It’s been over a year since Haven Moore fled to Rome, leaving behind the Ouroboros Society and its diabolical leader, Adam Rosier. But as Haven knows all too well, her past has a habit of repeating itself. When her best friend, Beau Decker, disappears, Haven and her beloved Iain secretly return to New York City. Beau’s life rests in Haven’s hands—but so does Iain’s. If Adam discovers that Iain is still alive, he’ll use his power to ruin the two people Haven loves most.
The Horae, a group of beautiful, mystical sisters, hold the key to Beau’s fate. They want to destroy Adam, and only Haven can expose his vulnerabilities. But giving the Horae what they want could mean handing over her soul.
In order to save Beau, Haven must seduce Adam. And the more she manipulates Adam, the more she realizes that love has always had a funny way of manipulating her…because Adam has never seemed so beguiling.
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: August 9, 2011
Genre: Young Adult
432 Pages
Single Title/Series: ALL YOU DESIRE is book two in the Eternal Ones series.
Cover Thoughts: Although this cover is very pretty, it embodies the same lack of depth as the main character. Perhaps that was intentional? If so, well done on tying the image together with the substance of the book. This cover does nothing but conflict with the internal image of Haven I developed reading Book #1, and it makes me wonder why a teenager who works with her hands has perfect nails. Never mind that the title is only weakly tied to the plot, reflecting an element of character development that seems completely forced and artificial.
Origin: VampFanGirl received a published release copy of ALL YOU DESIRE from the publisher.
Guest Review by Jennifer Donohue:
The Plot:
**SPOILER ALERT!! ALL YOU DESIRE is book TWO in the Eternal Ones Series and it would be impossible to review this novel without spoiling its predecessor, The Eternal Ones. If you haven’t read the first book yet and you’re planning to, DO NOT read any further!**
Haven Moore and her lover, Iain, spent the last year hiding out in Rome after the rest of the world believed Iain died in a fire. They were even free of Adam Rosier, the leader of the corrupt Ouroboros Society, who has stalked Haven across centuries, imprisoning her in a number of past lives when she wouldn’t willingly stay with him on her own.
When Haven’s best friend goes missing, she and Iain return to New York to find Beau, and are quickly wrapped up in the mystery of the Horae—a small group of women determined to imprison Adam for the rest of eternity. The Horae agree to help Haven find Beau in exchange for her help with Adam. Haven carefully pushes herself into Adam’s arms to win his trust and take advantage of his obsession with her, but as she spends more time with her ancient enemy, she begins to see changes he’s made in himself, and in the Ouroboros Society. Are the changes a reflection of the new and improved Adam? Or has he merely shifted the focus of his evil to the children of the Ouroboros and the school built to train them as tomorrow’s world leaders?
Haven must discover the secrets behind Adam’s transformation, the Horae’s strange behavior, and the mysterious school if she wants to save Beau and prevent haunting visions of the future from becoming reality.
The Heroine:
Haven is amazing at designing and sewing dresses. Beyond that, she isn’t particularly intelligent or likeable. She’s fickle to such a degree that it can’t be written off to teenage angst. Her constant flipping back and forth between Iain and Adam makes her seem weak of character and disloyal. The evolution of her relationship with Adam I can buy, because it’s actually done quite well. What I can’t understand is her often sudden anger and frustration at Iain. Haven doesn’t appear to truly love Iain, and even while they’re still in Europe she seems more interested in everything but her supposed soulmate.
The Heroes:
We’re told that Iain and Haven have this incredibly deep, passionate connection, but at no point in this book do I actually see the connection. Sure, they seem like a couple of teenagers who are into each other, and at times they act like they’ll die without the other, but how is that different from any other teen romance? I know I fell desperately in love at least three times in high school. Teenagers are hormonal, it happens. What I’m not seeing between Iain and Haven is a love that has survived centuries as they lose and find each other again in each incarnation.
Beyond their lackluster connection, Iain isn’t all that interesting on his own. I honestly found myself rooting for Adam who I felt really showed some growth in this book. Can’t say too much about Adam without spoiling the story, but I’ll say that even though we’re supposed to believe he’s evil incarnate, I actually sympathize with him much more than Iain.
Jennifer's Final Thoughts:
The beginning of this novel is just flat out challenging to read. I didn’t care about the characters in this book until around page 100, and I wasn’t interested in the plot until well after page 200. The pace is a lumbering gait that limps through page after page as you hope and pray for the author to introduce even a tiny bit of tension to make it worth reading. Fortunately, somewhere past page 200 there’s finally some action and the story takes off.
What’s so incredibly disappointing about this book is that there is a great story in here and I imagine very few readers will hang in there long enough to enjoy it. The underlying plot is interesting and contains creative elements that are unique and fun. The villain is creepy and mysterious, providing a great source of intrigue, and the dynamic between the characters supplies a lot to work with. Unfortunately, the author doesn’t capitalize on any of this potential and leaves all of these great aspects to linger in the land of unfulfilled promise.
This story shouldn’t have been turned into a series. Book #1 was great and should have been left alone. I suspect someone other than the author decided the story should continue, and the author was left scrambling to continue a story that was expertly concluded in the first book. If you’re looking for something good to read, go read The Eternal Ones and forget there’s a sequel.
2 Stars
The Series:
THE ETERNAL ONES
ALL YOU DESIRE
About Jennifer Donohue: Traversing Corporate America by day, I write young adult paranormal novels by night. What better way to escape than by slipping into an alternate world and playing there for a while? Although for me it’s not just escape--the paranormal is my normal. Whether it’s falling into a ghost hunting group or finding myself living in a haunted house (thankfully past, not present), somehow the mystical world always finds me and lures me back into the fold. I live the paranormal, why not write there? You can friend Jennifer Donohue at Facebook.
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