Flawed

Perfection #2

by J.L. Spelbring

In a world where Hitler won the The War, and perfection is constantly sought, Ellyssa has broken free from her austere life and has found another meaning for her existence.

Family, friendship, and love.

But her happiness is short lived. Ellyssa finds herself on the run, again. Her father's work didn't die with him, but lives on in her siblings, Aalexis and Xaver, and they are determined to complete his unfinished dream.

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Romance, Alternate History, Historical Fiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published August 12, 2014

About the author

J.L. Spelbring lives in Texas, where she wanders out in the middle of the night to look at the big and bright stars. Besides knocking imaginary bad guys in the head with a keyboard, she enjoys being swept away between the pages of a book, running amuck inside in her own head, pretending she is into running, and hanging out with her kids, who are way too cool for her.

Her novel, Perfection, will be released in May, 2013.

Reviews

[Always Pouting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellyssa is finally free from her "father", who engineered and raised her and her siblings to be weapons. Dr.Hirch, Ellyssa's father, is a brilliant man obsessed with purifying the Aryan race and as a scientist living in a world where Nazi Germany wins WWII he spends his life using getnic engineering to do so. Ellyssa is supposed to be perfect, not only in looks but physically stronger and with abilities that surpass those of any normal person. Yet regardless of Dr. Hirch's effort to mold her into thinking and being a certain way, she switches sides and falls in love with a rebel named Rein. The two must escape along with the other rebels after the government comes down on them for killing Hirch and Ellyssa's siblings. Meanwhile two of Ellyssa's siblings who survived set out to capture her and use her to help complete their father's life's work.

The writing was okay and I did like the characters, especially Aalexis and Xaver. I honestly enjoyed their story line the most. I found Ellyssa's plot line a little boring mostly because it was just her and the others just running around trying to hide. It's pretty boring to read about people going into hiding and moving from place to place. Also her and Rein didn't really pull at my heart the way Aalexis and Xaver did. I did like the cliffhanger at the end though and I really do want to know whats going to happen now, like I wasn't expecting that, I thought Ellyssa was just trying to comfort herself but she ended up being right. I'd say 3.5 stars for this one.

[Ruthsic · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a world where Hitler won the The War, and perfection is constantly sought, Ellyssa has broken free from her austere life and has found another meaning for her existence.

Family, friendship, and love.

But her happiness is short lived. Ellyssa finds herself on the run, again. Her father's work didn't die with him, but lives on in her siblings, Aalexis and Xaver, and they are determined to complete his unfinished dream.

All that potential of a racism-influenced dystopia, all of it wasted on a love story. That is what disappointed me the most about Flawed. There is this brilliant concept of a world governed by a person's genetics and how it can be taught to be accepting and the plot is more focused on the love scenes between the protagonist Ellyssa and her movie boyfriend Rein. When thinking about the emotional awakening of conditioned soldiers, I would think empathy is a more useful emotion than love, but yeah - all YA has to be focused on love, right? Atleast Perfection had focused on Ellyssa forgetting her conditioning and joining the Renegades but Flawed was a poor rehash of Perfection. Simply put, Flawed suffers from the Sequel Syndrome - can't live up to the potential of the first.

The writing was good but can't sustain a plot that focuses on how hot the guys are. We get - they are the 'perfect' specimens, blah blah. Xaver is a sociopathic romantic - we get it! Rein is hot as Sam Winchester - we get it! Can we just move on to the actual story? Honestly, the start of the book was a snoozefest and I lost interest in Ellyssa POV pretty soon. Aalexis and Mathew gave a good narrative and honestly, it was more interesting through their eyes. In a book where there is a freaking containment camp, how can oodles of pages be devoted to the lovefest going on? I get that every dystopian book is avoiding trying to be the next Hunger Games, but incorporating romance in a dystopia is a pretty silly concept. Delirium did it right - well, that was basically the main plot point there - but here? Nah, just don't go there in a dystopia. Nobody cares how soulful the person's eyes are and how many times your midsection quivers (I got pretty sick of that line too - takes me to Romance novel territory) when there are PEOPLE DYING! Love in the face of death is an okay concept but not practical for a rebellion-themed book.

Most of the review seems like a rant because that's what I really want to do. I left the book halfway, started another one, finished it and then came back to this - I was that frustrated to read it in one go. It got better in the second half, when things actually started HAPPENING, but by then my brain was fried. Xaver and Aalexis were a more interesting couple than Ellyssa and Rein and when you start cheering for the antagonists' romance, man, that's rough. Another bullet dodged was the almost-love-triangle (though I am not sure whether to call it almost - it was there and then kinda resolved a few chapters later?) but when you look at Ellyssa's perspective, it feels like it is there? She herself says that she doesn't like another girl making eyes at Woody so I am not sure whether to call it an almost love triangle or not. Even Rein is a one-dimensional character - he is the movie girlfriend who just keeps getting caught in the villian's clutches and has to be saved by the heroine. I mean, seriously, that happened in the last book too.

The take-away message is - skip this installment and go to the next (whichever is coming because the story isn't close to being over) because honestly, it doesn't do much advancement in plot besides humanizing the antagonists and introducing yet another Renegade camp. Below 3 for this one, and even that is mostly because of Aalexis and Mathew.

Received an ARC from Spencer Hill Press via Netgalley for review purposes. This has in no way affected my opinion of the book or the comments in my review

[Rebecca (Unbound Pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is also on my blog, The Library Canary.

***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.***

I felt kind of mediocre about the first book in this series, but I am so happy I continued because I really liked this follow-up. While the POV still bothered me (3rd person omniscient has never been my favorite), the story itself was so engaging and interesting that I got swept away.

It picks up right where Perfection left off with Elyssa on the run. We get a lot of world-building in this book and it was really well done. No detail is left unexplained and I really appreciated all the time the author so obviously put into this elaborate story. This book broke my heart because we see the concentration camps that still exist long after Hitler’s death. Only these camps aren’t just limited to Jews. These camps are for all “inferiors”. Anyone that doesn’t have that perfect shade of blonde hair and that perfect shade of blue eyes. Sure, some are close enough to scrape by and join society, but anybody far away from this Aryan standard is condemned to the concentration camps which haven’t changed at all, down to the striped pyjamas. It was heart-breaking to watch this all go on. Heart-breaking to see a world broken and subdued by the evil dictator, Hitler. I’m still not really sure how Elyssa and her friends plan on stopping it. But I’m excited to find out.

There are a lot of new characters in this book as well as getting to know the old characters a bit better. I enjoyed getting to know Aelexis and Xaver better, although I was shuddering reading about Aelexis. But honestly even though I hate her and seriously think she might be a sociopath, I also kind of feel bad for her. This is what she was bred to be, all she’s been taught. She’s really just a young girl and I really kind of hope that she is able to redeem herself or at least see how wrong she is by the end.

I still hated the romance though. Rein and Elyssa just felt so forced. Their relationship never really felt genuine and I didn’t get any feels as they tossed around the “L” word casually throughout the book. I honestly kind of wish she was with Woody (which is a sort of love triangle going on). I’m just not shipping this thing with Rein. Nope.

I really really enjoyed this follow-up to Perfection. The world is a lot more intricate and we get to know the characters a lot better. With all the exciting new information we get in this book, you can’t help but anxiously await the third and final installment. A unique series if you’re into historical fiction, alternate histories, or just science fiction in general. Happy reading all!

[J.L. Spelbring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flawed is the second book to the PERFECTION series. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It's dark with a mix of true human evil.

[Kayleigh {K-Books} · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beta read this a while ago, before I even read the first book. It is awesome. Add to you TBR now!

[Kat Montemayor · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars

The book's blurb intrigued me - a future world shaped from an alternate history of events dating back to World War II. Although this is the second book in the series and I haven't read the first, I had no trouble picking up and understanding what was going on. I would like to read the first book so that I can see the evolution of the characters.

At the beginning of book two, we find many of the renegades dead or captured. Ellyssa, Rein, Woody, and a few other friends spend most of Flawed planning a raid on the West Texas concentration camp to free Mathew and the other prisoners.

I like Ellyssa. I like her inner struggle with the cold, austere, soldier instilled in her by der Vater's eugenics and DNA experiments, and the girl who is learning to feel emotions for the first time. Her words are often clipped and robotic and seem very realistic given the circumstances.

There is no love triangle, but there is unrequited love. Bonus points for that. Lots of YA that I have read build tension by allowing for misunderstandings and unclear boundaries in a love triangle or pseudo love triangle. J.L. Spelbring didn't do that. Ellyssa clearly and emphatically states that she loves Rein after Woody tells her he loves her. She is not cruel but she is clear. Her honesty is refreshing.

Ellyssa is unaware that her brother and sister, Xaver and Aalexis are still alive. Their mission is to bring Ellyssa back to continue der Vater's work. They remind me of these two:


Aalexis can even cause pain just by thinking it. With one thought she can make her victim think he is burning alive. Xaver is a shield, but he can also hurt you with his icy touch. Their relationship is strange and squicky. Kind of like this:


The middle dragged a bit for me, but the pace picked up a lot at the end. Chapters forty-six and forty-seven were brutal. I look forward to reading the next book in this original series.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellyssa has just learned what it is like to feel emotions, have people care for her and for her to care for them. She was raised to become a weapon and be emotionless but she escaped that life. In a world where Hitler won flaws in people are meant to be destroyed. Ellyssa only wants to find the rest of her friends and move on past what her father did. However even with him dead there are some who want to continue what he was working on. Her sister and brother Aalexis and Xaver survived and have even bigger plans than their father did. Ellyssa may have thought she won a war but it was only a battle now the real war begins.

Ellyssa has a power to read minds and she is slowly learning she has more power than that. She doesn't like to use her power and is trying to learn to trust people. Her emotions are coming out more and she is really beginning to see what it is like outside a lab and what love means. She will do anything to protect those she cares about and put a stop to what her father started. She isn't a character to stand by bit one who will put herself in danger to help others.

This is a wonderful sequel. While you could read it as a stand alone I would recommend the first book as well. It lays the groundwork for this world. If you like me ever wonder what a few changes in history would make this book may be for you. Hitler won and now everyone has to be perfect or die. It is a horrifying thought but makes a wonderful book. In this book Ellyssa really becomes more human like in her emotions. She is a human but never treated as such. She has found love and now wants the world to change. People who are flawed shouldn't be hid and she tries to help take down those that think they should. She becomes much more stronger in this book as she has to face more hurdles and come face to face with her worse nightmare. Her sister and brother make her dad seem like a kitten and I didn't think that would be possible. Aalexis is the perfect killing machine. She will take down anyone and it doesn't matter who it is. She has her own dreams of the future and she needs Ellyssa to finish those dreams. This book has love, the element of shock at times and will make you wish for the next one now. I really like this series and would recommend it to anyone.

[Caro [The Book Rogue] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart-wrenching, action-loaded, well-developed -- all this applies to Flawed. However, it didn't hold me in a death grip of suspense, which is a major fault for a run-and-hide-rescue-missions read.

J.L. Spelbring knows how to build up a beautiful world, and how to display her characters. In Flawed, we get to know a whole new group of the Resistance, and a few very interesting characters, although only three play a real role, and only one, Dr. Loki, has actual depth in my opinion. Then again, I also find the lead males Rein and Woody to still lack some depth. Only Ellyssa and her siblings are throroughly crafted out of the words. For all the others, there is so much room for interpretation, and I am not so sure if I like or dislike it. However, there is definitvely a development, which I feel is not always coming along well in other YA reads these days, so points for that!

Full points for world building, too, it's just awesome, even if it meets cliches widely. The pace is very steady, which is where the action and suspense lacks, but it's also where the descriptions don't start licking away your intrest. The love triangle was still nicely woven into the plot, not sticking out like a sore thumb and annoying you while reading. Regarding that, the epilogue peeved me big time, because it was purely cliche, no thinking outside the box there, a big disappointment.

The drama was nice for a Holocaust and renegade story. Much more than other authors put in, but then again, that epilogue... Seriously, it would've been better to leave that to the imagination of the readers, because it points you in the right direction of story line cliches, and thus kills all the suspense that the last chapter finally managed to built up, and if you keep walking that line of cliches, it tells you everything you need to know about the last installment. The end before the end, which is really sad.

Area Scan: Idea: 4/5 -- Flow: 4/5 -- Vocab: 4/5 -- Plot: 3/5 -- Heroes: 3/5 -- Sidekicks: 3/5 -- Villains: 4/5 -- Romance: 2/5 -- Drama: 5/5 -- Action: 4/5 -- Suspense: 2/5

[Selena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to begin by stating I didn’t read Perfection first. After reading Flawed, I know I have to go back and read Perfection.
I had no idea what Flawed was about when I began reading. I quickly realized it takes place in a world where Hitler won the war and there are camps where anyone who is considered “flawed” or “inferior” is taken. There is still the ideal of the person with the perfect shade of blonde hair and blue eyes. Everyone else is in danger.
The book begins when Elyssa, Rein and Woody return to the cave to find their “family” the Renegades dead inside. Soon they realize there are a few missing and begin to hope they survived. It isn’t long before the adventure begins. They attempt to not only save lives, but end the reign of the Gestapo.
I was taken by Elyssa’s attempts in understanding and allowing herself to feel. It is mentioned several times in the book that under her past life, before she realized her ability to feel and have emotion, she was taught not to feel and do everything without emotion clouding the way. Her siblings Aalexis and Xavier were taught the same. Aalexis is more able to control herself, while there are times when Xavier seems to let himself feel- for example touching Aalexis’s hand while she gets out of the car, or putting his hand on her back while she is walking.
Elyssa is a wonderful character, full of turmoil and growth. I did, however, find myself waiting for the love triangle between Elyssa, Rein and Woody. Woody clearly cares for her, but more as a friend or brotherly figure?
I enjoyed reading Flawed and plan to begin reading Perfection. I may reread Flawed afterwards. Although it seems to be a great stand-alone, I can’t wait to read the two together to get the full character development and storyline.
I was given the opportunity to read Flawed by J.L. Spelbring, by NetGalley.

[Gina (My Precious Blog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

RATING: 3.5 Stars

After reading Perfection, I didn't really feel a huge urgency to continue with the series. The first book end up a little over the top with its syrupy rommance and swooning for my reading tastes. In the beginning of the second book I was convinced that I was in for more of the same and I can't hide that I was feeling discouraged. Not wanting to throw in the towel, just yet, I hung in there and ended up being rewarded. I'd say book two in this series is significantly better that book one. After the first 50 pages or so, the romance faded into the backround, the world building dramatically improved and the author added in new characters, lending the reader multiple new perspectives. I really enjoyed seeing things from Alexysis and Xavier's point of view. I do have to mention the feelings shared between these two sort of creeped me out. I'm not sure the "romance" between these two characters added much dimension to this story. They ended up being much better villians than their father. Ellyssa matured in this story. Her powers begin to morph and become more intruiging. The comadant and Mathew's perspectives added value to the story, too. Pacing in this installment was much faster than the first. The main characters are on a quest to Texas to resuce their fellow renegades from a compound. Along the way they face many challenges. The climax was exciting, but slightly predictable. The story concluded well, setting the scene perfectly for the next book.

[Teresa Mary Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Reviews Here: Readers Live A Thousand Lives

This was a very good follow up to Perfection. I really just love this world. Well I wouldn't want to live in it and it's horrible but it makes for such a fascinating read. It really makes you wonder just what would have happened had World War II gone differently. The book is action packed and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Elyssa is such an awesome heroine. She is strong and tough and knows how to take care of herself. She has gone from being cold and closed off to learning to feel and love and make connections. It has been such a great journey for Elyssa and I love how far she has come.

I also love Rein. I love his faith in Elyssa and how he just loves her completely. I also love that he recognizes how strong she truly is and knows she can take care of herself. He doesn't try to hold her back or stop her from doing something because he knows she is capable. It is such a great relationship. But what I really love is that the relationship drama isn't the focus. There is a lot more to the story.

Flawed is an edge of your seat kind of read. It is an awesome dystopian that doesn't follow the pattern most other dystopias seem to follow. The world is scary and unique and makes for a fascinating read.

[Michelle Pickett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flawed is the sequel to the Spelbring’s debut novel Perfection. And I have to say right off, I love the concept of this series. It’s unique and keeps me turning pages to see what is in store for our protagonist next.

Speaking of the protagonists, I loved Ellyssa and Rein. They had some truly unique and memorable moments together. There was a definite arc of growth in the main character that was wonderful to see unfold. In addition to the protagonist, we were given more of a glimpse into the workings of some of the other characters’ minds.

I think Spelbring did a fine job of setting up the plot for the next installment in the Perfection series…which I’m waiting most impatiently for.

A well thought out storyline, written nearly flawlessly. A different dystopian than we’ve seen to date, and relatable characters, make Flawed a successful sequel in the series.

Bottom line: Check out this series. I don’t think it’ll be the last we hear of it, or J.L. Spelbring!

[Bèbè ✦ RANT ✦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flawed was the perfect follow up to the first book in the series, Perfection. Build on the idea of how the world would be if WWII have gone differently, it includes amazing world building and makes you wonder if this would be true if the world would actually be this way if Hitler would have won. It has that thin line of reality versus fantasy that makes it a lot more interesting.

I loved Elyssa. In the world where you have to be perfect, she was strong, brave, and everything you want a badass character in dystopian world to be. I loved reading about her challenges and how everything played out. Rein definitely has my heart by how he treated Elyssa and stayed and supported her no matter what. With great composition, Flawed definitely did not disappoint.

[Lynndell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced reading copy of Flawed by J.L. Spelbring from NetGalley and Spencer Hill Press. Flawed is a dystopian with the continuation of the Aryan idea from Perfection. This sequel contains more character development which helped me care more for the characters. The role of antagonist was passed down to children, which was interesting because they struggled with emotion and perfection/superiority.

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this title.

This one was a little better than the first for me, although the writing was still a little stilted and some of the dialogue didn't flow very well for me. Most readers will probably forgive this as the storyline moves along a little quicker and progresses better than the first book.

[Amy Fournier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon

[Kaila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one almost as much as the first..everything was amazing and wonderful

[Brooke · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first book in this series was meh for me but I wanted to give this a try. Unfortunately, this book was just as the last and I could not finish it. I wanted to like the premise, wanted to like where it was going, but the writing was mediocre and the plot was boring. I'm sure this would suit others interest but it just was not for me.

[Kendall {Book Crazy} · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

I loved the first book in this series a lot, so I started reading this book as soon as I finished the first book! I was really happy that this book had already released because I would have been on pins and needles waiting for it to release lol! I loved this book just as much as the first book! It continued on the characters story perfectly and it kept me immersed from page one! It also only took me a few sittings to read, which surprised me because it was quite a descriptive book! The plot was just amazing and I loved the pace it developed at! I didn't want to put it down once I got into it and there was quite a lot of action, suspense and romance in it too, which I loved! The plot continued on the characters story and it was again about if Hitler had won World War 2! This book had concentration type camps in it, which is what Hitler used during the war and I found it all very interesting and a very unique take! I haven't read anything like it before, which is why I think I loved it as much as I did! The characters were again amazing and made this book even better! Ellyssa was again the main female character, and in this book Elyssa went through a lot of emotions and a lot of realisation! She lost the people that she called her family and then her friends were in a concentration type camp! Ellyssa was determined to get them back and she was very strong and had come such a long way from the girl at the beginning of the first book! I loved her in this book and she had grown so much! I can see her growing even more in the next book and I can't wait to see her do so! Again, there were quite a few different secondary characters in this book! Some were from the first book and some were new characters! All the characters added so much to the plot and some were good and were friends with Ellyssa and some were bad and evil! The majority of them were bad characters, but there were a few good ones too! Rein, Ellyssa's love interest, was also back in this book and he was again very protective of Ellyssa and it was very easy to see how much he loved her! I loved them as a couple and I loved watching their relationship grow even further! Like the first book, this book was written from multiple point of views! I think that it might have actually been written from more point of views than the first book was lol! The different point of views didn't throw me off anywhere near as much as I was expecting them too, and they actually made this book even better and allowed for more things to happen in the plot! I also thought that this book was the last book in this series, but it turns out it's not! At least I hope it's not lol! This book wasn't left at a huge cliff-hanger or anything, but the plot wasn't fully resolved either, so I'm assuming that there's going to be another book! I can't wait for the next book to release and now I really am going to be on pins and needles for it lol! The cover for this book suits it perfectly! It's really pretty and suits the cover for the first book perfectly too! I love it a lot! Big thank you to J.L. Spelbring for sending me a copy of Flawed!