Geschichte über einen Succubus handelt. Ein sexuell gesteuertes Wesen. Irgendwann haben die zwei auch Sex - nachdem Jake sich ziert. Aber im Gegensatz zu Twiligth, wo man Edward wirklich abnimmt, dass er warten möchte (aus den unterschiedlichsten Gründen), fand ich das hier zu wenig ausgearbeitet. Und die Sexszenen ... nun, man kann sie entweder andeuten oder ausführen, aber hier wurde weder noch gemacht.
Generell habe ich das Gefühl, die Geschichte ist ein halbherzig gefüllter Plot. Da fehlt noch einiges an Ausarbeitung, aber dann kann es wirklich spannend und gut werden.
So habe ich aufgehört zu lesen und kann es leider auch nicht weiter empfehlen.
Und mir ging es genauso.
Es geht um Lily, eine 16-jährige Succuba (wenn mein Latein mich hier nicht gerate verlässt ...). Das alleine klingt shcon spannend. Sie hat echt ihre Schwierigkeiten mit Jungs, die hinter ihr her sind. Außerdem darf sie keinen Jungen küssen, da sie ihm damit die Lebenskraft aussaugt und tötet. Aber statt die einfache Lösung zu suchen - eine Mädchenschule - schicken ihre Eltern sie auf ein gemischtes Internat.
Dort lernt sie Jake kennen, der nicht ganz so stark von ihrer Anziehungskraft beeinflusst wird, wie andere Jungs/Männer.
Nachdem sich ihr ein Junge aufdrängt und sie küsst und prombt ins Koma fällt, flüchten Lily und Jake.
So, und da fängt es dann an merkwürdig zu werden. Denn Jake ist ein verfluchter Mensch, der nicht sterben kann, daher kann Lily ihm nichts anhaben. Aber er ist ebenfalls auf der Flucht vor irgendwelchen Leuten, die ihm das Geheimnis seiner Unsterblichkeit abjagen wollen - und das auch schon seit Jahrhunderten.
Ab da habe ich dann aufgehört zu lesen. Zum einen wird der Stil immer schlechter. Das fällt mir eher selten im Englischen auf, aber wenn jeder Satz mit 'she'/'he' oder 'Lily'/'Jake' anfängt, nervt das nach einer Weile. Vor allem, wenn der Plot es nicht ausbalanciert. Wie gesagt, die Sachen kommen oft aus dem Blauen und den zwei durch die USA zu folgen, fand ich auch seltsam. Jake hat überall seine Häuser und selbst Lilys Eltern nehmen alles recht gelassen.
Dann kommt dazu, dass es sich hier um eine Geschichte über einen Succubus handelt. Ein sexuell gesteuertes Wesen. Irgendwann haben die zwei auch Sex - nachdem Jake sich ziert. Aber im Gegensatz zu Twiligth, wo man Edward wirklich abnimmt, dass er warten möchte (aus den unterschiedlichsten Gründen), fand ich das hier zu wenig ausgearbeitet. Und die Sexszenen ... nun, man kann sie entweder andeuten oder ausführen, aber hier wurde weder noch gemacht.
Generell habe ich das Gefühl, die Geschichte ist ein halbherzig gefüllter Plot. Da fehlt noch einiges an Ausarbeitung, aber dann kann es wirklich spannend und gut werden.
So habe ich aufgehört zu lesen und kann es leider auch nicht weiter empfehlen.
March 4, 2014
3.5 / 4 Stars
I'm a big fan of Julia Crane and I'm always game for reading another book she co-wrote. I do have to say that at first I wasn't a big fan of Lily's, but as the book progressed, I started to warm up to her and by the end liked her quite a bit. I can understand some of the initial feedback on the book since I too was kind of annoyed with her attitude towards the men's / boy's reactions to her. She is a succubus, they are supposed to react that way, but how she chooses to acknowledge it didn't always have to be so mean. On the upside, she could have been really conceited and taken advantage of them, but she didn't. Me? I was looking for a happy medium, but once Ben entered the picture, I could see how that may not always be possible.
I haven't read a lot of books about succubi so was very interested to see where this would take us. They are pretty rare and in Lily's case, she is still young and not yet in control of her powers. Even with a dampening stone, men still fall all over themselves to get close to her. As a result, she didn't have a lot of friends and was constantly changing schools. Things at her new school weren't looking much better, but at least she made one friend, Hannah, and met Jake. Just when things are starting to look up, things start to go wrong. Ben gets hurt through no fault of her own, the police want to talk to her about what happened to him, she and Jake run away only to land into more trouble with the people hunting Jake. Why? Well, Jake's kinda special too.
There were definitely some good twists and some that weren't original, but overall, it wasn't a bad story. Lily still had a lot to learn about herself, her gift, and her future, but once things started to get dangerous, she started to understand that there were benefits to her gift and that being a succubus came with responsibilities. There were times she was still a bit frustrating, a little spoiled, and things may have worked out just a tad bit easy, but all in all, I don't think it was deserving of some of the really low ratings. Is this book for everyone, probably not. Aside from the sexual content, I think most young adults would actually like it.
I'm a big fan of Julia Crane and I'm always game for reading another book she co-wrote. I do have to say that at first I wasn't a big fan of Lily's, but as the book progressed, I started to warm up to her and by the end liked her quite a bit. I can understand some of the initial feedback on the book since I too was kind of annoyed with her attitude towards the men's / boy's reactions to her. She is a succubus, they are supposed to react that way, but how she chooses to acknowledge it didn't always have to be so mean. On the upside, she could have been really conceited and taken advantage of them, but she didn't. Me? I was looking for a happy medium, but once Ben entered the picture, I could see how that may not always be possible.
I haven't read a lot of books about succubi so was very interested to see where this would take us. They are pretty rare and in Lily's case, she is still young and not yet in control of her powers. Even with a dampening stone, men still fall all over themselves to get close to her. As a result, she didn't have a lot of friends and was constantly changing schools. Things at her new school weren't looking much better, but at least she made one friend, Hannah, and met Jake. Just when things are starting to look up, things start to go wrong. Ben gets hurt through no fault of her own, the police want to talk to her about what happened to him, she and Jake run away only to land into more trouble with the people hunting Jake. Why? Well, Jake's kinda special too.
There were definitely some good twists and some that weren't original, but overall, it wasn't a bad story. Lily still had a lot to learn about herself, her gift, and her future, but once things started to get dangerous, she started to understand that there were benefits to her gift and that being a succubus came with responsibilities. There were times she was still a bit frustrating, a little spoiled, and things may have worked out just a tad bit easy, but all in all, I don't think it was deserving of some of the really low ratings. Is this book for everyone, probably not. Aside from the sexual content, I think most young adults would actually like it.
August 6, 2013
(Source: Downloaded for free from Amazon.co.uk.)
17-year-old Lily has been forced to change schools a lot in the last few years, all because she’s a succubus, and boys can’t help themselves around her.
This time Lily is being sent to a boarding school called Emerson Academy, but it seems the boys are no different, and they fall over themselves to get near her.
Jake is different though, and Lily has feelings for him that she has never experienced before.
Can Lily and Jake have a relationship when Lily is a succubus? Is Emerson Academy the best place for Lily? And what is different about Jake?
This was a light, easy read about a girl who’s a succubus.
Lily was an okay character. She obviously had a lot to deal with keeping boys at bay, and she did seem to be pretty good at keeping them at bay most of the time. I think it would have been easy for a succubus to quickly become mean girl number 1 in a school environment, but Lily was nice enough to not even consider going down this route which really showed her character. I was actually a little surprised that she didn’t use her talents and influence to her advantage, but again, she seemed too nice for that.
I liked Jake and I was pleased that Lily had found someone who she could really love. The romance between this pair was sweet, and I liked that there was sex in this book, even though it was nothing graphic – mainly just mentioned. I think it would have been weird to have a story about a succubus that didn’t involve sex.
I thought the storyline in this book was okay, although why Lily’s parents thought that sending her to a boarding school would be a good idea I don’t know. Surely spending more time around boys that couldn’t resist her was not the best plan?
The ending of this one was also alright, and I was glad that we got a happy ending.
Overall; a light, easy YA paranormal romance.
6.5 out of 10.
17-year-old Lily has been forced to change schools a lot in the last few years, all because she’s a succubus, and boys can’t help themselves around her.
This time Lily is being sent to a boarding school called Emerson Academy, but it seems the boys are no different, and they fall over themselves to get near her.
Jake is different though, and Lily has feelings for him that she has never experienced before.
Can Lily and Jake have a relationship when Lily is a succubus? Is Emerson Academy the best place for Lily? And what is different about Jake?
This was a light, easy read about a girl who’s a succubus.
Lily was an okay character. She obviously had a lot to deal with keeping boys at bay, and she did seem to be pretty good at keeping them at bay most of the time. I think it would have been easy for a succubus to quickly become mean girl number 1 in a school environment, but Lily was nice enough to not even consider going down this route which really showed her character. I was actually a little surprised that she didn’t use her talents and influence to her advantage, but again, she seemed too nice for that.
I liked Jake and I was pleased that Lily had found someone who she could really love. The romance between this pair was sweet, and I liked that there was sex in this book, even though it was nothing graphic – mainly just mentioned. I think it would have been weird to have a story about a succubus that didn’t involve sex.
I thought the storyline in this book was okay, although why Lily’s parents thought that sending her to a boarding school would be a good idea I don’t know. Surely spending more time around boys that couldn’t resist her was not the best plan?
The ending of this one was also alright, and I was glad that we got a happy ending.
Overall; a light, easy YA paranormal romance.
6.5 out of 10.
October 30, 2012
* Minimal spoilers*
This book sucked butt-_- The main character was a crying about something ALL the time! The author was clearly trying to portray her as a character who suffers a lot and is a complete loner even though she is beautiful blah blah blah... Aside from the annoying protagonist, this books over all plot was point less and unrealistic. Shit just happens for no reason and everything is good and dandy after just a couple moments of action! She basically almost kills a boy who had it coming, her first boyfriend who ooopps just happens to be cursed and is immortal (lucky her* sarcasm*) isn't affected by her uncontrollable succubus killing powers, and if this wasn't enough some one is trying to kill him on top of the fact that they were already on the run... ugh *sigh* this book is all over the place just writing this review gets me aggravated-_- save yourself and your brain cells and dont read this book.
This book sucked butt-_- The main character was a crying about something ALL the time! The author was clearly trying to portray her as a character who suffers a lot and is a complete loner even though she is beautiful blah blah blah... Aside from the annoying protagonist, this books over all plot was point less and unrealistic. Shit just happens for no reason and everything is good and dandy after just a couple moments of action! She basically almost kills a boy who had it coming, her first boyfriend who ooopps just happens to be cursed and is immortal (lucky her* sarcasm*) isn't affected by her uncontrollable succubus killing powers, and if this wasn't enough some one is trying to kill him on top of the fact that they were already on the run... ugh *sigh* this book is all over the place just writing this review gets me aggravated-_- save yourself and your brain cells and dont read this book.
November 18, 2012
I got this book as a free download from amazon.de
The book follows the 17 year old succubus Lily, who has problems with staying in school. To be honest she doesn't really make trouble the problem simply is that the boys at school are going crazy around her. Her parents send her to boarding school in order to try something new. Lily isn't happy about this new situation until she meets her new roommate with whom she gets along good. Later one she meets Jake who is the first boy who isn't acting like a total fool around her. Of courses (how could it be otherwise) Lily is attracted to Jake. They get to know each other and soon both of them get in serious trouble and they decide to run away together. But they realize that the can't run forever so they ask Lily's family for help.
So as you can see the plot has potential. But the writing wasn't that good and also the pace was not right. Sometimes it dragged on and at other times you had the feeling it skipped the important parts.
The book follows the 17 year old succubus Lily, who has problems with staying in school. To be honest she doesn't really make trouble the problem simply is that the boys at school are going crazy around her. Her parents send her to boarding school in order to try something new. Lily isn't happy about this new situation until she meets her new roommate with whom she gets along good. Later one she meets Jake who is the first boy who isn't acting like a total fool around her. Of courses (how could it be otherwise) Lily is attracted to Jake. They get to know each other and soon both of them get in serious trouble and they decide to run away together. But they realize that the can't run forever so they ask Lily's family for help.
So as you can see the plot has potential. But the writing wasn't that good and also the pace was not right. Sometimes it dragged on and at other times you had the feeling it skipped the important parts.
February 10, 2012
The idea of this book is interesting. It's just that the execution is bad.
It's a quick read. There's not much to the plot or character development. The love story between the two main characters is kind of flimsy to me.
The thing that annoyed me was the narration. It really jumped from character to character between paragraphs, so much so that it was sometimes hard to figure out who you're following at that exact moment. You see things from the point of view of minor characters for a few sentences and that's it. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.
Little details are picked out and given attention to for no reason. There's also a lot of editing mistakes that just pulled me out of the story.
All in all, it wasn't a terrible idea for a story - I just thought it could have been done much better.
It's a quick read. There's not much to the plot or character development. The love story between the two main characters is kind of flimsy to me.
The thing that annoyed me was the narration. It really jumped from character to character between paragraphs, so much so that it was sometimes hard to figure out who you're following at that exact moment. You see things from the point of view of minor characters for a few sentences and that's it. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.
Little details are picked out and given attention to for no reason. There's also a lot of editing mistakes that just pulled me out of the story.
All in all, it wasn't a terrible idea for a story - I just thought it could have been done much better.
January 20, 2012
If you do want to read this book make sure you don't spend more than 5 bucks on it
! I feel like this book was too fast paced without an in depth characterization. This is truly the first book I have ever read and felt like it shouldn't even be a book but just a movie. If it were a movie it would be probably a heck of a lot better than what I spent money on. All the elements of a good story were present but they weren't executed at all. It was just an OK book. I'm just glad I spent $3 dollars on it instead of $15. that would have definitely been a waste of my money.
! I feel like this book was too fast paced without an in depth characterization. This is truly the first book I have ever read and felt like it shouldn't even be a book but just a movie. If it were a movie it would be probably a heck of a lot better than what I spent money on. All the elements of a good story were present but they weren't executed at all. It was just an OK book. I'm just glad I spent $3 dollars on it instead of $15. that would have definitely been a waste of my money.
December 30, 2012
At the beginning I truly felt sorry for Lily with all those boys chasing after her, but then we meet Jake someone who Lily can't hurt. I love the chemistry between the two of them, he's not a typical guy it's not all about the sex he actually really wants a relationship that isn't only about the physical side. "Believe me I'm attracted to you sexually," Jake said wryly. He gave her a crooked grin. "I've never wanted anyone so bad in my life. And I've been around for a long time." Truly I'm not sure why this isn't a YA book as the sex scenes aren't really detailed and it's left to the imagination. I love when Lily admits she can feel normal around Jake. "When I'm with you," she said softly, "I actually feel strangely normal."I really enjoyed this book and hope it's the start of a series.
July 18, 2012
Mmmm... How to say it? This book turned out in such a weird thing. It started great, I thought this book would be an amazing one, but then... nothing. No mistery, no adventure, everything ended so easy. I think a person that reads a book loves to seem like he's in the story, and it doesn't. There's a soft line between the reader and the characters, a line where you can't pass. I didn't hate any character, I didn't like anyone, it seems like... I haven't read it.
And I'm sad of this because this story had an amazing plot, it'd would have been a fantastic story. Why? What happened?
I think they're questions with no answer.
And I'm sad of this because this story had an amazing plot, it'd would have been a fantastic story. Why? What happened?
I think they're questions with no answer.
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