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Haven Awakening #2
Helm Abomination
Some things are better left unseen.
Some hearts are better left unmet.
Living in Helm is a new experience for Verity; she's the only female in a world of boys. Most of them embrace her as a potential friend, others could care less, and one ... well, one she can't seem to pin down.
Her new possible boyfriend neglected to tell Verity there's an ancient prophecy that foretells the end of Helm's leader at the hands of the mortal veil-seer. A few of the boys fighting beside her feel the best way to keep Haydn alive is to make sure the veil-seer dies.
Verity barely survived her sixteenth birthday. Now she may not live to see her seventeenth.
Helm Abomination shows that finding the love of your life can come at too high a cost.
Gryffyn Phoenix continues to shake the YA scene with the second book in the Haven Awakening series—a supernatural fantasy filled with life-threatening conflicts, heartbreaking betrayal, peer pressure, and the many faces of true love.
Some hearts are better left unmet.
Living in Helm is a new experience for Verity; she's the only female in a world of boys. Most of them embrace her as a potential friend, others could care less, and one ... well, one she can't seem to pin down.
Her new possible boyfriend neglected to tell Verity there's an ancient prophecy that foretells the end of Helm's leader at the hands of the mortal veil-seer. A few of the boys fighting beside her feel the best way to keep Haydn alive is to make sure the veil-seer dies.
Verity barely survived her sixteenth birthday. Now she may not live to see her seventeenth.
Helm Abomination shows that finding the love of your life can come at too high a cost.
Gryffyn Phoenix continues to shake the YA scene with the second book in the Haven Awakening series—a supernatural fantasy filled with life-threatening conflicts, heartbreaking betrayal, peer pressure, and the many faces of true love.
198 pages, Paperback
Published June 15, 2016
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 4, 2016
***You can find this review and more on my blog Love at First Write***
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As you may know, I was given a copy of Haven Awakening a week or so ago. You can read the review here if you’re interested: http://love-at-first-write.blogspot.c... This was so I could read and review an ARC of book two which just came out! I was super pumped after Haven Awakening and jumped right into Helm Abomination, and while this book left me with many questions I’m hoping they’ll all be resolved in future books!
I really loved the chill, stylized writing of the author. Verity felt like a girlie girl naïve, totally sheltered 16-year-old girl. I thought some of the gay remarks were weird and off-putting, but she’s an ignorant teen who hasn’t interacted with anyone but her 2 siblings so I guess it’s understandable. I respected how sweet Verity is with all of the ‘monsters’ they come across throughout the novel. Cass and trained Haven to kill everything and Helm adapted to do the same. Verity on the other hand recognizes that killing doesn’t need to be the answer. These creatures are hurting and are quite amiable when cared for. Helm becoming a sanctuary for these misunderstood animals was like a page out of Hagrid’s book and I adored how great it turned out. Mythological creatures as pets? YES PLEASE.
Reading about Helm after spending all of book one in Haven was awesome. I’d so rather live in Helm and I felt like I got to learn about and understand more of the guys living at Helm than I did of the people back in Haven. My favorite character in Helm is probably Book, their researcher, because he’s a shy introvert in the dramatized extreme. Watching him come out of his shell for Verity was so cute because they are both sweetie pies. While Verity does get a bit clichéd when she goes into the “I’m so average” spiel, I appreciate how non-typical she is in other regards. She actually talks to her parents, she actually cracks open some books and does school work. When she gets thrust into this world she doesn’t suddenly become super badass and awesome. She learns and trains really hard to create and improve upon her skills. She doesn’t need a makeover to get the cute guy. Cute guy already likes her and she wears the makeup to bring confidence to herself. No eyebrows were knit in the making of this book. The most important part- she eats like a normal human with the healthy food and junk food mixed in giving her a normal human figure. Who knew I would crave all of this normalcy out of a fantasy book? It was so revitalizing to not be constantly thinking “ok… that will never happen in real life”. Everything sort of fit in with the fantasy and created universe of the book.
This book was just as easy to pick up and enjoy as book 1, though it left me aware of just how much Verity and I didn’t know/understand. I feel like the origin story of Helm and Haven has so many conflicting variations that I’m still not really sure why they were formed or why they suddenly became enemies aside from just the appearance of Cass, but that really doesn’t tell me much. How does a newbie like Cass suddenly turn up and create upheaval? Why would the citizens of Haven allow her to turn them into this? I need details in the next book. Also, where Cass gets all of this anger and hatred from? The girl needs to take a chill pill, I’m still not sure where this conflict came from/what it’s based on. This clearly all started before Verity got the magical eyes. Additionally, we have some sort of prophecy that implies Verity kills Haydn, her boy toy, but it’s not really clear where this prophecy came from, what it’s exact words are, or how Haydn, Kaydn, and Cass are connected. They have a huge reveal that Verity can’t kill Cass without Cass bringing Kaydn with her and that if Kaydn dies so will Haydn. I get that there was totally no time in the moment to explain this all to Verity… but I still at some point need an explanation to this. Lastly, what the heck is up with Verity’s family? What are her parents? Are they even related? What happened to her siblings? Where the heck did Grandma just poof off to? What is their ancestry? How does Verity’s body changes affect her life/the future of the plot???
You better be writing Gryffyn, because I NEED MORE HAVEN AWAKENING BOOKS. I NEED ANSWERS.
PS please put in more domovi scenes because the creatures are so cute and their relationship with Verity really evolved this book and I’m hoping for hugs and maybe a conversation one day. Verity will certainly need her domovi now more than ever after that killer ending. *wink wink* Haha. Puns.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As you may know, I was given a copy of Haven Awakening a week or so ago. You can read the review here if you’re interested: http://love-at-first-write.blogspot.c... This was so I could read and review an ARC of book two which just came out! I was super pumped after Haven Awakening and jumped right into Helm Abomination, and while this book left me with many questions I’m hoping they’ll all be resolved in future books!
I really loved the chill, stylized writing of the author. Verity felt like a girlie girl naïve, totally sheltered 16-year-old girl. I thought some of the gay remarks were weird and off-putting, but she’s an ignorant teen who hasn’t interacted with anyone but her 2 siblings so I guess it’s understandable. I respected how sweet Verity is with all of the ‘monsters’ they come across throughout the novel. Cass and trained Haven to kill everything and Helm adapted to do the same. Verity on the other hand recognizes that killing doesn’t need to be the answer. These creatures are hurting and are quite amiable when cared for. Helm becoming a sanctuary for these misunderstood animals was like a page out of Hagrid’s book and I adored how great it turned out. Mythological creatures as pets? YES PLEASE.
Reading about Helm after spending all of book one in Haven was awesome. I’d so rather live in Helm and I felt like I got to learn about and understand more of the guys living at Helm than I did of the people back in Haven. My favorite character in Helm is probably Book, their researcher, because he’s a shy introvert in the dramatized extreme. Watching him come out of his shell for Verity was so cute because they are both sweetie pies. While Verity does get a bit clichéd when she goes into the “I’m so average” spiel, I appreciate how non-typical she is in other regards. She actually talks to her parents, she actually cracks open some books and does school work. When she gets thrust into this world she doesn’t suddenly become super badass and awesome. She learns and trains really hard to create and improve upon her skills. She doesn’t need a makeover to get the cute guy. Cute guy already likes her and she wears the makeup to bring confidence to herself. No eyebrows were knit in the making of this book. The most important part- she eats like a normal human with the healthy food and junk food mixed in giving her a normal human figure. Who knew I would crave all of this normalcy out of a fantasy book? It was so revitalizing to not be constantly thinking “ok… that will never happen in real life”. Everything sort of fit in with the fantasy and created universe of the book.
This book was just as easy to pick up and enjoy as book 1, though it left me aware of just how much Verity and I didn’t know/understand. I feel like the origin story of Helm and Haven has so many conflicting variations that I’m still not really sure why they were formed or why they suddenly became enemies aside from just the appearance of Cass, but that really doesn’t tell me much. How does a newbie like Cass suddenly turn up and create upheaval? Why would the citizens of Haven allow her to turn them into this? I need details in the next book. Also, where Cass gets all of this anger and hatred from? The girl needs to take a chill pill, I’m still not sure where this conflict came from/what it’s based on. This clearly all started before Verity got the magical eyes. Additionally, we have some sort of prophecy that implies Verity kills Haydn, her boy toy, but it’s not really clear where this prophecy came from, what it’s exact words are, or how Haydn, Kaydn, and Cass are connected. They have a huge reveal that Verity can’t kill Cass without Cass bringing Kaydn with her and that if Kaydn dies so will Haydn. I get that there was totally no time in the moment to explain this all to Verity… but I still at some point need an explanation to this. Lastly, what the heck is up with Verity’s family? What are her parents? Are they even related? What happened to her siblings? Where the heck did Grandma just poof off to? What is their ancestry? How does Verity’s body changes affect her life/the future of the plot???
You better be writing Gryffyn, because I NEED MORE HAVEN AWAKENING BOOKS. I NEED ANSWERS.
PS please put in more domovi scenes because the creatures are so cute and their relationship with Verity really evolved this book and I’m hoping for hugs and maybe a conversation one day. Verity will certainly need her domovi now more than ever after that killer ending. *wink wink* Haha. Puns.
April 28, 2016
Helm: a world so different from the human world. Handsome hunky male fairies and the new Veil-Seer is female in this all male world. What more could a girl want! Get ready for a look into author Gryffyn Phoenix's world of Helm; full of secrets, mysteries, evil, riddles, and half-truths.
STORY LINE:
Verity is the new veil-seer and has new responsibilities and a ripening desire for Haydn; Haydn is the Leader of Helm. Teenage hormones are raging as Verity and Haydn fight against the attraction and Verity learns to battle in this strange world as the veil-seer.
Verity finds Helm shrouded in mystery; everyone seems to know something about the veil-seer prophesy and Haydn, everyone except Verity. What is the secret and why does everyone speak in riddles and half-truths?
Come along as Verity discovers the mysteries and secrets.
CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, AND DEVELOPMENT:
Author Phoenix skillfully developed Verity character in this book. I loved Verity's snarky nature along with the characteristics of being all girly, but with the ability to hold her own in this male dominated world. Verity's quips and snarks are priceless. Ms. Phoenix lets Verity be a normal teenager with all the hormones, drama, and first love which that age experience; however Verity is fighting for the life of Helm and has great responsibility and perhaps great sorrow.
Ms. Phoenix creation of Helm and Haven, the politics and history, was very intriguing. The prophesy and the secrets of Helm are revealed to Verity a little at a time. I found the revelation of the secrets well done as Ms. Phoenix kept the intrigue and suspense at high-peak. I found myself engrossed and full of questions in this world.
Haydn's character is a hunky and sigh worthy. He is a teenager with the world on his shoulders; carrying secrets and mysteries beyond his years. Ms. Phoenix masterfully developed Haydn character to a mature young man who understands his place in the prophesy.
The world Ms. Phoenix created is fascinating; it is full of witches, dwarfs, fairies, monsters, and many other wonderful creatures and a very different nature world. Her descriptions are vivid and detailed and the mingling of these complex characters into the human world was skillfully done and interesting. Of course, all good stories, must have a worthy villain and Cass fills the bill admirably. She is one of those characters you love to hate; I found myself wanting to shake her like a baby rattle.
Ms. Phoenix had many threads to bring together in this story and she wove them together masterfully. You will laugh and cry in this story as Ms. Phoenix infused this book with a lot of emotion as Verity and Haydn try to sustain the world of Helm and Haven and come to terms with their feelings for each other. Are they destined to be together or is fate and the prophesy working against them? Sorry, you will have to read the book to find out all answers to the secrets, mysteries, and outcome of all.
The pacing in this story is steady from beginning to end and does not lag. It will keep your interest to the last page. Although this is book 2 in the series, it is a standalone. I do suggest you read book 1, to order to submerge yourself in the world of complex world of Haven and Helm and the continuing characters which appear in each book.
RECOMMENDATION: 4 STARS
Although fantasy/sci-fi books are not my usual reads, I found I liked this book. I plan to read book 1 and look forward to more from Ms. Phoenix in this series. I recommend this book to anyone that likes a solid well-written story-line by a talented author.
I received this book from The Romance Reviews and the author in return for an honest book review.
All Book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion; all book reviews on line and on my blog under my name are my opinion.
STORY LINE:
Verity is the new veil-seer and has new responsibilities and a ripening desire for Haydn; Haydn is the Leader of Helm. Teenage hormones are raging as Verity and Haydn fight against the attraction and Verity learns to battle in this strange world as the veil-seer.
Verity finds Helm shrouded in mystery; everyone seems to know something about the veil-seer prophesy and Haydn, everyone except Verity. What is the secret and why does everyone speak in riddles and half-truths?
Come along as Verity discovers the mysteries and secrets.
CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, AND DEVELOPMENT:
Author Phoenix skillfully developed Verity character in this book. I loved Verity's snarky nature along with the characteristics of being all girly, but with the ability to hold her own in this male dominated world. Verity's quips and snarks are priceless. Ms. Phoenix lets Verity be a normal teenager with all the hormones, drama, and first love which that age experience; however Verity is fighting for the life of Helm and has great responsibility and perhaps great sorrow.
Ms. Phoenix creation of Helm and Haven, the politics and history, was very intriguing. The prophesy and the secrets of Helm are revealed to Verity a little at a time. I found the revelation of the secrets well done as Ms. Phoenix kept the intrigue and suspense at high-peak. I found myself engrossed and full of questions in this world.
Haydn's character is a hunky and sigh worthy. He is a teenager with the world on his shoulders; carrying secrets and mysteries beyond his years. Ms. Phoenix masterfully developed Haydn character to a mature young man who understands his place in the prophesy.
The world Ms. Phoenix created is fascinating; it is full of witches, dwarfs, fairies, monsters, and many other wonderful creatures and a very different nature world. Her descriptions are vivid and detailed and the mingling of these complex characters into the human world was skillfully done and interesting. Of course, all good stories, must have a worthy villain and Cass fills the bill admirably. She is one of those characters you love to hate; I found myself wanting to shake her like a baby rattle.
Ms. Phoenix had many threads to bring together in this story and she wove them together masterfully. You will laugh and cry in this story as Ms. Phoenix infused this book with a lot of emotion as Verity and Haydn try to sustain the world of Helm and Haven and come to terms with their feelings for each other. Are they destined to be together or is fate and the prophesy working against them? Sorry, you will have to read the book to find out all answers to the secrets, mysteries, and outcome of all.
The pacing in this story is steady from beginning to end and does not lag. It will keep your interest to the last page. Although this is book 2 in the series, it is a standalone. I do suggest you read book 1, to order to submerge yourself in the world of complex world of Haven and Helm and the continuing characters which appear in each book.
RECOMMENDATION: 4 STARS
Although fantasy/sci-fi books are not my usual reads, I found I liked this book. I plan to read book 1 and look forward to more from Ms. Phoenix in this series. I recommend this book to anyone that likes a solid well-written story-line by a talented author.
I received this book from The Romance Reviews and the author in return for an honest book review.
All Book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion; all book reviews on line and on my blog under my name are my opinion.
June 18, 2016
Helm Abomination was a great sequel! I couldn't put it down. This fantasy world is so deep and full of secrets. I'll do my best to wait patiently for answers in the last book of the trilogy. In a month or so I'll probably end up re-reading Haven and Helm to enjoy experiencing the series in hindsight.
A must read YA fantasy novel with an amazingly real and enjoyable female protagonist.
A must read YA fantasy novel with an amazingly real and enjoyable female protagonist.
July 11, 2016
What a great series, it totally draws you in wanting more, I could not wait for this next addition and it did not disappoint. It keeps me wanting more, Verity is such an awesome heroine!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews