Her blood paints her a target, whereas his marks him the enemy, but together they could be the key to changing it all…
Aria Weislen fought hard to stay in her rainforest home deep in the heart of South America, but she was forced to go back to the states to join the rest of her family. Grayford, Massachusetts is almost the polar opposite of her sweet jungle escape, but it does have one thing her old home never offered… Tallis Verdan. The sight of him leaves her unbalanced and almost incoherent.
Stolen glances and accidental grazes leave her with a fever almost every time. But his mixed signals get her high one second before leaving her to plummet the very next. In a world full of secrets, looks can be deceiving. Even her own reflection has been hiding the truth of what’s to come.
It doesn’t take long to realize why Tallis sends her on such highs and lows. His blood, his ties, and his secrets rival hers. And when the reality Aria has known shatters to make way for the fantasy she never believed, it all spirals out of control.
I usually love C.M. Owens books, but I wasn't too much of a fan of this book. I know the main characters are in high school, but it was just say to juvenile for me. So much teenage drama. It wasn't the best start to this series/serial.
I would have declared this book a DNF early on but at the time I didn’t have another book on hand so I stuck it out. This turned out to be a complete waste of time. I have read some of this writers other work and liked them, but this book pretty much just sucked from beginning to end. The writing had a juvenile feel to it. The plot was similar to dozens of other books in this genre Ive read. Even the characters felt cardboard like. Throw in some insta-love and this hot mess of a book is what you get. At least it was free, but I still wouldn’t recommend this one to anyone. Sorry!
Ok so I was a little disappointed in this book. I love C.M. Owens her books are fun filled with fantasy and romance. This one didn't seem to flow right and there some editing problems. I'm not sure if this is a YA novel, but it just didn't seem to have the same Umph that her other novels have. This won't stop me from reading more C.M. Owens she still a great voice for PNR.
I dont think i could ever give C.M. Owens less than a 5 star, i loved this book and will be carrying on the series but there is no smutt, i think its a fab book for a younger adult, the authors storyline is still as amazing as ever i literally finished the last page bought the next book and carried on, Tallis is the swoonworthy heartthrob, Aria is ok she's a bit one dimensional, but im not sure if that's down to shock, after her first kiss she seemed to get alot more interesting but that's next book.
The story basically follows Aria as she finds out her true descendants and learns to deal, lots of boys and insecurities.
Was this book a literary masterpiece? No. Did it have me staying up late to finish it because I couldn't put it down. Yes. And considering this is a re-read, that's saying something.
I honestly can not explain why I love the book so much. There are typos, and the romance is insta-lovey, which I normally hate, but it felt like there was crack in the pages- that's the best way I can describe it 🤣. In all seriousness though, the book has a lot of potential and I love the magic system it introduced and the backstory to go along with it.
I read this book years ago, and it randomly popped into my head a few days ago when I realised I'd never finished the series. So here I am. Finishing the series... and I can't say I'm mad about it.
It's obvious that fans of C.M. Owens are enamored of anything she writes, but ... after reading this book I can't say much positive.
Please, if you are a fan of hers, don't come looking for my head. This is a critique of her writing of this book alone. I am not being critical of her story telling ability, though this story needs polishing, nor am I being critical of her.
In no particular order, I think the thing she needs the most is an editor! An editor would have eliminated using two different tenses in a sentence, eliminated grammatical errors so egregious I almost stopped reading. Also, an editor would have eliminated using the wrong, similar sounding words (i.e., your for you're).
If Ms. Owens writes with word, she personally could eliminate these errors by making sure both spell check and grammar check are on.
I've just purchased a book from another of her series. I hope I have more positive things to say.
I loved this book. Its about a girl who falls for this guy that is protecting her from her true self that is yet to come. They start to hang out more and he starts to like her back. She tells him she love him and he freaks out. he loves her back but he's scared to get close. Each time they get really close, he pulls away. He doesn't want to hurt her, and the only way he thinks he can prevent that is leave. To break the bond they have. She is devastated and heart broken. Reading this book make me want to like scream, laugh, and freak out at the same time. I love it. I am starting to read the next book. I cant wait to see how she handles his leaving, and the drama that will happen when he come back. I am hoping he comes back and they fall in love!!!!!
I couldn't bring myself to finish this book. The characters weren't likable or well-developed, and the plot was jerky and didn't flow well at all. The storyline went from too little going on to too much going on to 'I don't even care what's going on anymore'. Overall this book felt like a chore to read, and I agree with someone else that said it felt too much like a YA novel.
Generally an easy read and I enjoyed the story line. It could do with further editing as some of the similar sounding yet incorrect words had interesting images popping into my mind! i.e. pennants vs penance :)
It's definitely not my favorite Owens book. The protagonist seemed a little desperate, whiney, and immature. She didn't seem like the heroine type. I just had my hopes higher going into this book because of how much I adore her other books.
This beautiful new world, written by the amazing C.M. Owens, is slowly unraveled, the plot and background history of the characters are brilliantly knitted together as to not overwhelm the reader!
* I enjoyed this book. A lot. You can tell it's one of authors early works, but I like it all the same.
* It has many grammar mistakes and there are places where you get confused, it feels like sentences are cut and you don't get all the information you need, and at the same time sometimes, you get too much information you actually don't need. BUT... I really felt the story, like all C.M. Owens works, it made me feel... I was in tears, I was smiling, I was laughing, I was frustrated, I was in love... This book gave me so much emotion and I want to read the next ones so so much... And that is why 5 stars. Although it's not the highest quality book I have read, I'm able to overlook it because of the emotions I get out of the book! I don't see point reading the perfect book (no grammar mistakes, no spelling mistakes and textbook plot), if it doesn't make you love the characters and cry with them.
* I don't read books to read perfectly composed words , I read so I can get lost in the story. And I'm so lost in this one, I couldn't put this book down and I've already almost finished the next one in the series. :)
If you can overlook grammar and spelling mistakes and you are looking for emotions in the book, this is one for you.
I couldn't help but noticed that the main character's name started with 'A' again. The author must have loved that alphabet because so far, this was my fourth series where the main character's name begins with 'A'.
This time it shared the same nickname as the series I'd just finished reading, Aria from the Gifts Trilogy. The others were Alyssa from the Deadly Beauties series, Adisia from Daughter Trilogy, and Araya from Curse Trilogy. I checked out at my next to read series, Faders Trilogy, and surprise surprise, it's called Arena!
Anyway, the story wasn't fast-paced, but I didn't mind it. Because it was only a short read and I loved the plots knowing that Aria would be a powerful witch one day, and I wondered when it would happen and what she could do. The story contained covens' feuds, some teenage dramas, and sweet male suitors, all woven into this beautiful new world created by the fantastic writer.
This book was also the first book by the author, which without any sex scenes, yay! But, beware, the story ended with a cliffhanger, one that had me wonder if Aria was finally getting her power? However, I doubt it since there were still three more books after this 😊.
DNF. I read the Deadly Beauties series and really enjoyed it so I picked up several more by C.M. Owens. Wish I'd asked for a sample first but going on the ratings here I thought I was safe. This one started off OK and I liked the idea, but I've given up due to the very confusing narrative and bad editing, which makes trying to follow the plot hard work. Explanations don't work, long backstories which are key to understanding, aren't cohesive. The MC nearly dies because her family won't tell her what she is but there is no explanation for having kept her in the dark. She is young and naive which isn't really my thing and probably didn't help, I found her irritating; especially her reaction to seeing a naked shifter, she is 17, not 12! I got further with this book than I did with the Daughter Trilogy but this was just not for me.
CM Owens must have been half asleep when she wrote this. Aria, the main character, is headstrong, ignorant, and can't seem to think past her vagina for any length of time. The premise is weak, especially when everything relies on Aria to save the day. I don't expect to like the main characters of books 100 percent of the time. They are supposed to be human in most cases, or close to it, and as such, we all know human's are a mess. But human foibles aside, I couldn't stand this girl and I thought her family was downright silly.
Really great in-depth story. Great characters who are so well written you feel like you know them.
I really enjoyed this book. The story and characters are so well written, your taken on a journey of discovery. Tears and laughter, and plenty of action. This is a gripping story that should be read by anyone who loves fantasy fiction and love stories. Well done C. M. Owens can't wait to read the next instalment.
I actually really enjoyed this book and just bought next one in series, I just hope Aria is a little more mature than she was in this book. She's 17 she needs to act it even with everything going on.
This book definitely ended on a cliffhanger she finally gets her kids from Tallis but then she screams in terror.
Aria is certainly a girl who knows what she wants and goes for it. Tallis was confusing along the way but it made more sense by the end of the book. That cliffhanger was not fun. But lucky for me I’ve read the series already and know what happens
Slow start for the world building it is worth it! Just had to get 50-75% they for the page turning to start. It is definitely teenage material and lots of drama. However as the series books progress it is easier to relate. By the final book I was completely invested. Good read by cmo.
For a young adult book this is great. Had I read this at 17 I would have given it a 5 star. However I have read CMs other works and they are much more to my taste. I will read the rest of the series because I am a huge fan of CM Owens and know that her work is done.
Absolutely loved Tallis and Aria’s story ❤️❤️❤️ such a great adventure diving into a domain full of witches and magic. 100% recommend this book to everyone ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I'm so sad to be giving CM Owens a 1 start. I couldn't even finish the book. I still love her and believe this isn't a common situation for her. I will still be a fan.
This Ya book was so cute it made me blush and I felt like I have a high school crush all over again. The world unraveled slowly and there so much more to find out.
So i love this author!! I'm not usually one for paranormal books but because i love her Sterling Shore series i gave it a go.
This is the the story of Aria who has just moved back to the US after having spent most of her life in Brazil. Her parents have sent her to live with her grandmother while they finish up work in Brazil. Aria's other siblings are also living nearby.
Aria is a witch, but she doesn't know it until some strange things start to happen around her at home and outside the house. She has a near death encounter that forces her family to reveal who she is earlier than they wanted. Aria will eventually become immortal but until then she is very vulnerable to attack from dark magic users. Her family is a powerful one in the magic community and a lot of people want her dead. I don't want to give too much away but she meets a boy named Tallis who she instantly feels drawn to. She struggles with her feelings for him throughout the book.
I love this book it's part of a series and is a fab set up for the story giving you background history about the families and Aria's heritage.
The surrounding characters add massively to the story making it not just about Aria and Tallis but lots of other relationships too. Both of their siblings play a big role in this story adding plenty of laughs along the way. The "Changer Olympics" particularly made me laugh out loud!
I can't wait to get onto book 2 Jaded Jewels to find out what happens next! This book is paranormal YA and i would highly recommend to anyone who loves those genre's and even if you don't read it anyway it's a great read!
Treasured Secrets is the first of 4 bks. I had not previously read a YA book before so wasn't sure what to expect but I shouldn't have been worried, CM Owens does what she does best & draws you in with her brilliant writing skills.
This series follows the Weislen & Verdan family & in particular Aria & Tallis. Aria is a 17 yr old sent to live with her grand parents in the States to finish her eduction. Aria soon discovers she & her family are not what she has been led to believe. Can Aria cope with the realization of what she is & the new world she has been thrust into + on top of everything else having to deal with high school dramas & her spiralling & out of control emotions for Tallis.
As much as Aria is tested, so are the older generation, set in their ways & beliefs it takes an exceptional person such as Aria to make them re-think what they have always believed in which helps to forge new friendships & strong alliances.
A great book setting the scene for the rest of the series.