Scar

by C.C. Faye

For a 17 year old, Kiko Kurosawa has never been kidnapped by random enemies, lose a fight on Judo, or encountered a spirit at her garden, until she has strangely met the handsome masked Soul Reaper, Scar.

She’s got everything for a wealthy daughter, but still she’s never been happy with her life. Her father only comes home thrice a year because of his legal job, while her mother has been long deceased. She’s practically attracted to Scar as the story of his life goes on.

Kiko discovered that she was not entirely human, but a Weapon for the Gods. Scar has come here to take her away, mainly because of the game that his father, Hades, the God of the Underworld pushed it upon him. Humans eventually got the wrong information about them, instead Soul Reapers save people. Every person has a good soul and a demon soul. Their job is to exterminate mid-level demons so humans cannot cause to commit murders, killings and suicides.

Right now, Kiko learns that there’s more secrets hidden between her past. Not just Scar’s or anyone’s but her—and don’t forget the enemies.

250 pages, ebook

First published November 18, 2014

About the author

I am an author, self-studied artist and a baker. I love to read books, watch movies, read manga and watch anime. I am an otaku, a J-pop lover, and Japan culture addict.
Drawing is my passion, but writing is my profession.

Reviews

[Amie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got sent the first two chapters by C.C. in exchange for a review and a review is what you shall get!
I was very surprised with the first two chapters. I was instantly engaged and eager to continue reading! I only had two small problems with it.
1 being that it was a little hard to understand at times due to the spelling and sentence structure and 2, that she seemed to be switching from past tense to present tense quite a bit...however, it was quite easy to overlook those things due to a good plot and strong characters. I really enjoyed it and would love to continue reading the rest of the book! I'm very interested to see where it all leads. A very good job indeed for a first novel. Well done C.C.

[Rae King]

I read the first two chapters of this book last night. I'm already hooked! I'm definitely buying it and can't wait to read the whole thing. The protagonist, Kiko, lost her mom at a young age and was left with her father, a mafia boss. She gets kidnapped within the first two chapers - talk about fast-paced! And meets a mysterious stranger who ends up naked in her bed! This book draw you in at the very beginning. Hopefully I will be able to read it very soon!

[Cassie P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read this book because I loved the soul reapers in Bleach anime. I am glad I took the time to read this because it was pretty good. I only had issues with the editing. I am unsure if the original story was written in a different language, then converted into English using software. The sentences were somewhat backwards (like other languages) and the present and past tenses were mixed within a sentence. Overall I was pleased and looking forward to the next book.

[Storm Arashi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sent a preview by the author for an unbiased review. I read the first few chapters and I will say this:

The writing is very well done, although it could use an editor's watchful eye in certain things. Some elements were inconsistent and I was a little confused. (Like if her mother died when she was six, how did her father miss the funeral 3 days ago?)

Or the meaning of the thoughts of wishing her mother had taught her all of the martial arts before she passed.

Now...Onto the plot twist..



Scar appears and it appears there's a big case of insta-love. I have some issues with certain things regarding the books I read... It feels like there's some anime tropes in here that could've been handled better. Reading it, I can tell that anime and manga was a heavy inspiration and I can respect that... But the insta-love and the screaming about being a pervert, (and quite honestly I don't blame Kiko, that IS pervy what Scar did) is classic anime.

The premise sounds like an exciting book but I'm not sure if I'd want to pick it up. The idea that she was essentially raped to awaken her weapon side, is pretty disturbing. Not every YA novel needs mentions of sex, and not every YA needs it period. That's my personal thought. I think if this was edited, and had some spacing out, Scar maybe appearing before her and explaining to her prior what's going on with him before they have sex, it would make it seem less... Well eerie. I know, I know son of Hades lord of the Underworld, but that's my personal opinion.

I don't think I'll be purchasing this book in the future, it's not really my tastes and I feel it could use some work. Best of luck to the author.

[Danielle Urban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scar is by far the most enchanting and intriguing YA romance novel that I have read. CC Faye has masterfully crafted a story unlike many others. Her talent shines through as readers turn each page with the characters and scenes popping off the pages. I loved reading this wonderfully woven story of a young girl who has lost her mother and has a father who pretty much ignores her. Then one night everything changes for the main character as a soul reaper saves her life and then takes her most precious gift away to help his relationship with his father. At first the female character is angry at the soul reaper, but she is also just as intrigued by him as she is angry. Soon both her and the soul reaper go on their quest of reaping souls. What lies ahead for these two? And what about her life before the soul reaper came crashing into her life? Scar is a must read romance. Readers will love the main characters and sympathize with both as the plot unfolds magically before their eyes. I highly recommend this stunning novel to readers everywhere. I enjoyed reading CC Faye's masterpiece and look forward to reading her other novels in this addictive series. Overall, I rate Scar a five out of five stars.

[Brit M. Cortes · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been a pleasure reading Scar by CC Faye. Scar is definitely a fast paced roller coaster ride from the beginning to the end. The book is centered around Kiko who has learned of her not so human nature and dealing with a new world that she has been thrust into. It's an action packed adventure with mystery, suspense, twist and romance between the two main characters Kiko and Scar. I don't want to spoil the book to future readers but If you are into Manga, Science Fiction, or even Fantasy books, you should give this new series a try. As in any new series, the first book is always the hardest to write, especially when your self publishing. There were a few grammatical errors here and there that could have been fixed during an editing process. But nonetheless, I found it an enjoyable read and a creative take on the Reapers. My suggestion for future writing would be to rely less on a single word to describe things and focus on the feelings of being scared or happy, frustrated, or embarrassed because it would add more depth to the book and the characters as well. I wish CC Faye the best of luck in her future writings and look forward to the continuation of the series.

[Karlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

I was sent the first two chapters of this book from the author. Overall, I found the story engaging and a little rushed, but the action never stopped and kept me interested. It reminds me of many anime I have watched. It reads a lot like an anime and reminds me a little of Kill La Kill and Soul Eater. The style of writing throws you directly into this world. The world is kinda like an urban Fantasy with Japanese elements. I would have liked a longer prose to really visualize the story in my mind. The characters you meet in the first chapters show great potential. If you are interested in a quick story with lots of action and intrigue I would recommend this to you.

Thank you to C. C. Faye for sending me this preview and would like to wish you luck in the rest of your writing career.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sent the first couple of chapters for my thoughts and a review. I thoroughly did enjoy this story,and maybe I'll pick up the full book when I'm not in a slumpy mood because this took me forever to read. This is not a slow paced story though. In fact, it really fast paced and quite a bit of action. Recommend picking this up if you are in the mood for an love+action story.

[Thibaut Nicodème]

I received the preview chapters from the author. Not really interested, to be entirely honest. I'm not going to rate it because I DNF'd too early for that (before the end of the preview chapters, don't know what that represents for the book total) but it's not for me.

Also, typos. They're in there.

[Lindsey Kookaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read the first 2 chapters, and and I really would like to read the full book in the future. The plot was pretty good, and the ideas that the author had were very amazing, though there were still some grammatical errors that should have been fixed, and for me, it feels like this topic about soul reapers has already been used in the past. All in all, this book is great, but not at its best.

[tasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a fan of this genre but coupled with the grammar, the bumpy transition and the confusing timeline, I gave up on this book. Not my cup of tea. Funny how the author had a review on another book/work in progress of another author and she had to point out the grammatical errors on that one. Seems we need to look again at our own work, eh?

[Charmaine Lim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was approached by the author, C.C. Faye, with the offer to read the first two chapters of this book. I accepted and agreed to write a review when I finished reading the eBook excerpt that she sent me.

I decided to go into this blind, not even looking up the blurb or summary on Goodreads, thinking that it might be a wiser choice, since I only had two chapters. Now that I think about it, it was the right decision, because I got confused reading the summary on Goodreads after finishing the excerpt. And that usually doesn't happen. I don't think I've found myself confused by the summary of a book after reading it.

The story revolves around a girl named Kiko, supposedly living in Japan. I say "supposedly" because it was never actually mentioned, though the premise suggests so. She is the rich daughter of a mafia boss and lives a life of isolation after the death of her mother. Among the people in her life, are servants and a chauffeur/bodyguard/childhood friend/possible love interest, Ken, who is also potentially American. There is also her best friend, Lena, and a person/girl named Ginger, whose identity was never really made clear. Lastly, there are little garden spirits and a mysterious, shadowy figure that she keeps seeing.

Now, I am choosing to be very honest in this review, but I do want to put out a disclaimer that in no way am I trying to be mean. This just happens to be my opinion of what I had read.

***SPOILERS***

I am actually very confused. The premise, characters, and execution confused me in a way that I did not expect.

It all started with the point of view, which kept switching between 1st person present tense and 3rd person past tense. So my question here is, which POV is the story supposed to be in? The lapses between the two POVs made it confusing and harder to follow. Also, what exactly is Kiko's ethnicity?

Then came the timeline. Kiko mentions that her mother died of cancer when she was 6 (the blurb mentions that Kiko is now 17), and yet her mother died 3 days ago and her father had missed the funeral. Later, she says that if her father hadn't ignored her mother 5 years ago, she wouldn't be dead now. But that doesn't really have anything to do with the fact that her mother died of cancer.

Also, I'm slightly curious as to what kind of school allows students to carry katanas on campus. Isn't it a danger if someone goes crazy, swinging a weapon around?

I'm also wondering how the hallways of the school turned into mirrors, how a random man captured Kiko and tied her up for seemingly no reason, and why spirits are following Kiko.

Lastly, there is Scar. He confuses me so much. Saying that he isn't a rapist, but taking Kiko's virginity while she was unconscious. Acting like nothing was wrong with what he had done. And all in all, the entirety that is him. I don't really see how Kiko is attracted to him, or why she is.

Overall, I think that there could be some improvements with the story. With a little bit of clean-up, editing and polishing, and revision, I do think that this story could have the potential for to be something more.

[Ellery Kane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was fortunate to receive Scar in a review swap with C.C. Faye. Thanks C.C. for giving me the opportunity to review your debut novel! I don’t typically read paranormal romance, so this was a first, but definitely not a last, for me. Scar is a fast-paced, action packed book that tells the story of 17 year-old, Kiko, who has just discovered that she is not entirely human…but is, in fact, a Weapon for the Gods. Who can use her as a weapon? Well, a handsome, intriguing Soul Reaper, of course.

I liked the drama that the author created, as the plot unfolded, and we learned more about Kiko and her family. Secrets are revealed throughout the book in a way that makes you want to keep reading. The author’s writing style was sometimes difficult to follow, and I think that the plot and characters would have shined more brightly had the book been edited. Nonetheless, there were little gems sprinkled throughout that I enjoyed, like, “Sparks of heat and heaven gave my soul a boost.”

I found Kiko to be a likeable and relatable character, especially in her feelings about and interactions with her parents. Sometimes, she was overly dramatic and emotionally labile, but I guess that’s part of being a teenage girl! I was less certain about Scar, the handsome Soul Reaper. In the opening chapters, Scar winds up naked in Kiko’s bed and reveals that he has stolen her virginity (essential for the weapon-making process, apparently). Also, the author threw in a curveball with Kiko’s stepbrother, Ken, who is sweet and supportive to Kiko and appears to have a crush on her. At times, it seemed that the author hinted at an attraction between them, and I wasn’t certain what to make of that. I am curious to see how Kiko and Scar’s relationship will evolve in the next book, and I look forward to reading more of The Reaper Series!

[Carrie (The Butterfly Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was interesting and I did enjoy this book. However, sometimes it was hard to follow. If it had been edited I believe this book would've been so much better. It's fast paced, which is something I usually enjoy and it was actually pretty unique. While reading this book, no other book came to mind. I love when authors do that! I've read too many authors who take ideas from other books. I'd tell anyone to give it try, look past the grammar mistakes and it's actually a good read.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author was nice enough to constant me asking if I was interested in reading the first few chapters of this book for review. I was very excited considering its paranormal romance and that is one of my favorite genres. Sadly I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping. It was written well it just felt a little slow for my taste and it was hard for me to understand what was going on. With that being said many people have enjoyed this book so you may feel differently than I did!

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was sent the first two chapter for a review. Sadly it was a little hard to understand cause of the grammar issues and I think the time issues in the first chapter. I'm not really sure what all was happening in that first chapter. I was also put off by the "I took your virginity", so basically she's raped in the first two chapters. I'm sorry but I'd definitely need to see a lot more changes before I would read the whole book.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

(this is a little short)
Over all I thought the idea was slightly interesting. The word choice was a little poor, and the plot hard to follow. I think the writing could use a lot of editing. I look forward to seeing C.C.'s work progress.

[Josselyn Radillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Thoughts:
I received an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Well I was excited to read this book because lately I’m in love with reapers and grimmers but I really struggle to read this book. The editing part is awful I’m not sure if the original story was written in others language and then converted into English by using a software or an online translator, the sentence were backwards and so the present and past tenses were mixed a lot , so it was like a little puzzle to figure it out.

The characters are not well described so I didn’t have the whole picture of them. I thinking if we get a new edition with all the editing fixed it will an amazing book, because in the first two characters we get a lot of action Kiko lost her mom at a young age was left with her father that was the boss of a mafia, then gets kidnapped, meet a mysterious stranger that OMG ends up totally naked in her bed!
I hope to read a new edition for this book and then review it again because it really have potential or maybe I’m too picky but I do have hard time because the mixed sentences so I have to put it down and wait like to days to start reading it again.

[Danielle]

I received preview chapters from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I like the premise of the story, but that is really the only positive I have based on what I read.
Time passage seems to be an issue throughout the story. In one sentence it was 2 hours before school and a few sentences later, it's 15 mins before school.
There are a lot of typos, repeated information, and back and forth between past and present in the same paragraph that could be corrected with a good editor.
I could honestly look past all of that and buy the book, if the rape at the end of the 2nd chapter wasn't just brushed away. I can't do rape that is brushed aside like it is no big deal.
I chose not to rate this since I have not read the whole book. I do not plan on reading further.

[RiskyWoohoo_ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was sent the first few chapters by the author and this book was just not my cup of tea. I did not enjoy the way things were written and I found myself skimming through all of it due to several grammatical errors that made it difficult to understand. Also, the way the main characters reacted to certain situations was very juvenile and it felt like I was reading something a middle schooler would read. I think people who are more into this type of genre would enjoy it more than I did. Anyways best of luck to the author, I would suggest having several people including an editor read through and help you out if possible.

[Devan Harrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first two chapters I was sent by the author and was pleasantly surprised by the potential it has. I like the story and what it can offer. Although the grammar needs improvement and the world building is almost nonexistent I think it has a chance after some rewriting.