| Title | : | Exiled (Immortal Essence #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 109 |
| Publication | : | First published October 2, 2011 |
| Awards | : | Whitney Award |
WORLDS DIVIDED THEM. DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER. ONLY LOVE WILL SAVE THEM.
Venus isn't from Earth, she's from Kelari. On her planet she's next in line to rule, but there are those who will go to great lengths to make sure that doesn't happen. Including frame her as a traitor.
Accused and sentenced, the gods of her planet exile her to Earth. They've given her one week to help a human find his true love. If she doesn't succeed, she'll die, but if she does she might lose her heart.
Praise for this series: "Michael and Venus have probably been the best pairing/couple that I've read about this year! GO READ THIS BOOK! You will love it. Seriously." Nancy, reviewer Tumbling Books
"Writing that moves readers to ponder their hearts is good writing, and that's what readers will find with Workman. Her protagonist is strong willed, her antagonist is easy to hate, and her mentor is easy to love." Kathleen Brebes
"What a ride!" Taffy Lovell
Exiled (Immortal Essence #1) Reviews
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I wrote it, so yes, I think it's fabulous. ;D
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I wanted to love Exiled (I mean, look at that cover! Gorgeous doesn't do it justice!), but because of a slightly jerky plot and slightly underdeveloped characters, I did find that while I really enjoyed it, it was lacking in certain areas.
The world-building was well-done. I had a very clear image of Kelari, what the alien race would have looked like, and the landscape that surrounded them. I loved the similarities to Earth, which made it easy to understand why Venus would have had an Earth Studies class in school. I wished we had spent more time on Kelair, and learned a bit more about Venus' family, but I supposed that it was the next book, Beguiled, will be for.
Venus is an interesting character. I understood why she reacted so strongly to the human-like emotions that came with being on Earth, as she had been taught since an early age to think of the collective (as she was going to be Queen), rather than of the individual. Her physical reactions to both Zaren and Michael reminded me of my early teen years, and I loved how Zaren had to teach her the difference between a mere physical reaction and the development of deeper feelings. Her ignorance of human emotions became quite endearing, and I liked watching her stumble when caught using a Kelari term, or an out-dated Earth slang term (i.e., fabu). She did become a little confusing towards the end, where it seemed like Workman couldn't decide how sick the atmosphere was making her; in one moment she was on the verge of passing out, and the next she was running to Michael's side to make sure Zaren hadn't hurt him too badly.
I wasn't a huge fan of Michael. He came across as a sleazy, shallow creep in several chapters, and even knowing about the type of abuse he suffered wasn't enough for me to reconcile those actions with his kinder and more loving ones. I didn't understand several of his reactions, and he was the reason I felt there were a couple of plot holes. I found him accusing Venus of his mother's death, even though they had spent the entire day together, was stretching things a little too thin and his eagerness to work with his deadbeat father was a little unrealistic. I also found the violence towards him a little unnecessary, as it didn't seem to move the plot forward. I think it was done so we would feel empathy for him, but as I didn't really connect with him, that was hard for me to do.
The thing that bothered me the most though, was the alternating PoVs. Usually, I'm a big fan of multiple PoVs, but I found Exiled didn't clearly mark when we were switching narrators, and I found myself quite confused several times, having to go back and re-read sections to clarify who was narrating. Once I got used to the style used to differentiate the alternating PoVs, it did get easier. The other issue I had was that chapters seemed to begin and end at random. Pivotal dialogues were cut off in order to begin a new chapter, and I was left wondering why several times, as there was no break in their conversation, other then the new chapter heading. It was really quite odd.
Criticisms aside, I really did enjoy Exiled. The story was original and fast-paced, and I found myself unable to put the book down. The aliens were fascinating, and I liked that they came across as a little strange, because they are aliens after all; it wouldn't have made sense to me if they reacted to everything just like a human would. I also loved that each chapter title was an 80s love song! I'm definitely going to be picking up the next instalment, Beguiled when it comes out next May! -
I'm not a big fan of Sci-Fi, so was a little leery to read this book. Boy was I glad I did. From beginning to end, the story of Venus, her journey to earth and all the struggles she encountered, kept me on the edge of my seat. I absolutely loved Michael and the relationship that formed between them.
A must read. -
Exiled was a pretty interesting book but I feel like it was missing something.
What initially captured my attention was the cover. However, what's inside, like the world building, was just as good. I loved it all. It was just missing something.
In it, you will meet Venus and Michael. I liked Venus because she was interesting and kept me intrigued. Especially when it came to Zaren and Michael.. but other than, she was okay. A bit confusing here and there but overall likable.
Speaking of Zaren and Michael.. ugh, Michael - I didn't like him. He was just everything I hate in a person. He was sleazy and shallow. Yes, I got to know him and his past.. but that still did absolutely nothing for me. I couldn't change how I felt about him because of what he was like when I first met him. When it came to him, I felt like things were missing as well. Which is probably why I was confused with Venus every now and then.
Overall, it was an okay book with a lot of plot holes. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would though and I think that's a plus. -
THE GOOD: Amidst all the vampire, werewolf and fallen angel novels out there, EXILED is a refreshing and unique read. Little details brought Venus’s world, Kelari, to life: everyone's features are the same (silver and white) until they become immortal, Kelari's atmosphere is different, they have unique swear words (because why should someone on a different planet use the same swear words we do?) and, of course, the Kelvieri's Boots.
These boots fascinated me. "They were black as a starless night, soft as feathers, yet stronger than any metal ever discovered. Thrantum. That’s what the Gods called the material." Within the heels of these boots, the Gods capture symbols of a person’s imperfections. The idea almost gives me shivers!
RaShelle didn't waste time in getting the plot moving, meaning I had no problem turning the electronic pages on my Kindle. It was also great to see the story unfold from different characters' perspectives (Venus; her personal guard, Zaren; the human, Michael; the bad guy, Dervinias...). No character is present by accident, and almost everyone with more than a passing role turns out to be related to the conflict in some way. I love a book where the details fit together like pieces in a puzzle, and although this picture isn't complete yet, I can look forward to more pieces falling into place in the next book in this series, BEGUILED.
THE BAD: My enjoyment of this book was somewhat hampered by the numerous missing apostrophes, occasional clumsy sentence structure, one or two tense mix-ups and an accidental extra word here and there. BUT I am happy to tell you that I just went back to Smashwords and saw that a second version of EXILED was uploaded two days after I downloaded the first version. I haven't looked at the second version, but I'm sure the author has fixed up all those little errors I came across.
THE PRETTY: Do I really have to elaborate? I mean, look at that cover! Gorgeous!
And, for the record, TEAM ZAREN! (Yup, I have a thing for Venus's sexy guard...) -
I purchased this book off of
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
College Kid who reads YA.
4/5
Don't often review books, but this one deserves the attention. It's different from what is being advertised in most situations. It's not a dystopian, no vampire, werewolves, or fairies in sight here. Just aliens.
We start off with Venus and her 16th birthday, where in Kelari you receive a task which you must complete to become immortal. Nothing to be spoiled, things don't go as they should and she gets "exiled" to Earth. Here she must complete her task.
Zaren, who is somewhat of a bodyguard, goes with her following his oath to protect and server her.
The first human she stumbles across happens to be Michael. After a not too friendly confrontation she comes to learn that her task is to make him find his true love. Although the summary gives away the major spoiler in the book, there are other twists which make you want to continue reading.
This book is one of few which kept me interested to the point that I did not pick up another while I was reading.
A 4/5 for me since I was constantly being sucked in. It did take a little bit to understand what was going on in the first few chapters, but once the terms became familiar it was alright. My first book in which I actually read about aliens and hope that this becomes a new theme. Will most definitely be buying the sequel when it comes out. -
Full review can be found
here.
Time for an admission: I didn’t reread the synopsis before going into this book. This meant that I read the first chapter, encountered the alien world and settled myself in for a story set on another planet. Then I flicked to chapter two and suddenly I’m on Earth with this human boy. This is my own fault as had I read the synopsis, I would have known what I was getting myself into, but I still felt a bit thrown by it.
It didn’t help that as soon as Venus was on Earth, it was like she knew everything about American culture. It was justified by saying that she’d taken Earth studies class but speaking as someone who’s changed culture twice, class never prepares you to slip right in. You’re thrown by how much you didn’t know about the culture and you’re overwhelmed by things that are general knowledge that you didn’t know about. What’s more, you never stop finding new things that you weren’t aware of for whatever reason.
You only see that take place once in the book with Venus when she gets called out for using a word that went out of style a few years ago (not that it was ever in style for me.) I stopped buying the Earth studies thing when she knew a brand of footwear that I, as a human being living on the other side of the pond, have never heard of. On top of that, there was some cartoon that she was talking about having watched in class that, again, I have never heard of. I don’t care how many hours a day you spend in Earth studies, you are not going to know American culture like that.
However, as it is their culture anyway, this may mean that it’s easier for Americans to buy it.
Another thing, what’s with the requisite love triangles? I’m starting to get bored of them because often enough they’re not very well-written anyway and you end up with “teams”. If I have to be on a team, I’m on “team Zaren” because he knows the Princess, had more than a week to “fall in love” with her, stood by her despite all her bad decisions, and… oh yeah, didn’t end up almost getting her killed. What’s more, Zaren was probably one of the most rounded characters in the story. Both Venus and Michael, despite much of the story being told in their voices, stayed pretty flat.
I didn’t like Michael much at all. He was supposed to be a damaged teen – hard on the outside but with plenty of love to give on the inside. In the end, he just came across as being a moody pushover, always twisted to fit others’ desires and allowing that to be done of him, just grumbling a bit in his thought flow.
I’m a bit worried about where this Michael-in-love-with-Venus thing will leave poor Zaren. Venus herself seems to become a wet sack of emotions each time either one of them is around and doesn’t know what she wants. The way she constantly reacted got annoying after a while. Then again, I never liked Venus much anyway as she was a bit of an airhead fool. She never failed to make a bad decision should one be presented to her. She never shut up about how the planet was killing her, either. That is tell. Her coughing blood and getting weaker each day is show. It really isn’t necessary to always combine the two of them as the author did. Venus would complain about feeling weak, then cough blood, and then complain that she was dying. Just show her steady decline and don’t back it up with thoughts or speech.
Talking about scenes where Venus was practically on the verge of death, there were some major issues with consistency. Venus would be very weak, unable to get herself back on her feet, then something would happen to, say, Michael, and she’d be practically buzzing with energy before she returned to being unable to lift her own head. And this happened several times. Consistency is key. Consistency did not exist here.
One last useless thing: what was with Tawny deciding to steal Venus’s boots – even getting her own PoV for a chapter – and then just running away when she makes her attempt, never to make another appearance in the book? What was the point behind the whole scene? I really don’t know.
All this said, the story itself was quite interesting even though almost every twist and turn is given away in the synopsis (yes, I’ve read it now!). The alien society was intriguing and I would have liked to have had the chance to explore it more as it really appealed to me. It would seem that the sequel will be at least in part set in Venus’s society, so I’ll definitely be checking back to find out what happens next.
Plus, I’d like to see Zaren get more depth! -
This book blew me away. I loved it from the first page and was thrilled to be reading something so richly creative and engaging. I definitely want to spend more time with the characters and delve deeper into their world in the sequel.
The story starts on another planet, complete with strange animals and a hi tech closet, but soon brings us down to earth. Someone knocked Venus out, blackened her name and sent her off in a space ship but luckily her handsome guard, Zaren saw her leaving and followed in another ship. He has known her since she was tiny but his care extends beyond that demanded by his role, not that Venus notices.
I loved Venus with all her confusion. She has both strength and vulnerability and an endearing innocence in all things love related. She also has an awesome pair of hi tech boots (or is it magic?).
Her first interaction with Michael, the boy she is supposed to help, makes him (despite his good looks) seem like a total creep, but once she gets into his mind when he’s dreaming, she realises that he’s had a tough life. Given the abuse he’s suffered, it’s amazing that he has any heart left at all. Michael is confused about love and so is Venus. On earth she’s experiencing feelings and desires she’s never had before for both Zaren and Micheal.
She releases Zaren from his role as guard, so that if she dies he can return home without her, but that frees him to develop a different kind of relationship with her. He tries to help her understand what these feelings are and that there are different kinds of love. He doesn’t take advantage of her either, which he could have. Zaren is one of those noble characters that I love. According to the story, loyalty, leadership and love are the qualities that every princess should acquire and this story gives Venus the opportunities she needs to develop these qualities. At the same time Zaren models them all.
As Venus learns about love, the nasties close in and the story becomes a battle for survival. Dervinius, another exile from her planet, has been asked to kill her by his scheming boss back home, but he is a complex character, and won’t kill her himself. But he doesn’t need to, because he has a gang of humans who assist him in horrific ritual murders who he can command to do it for him. (I was pleased that there were only two instances of these sickening murders.) Then Michael’s abusive father turns up, searching for the alien causing the murders. He knows he’s chasing the wrong one, but he doesn’t care, he just wants one under his scalpel.
With Zaren gone to plead with the gods to save her life, Michael is the only one who can help her, but will he? You’ll have to read the book to find out. The ending is perfect. It ties up the two main threads, but leaves some questions unanswered and challenges still to be met in the sequel.
I give Exiled 5 stars and recommend it for everyone. It’s really a ‘must read’ if you’re into young adult fantasy /sci fi. -
The very first thing I have to say about this book is how much I absolutely adore the cover! It is one I noticed and was interested in long before I asked to be included in the Dark CARMA Blog tour. I wanted to read it! With a cover like that, how could it not be good?
I wasn't disappointed, though it was a book that surprised me.
Let me explain: In the opening scenes we come upon Princess Venus. Now, with a name like that, I expected the story to be mythological in nature, and thus was confused by all the high tech involved. Beds that conform themselves to one's body and such. At first I thought, "Okay, she's meshed high tech with mythology," but then Venus finds herself on earth, where even the air she breathes is toxic to her. Her family has disappeared, her precious irrihunter (which it took me a while to figure out what the heck that was. lol) has been murdered, and she's been accused of sacrilege and treason by the Gods.
It was interesting, and I enjoyed it, but I was still thinking high tech mythology--and then space ships got involved.
Huh???
I suddenly had to adjust my thinking. This book was science fiction with some mythological undertones, yes, but it was Sci-Fi! Once I figured that out (I should have watched the book trailer before hand. Dead giveaway there! DOH!), the reading went much easier and was fascinating. But truly, at its heart, this is a romance, and a well written and enjoyable one at that. For me, that says something. I'm not a huge romance fan, but this story sucked me in so much that I found myself looking for a spare moment ANYWHERE to read. I ended up staying up until the wee hours of the morning to finish last night because I just couldn't stop, even when the words were blurry because I was so tired. I couldn't put it down! And now I am to be tortured, waiting for book two.
I'm beginning to understand how my own readers feel when they bug me for the next book. lol
So, congratulations, RaShelle, for writing such a fascinating story that sucked me into its world and wouldn't let go. I'm still thinking about it, all these hours later, and I would definitely recommend it to any and all readers. Its clean, exciting, and I couldn't help but root for the heroes. Very well done! -
I enjoyed this book. I would give it between a 3.5. At first I was a little confused by Venus' world, but as you read you learn more and you eventually get a better picture of it. But the book almost entirely takes place on earth so it isnt really relevant anyway. But what we learned about her species and the way they live and become immortal was fascinating, especially at the end when we see it happen. It was incredibly unique.
I was surprised by this book. The summary makes it sound like a romance. But there is actually a lot of alien conspiracy going on in this and the romance isn't a major focus. It was actually a tad disturbing and I should probably warn you that there are some extremely gruesome scenes of ritual sacrifice. I would recommend this for more mature YA readers.
I liked Michael right away and I felt so sorry for him in his first chapter, and even more so when Venus dreamed about him the first time. I almost cried. I have a soft spot for tragic heroes. But I really wish there had been more romance between them. There were a few scenes that made it clear where things were headed, but it took way longer than I would have liked for them to get there, and they weren't entirely there yet when the book ended. The ending was a bit sad, and I really hope things change between them in
Beguiled and that the romance is more satisfying. I am excited to read it also to find out more about the conspiracy and what The Order's purpose is. The series has a lot of potential and characters that I enjoy so I will like it either way. -
This is embarrassing. Only 7% done and I hate this book already.
Reasons
1) First, I have hell no idea about this world Princess Venus comes from. No visual descriptions to help me imagine it or whatever. The creatures there and how they interact... What the hell is an irrihunter or a Formytian?! My head is in confusuionzd.
2) Let's briefly talk about Michael. His mother is effed up insane and how could he just let her push him around like that while still making polite replies of "Yes, mother."?!!?
I just couldn't get into the world/premise of this book. The conversations were pretty lame too. -
This is an awesome book. Full review coming later.
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Exiled was a mixed read for me. I absolutely loved the world that RaShelle created. All of the details about Kelari and Kelarians were amazing! I loved the descriptions of Venus's room, the irrihunters, and I loved the whole revenge aspect. Unfortunately, the characters were what fell a bit flat for me. While I loved Zaren, and loved certain aspects of Venus, I couldn't stand Michael and he's such a central part of the story that it kept me from loving it. I think that if you read it and like Michael though you will absolutely love everything else because RaShelle creates one beautiful world.
I've already mentioned a bit about the characters, but I want to get into it a bit more. I thought that Venus was fantastic before she met Michael, but I didn't really like how she started changing, partially because of the way Earth was affecting her and partially because I just didn't believe the appeal she had for Michael. It was so sudden, but not immediate, which made the whole "suddenness" of it later on seem really unbelievable to me. Venus was such a strong character, and coming to Earth weakened her. I loved that she had Zaren for support, and I loved their relationship...however, I'm not a fan of the love triangle at all in this book, but that all comes down to Michael once again. Michael is depicted as a strong and brave character with a good heart, but I just didn't really like him. He'd been through a lot in his past, and I understood that it made him react certain ways towards love and all that, but I just didn't see the "good" side of him. His thoughts were shallow, he was cocky, and considering we actually saw his thoughts I just never really saw that side that Venus did. I wished that I did, but I didn't. Maybe I'll see it more in the following books, but I'm not counting on it. That being said, I loved the villains in this book. There are human ones and Kelarian ones....humans in general came off as pretty evil in this book, but considering Venus is an alien, that made sense to me. :P
Okay, now that I've told you a bit about the characters, and hopefully didn't give too much away, I'll tell you a bit about the world. Venus tells stories to Michael at one point, and while I didn't like Michael, I absolutely loved Venus's stories. I loved the way that she described her people and planet's history, and how she would mention certain details about their technology. It was incredibly interesting and I thought that RaShelle did a fabulous job establishing Venus's world. Their gods, Ith and Aetha were really interesting as well. Their roles in Kelari and the Kelarians past, present and future were intriguing, and I loved how they fit into the story. I think that the world-building, and all of its intricacies are what RaShelle really excels at in Exiled, and because of that I'm looking forward to future books in this series.
Another aspect that I thought was really well done was how Venus reacted on Earth. Her body's reactions, and also how she reacted to different things that she was seeing for the first time seemed incredibly realistic, and I liked that they were given focus. It was a way of showing Venus's alien-ness without making her into a stereotypical alien that stands out because they're green and freaky with big eyes. :P
Overall, I liked Exiled. It's not my favourite story, but I think that it shows a lot of promise, and there were some aspects that I absolutely loved, and those aspects alone make me want to recommend this book. I might be alone in my dislike of Michael, but even if I'm not, I think that this book can be appreciated because RaShelle has created an intriguing and incredibly intricate alien-world that I found to be a pleasure to read about.
Does Exiled sound like kind of story you'd like to read?
Have you read it already? If you have, I'd seriously love to hear your thoughts? In particular...how did you feel about Michael? I'd love to see if I'm the only one who didn't like him, and if you liked him, I'd love to hear what it was that you liked. :) -
Synopsis:
Stubborn, sixteen-year-old Princess Venus of Kelari wants one thing, to become immortal, that is, until someone exiles her to Earth, kills her irrihunter and takes her family.
Now she wants revenge.
First she’s got to get home. But before she can return to Kelari, the Gods have commanded her to help an arrogant boy named Michael find his soul mate. Only she doesn't know the first thing about love.
Rather quickly, her inexperience with human emotion is obscured by other matters—alien-controlled psychotic teens that are out to kill her, and a government group that is set on capturing and dissecting her.
Worst of all, Venus will suffer a painful death-by-poisoning, thanks to Earth’s atmosphere, if she remains on the planet longer than one week. Still, Venus is a Princess and she's got a plan. Surely, with her help, Michael will fall in love with a human.
But time is running out and Michael is falling for the wrong girl—her.
Review:
I'm sooo disappointed. I've been waiting to read this book for so long but....
The writing was okay. In parts the dialogue was terrible. The teenage lingo-speak dialogue was cringe-worthy. The stereotypical high school elements were nauseating.
The only solid character in the whole book was Zaren. Solid, through and through. All the rest including Venus were so opaque it wasn't funny.
The story was so confusing and preposterious (especially near the end) that it made a good idea too complicated to read easily, I had to keep checking back to try and understand the story. Plus, large parts of 'tell' and no 'show'.
The romance was icky,and Venus was jumping off the walls every time Michael or Zaren were nearby.
Thoroughly disappointed and I love YA sci-fi. If you want to read a good book try Keira's Moon by Lizzy Ford or Elemental: The First by Alexandra May. So much better. -
3.5 stars
I have to start with the disclosure that sci-fi is not my thing. I usually never pick it up, and so I'm naturally inclined against reading it. The concepts and words are so "alien" to me (sorry, couldn't help myself). And so in places where I was confused, it may just be that my brain isn't used to reading this type of story. And granted, there were only a very few places where I was confused and it all smoothed itself out.
My favorite part of this story was the end -- hands down. It's hard to tell you much without including spoilers, but it was so different from what I was expecting. This is not your typical boy-love-girl, girl-loves-boy happy ending. I'll leave it at that. But I loved that the novel recognized that emotions and feelings are far more complex and take time to sort out.
Venus was a fun character and I suffered right along with her. For a girl who'd been raised to suppress her feelings, she was surprisingly compassionate and easy to empathize with. And Vinny was one of those guys you loved to hate. Everything about him sucks, and yet he's this constant.
The two potential love interests both had loads going for them. In addition to looks, you have their backgrounds and the way they both care for Venus so deeply. It's not a typical love triangle, although there are some elements of jealous between the two guys... obviously.
Overall, I think if you love YA and sci-fi, you'll enjoy EXILED. The plot is fast-moving and the new world Workman created is vividly real. I especially loved hearing about the cave the gods lived in. Cool stuff! -
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the descriptions of planet Kelari and felt like I was literally out of this world for a while. I would have liked to actually see what happened to Venus' family rather than just being made aware that SOMETHING happened, but I guess that's how it was for Venus and I have a sinking feeling it couldn't be revealed in this book anyway.
Other things I enjoyed from the book include the different names of things and people from planet Kelari and some of the science fiction ideas in the book. I don't want to give too much away, but I especially loved the idea of the immortal boots and how they reveal Venus' weaknesses.
For me this book was plot driven which I love. The questions raised early in the story and throughout compelled me to keep reading even if at times I got tired of being inside someone's head for too long. I enjoyed the main characters but all in all I think Michael is my favorite, probably because he's human and I can relate to that.
I think the book could have used one more sharp eye edit, but other than that, I think it will be enjoyed by YA lovers of all ages (especially those with a thing for 80's music.) And that cover is gorgeous! -
I'd heard of Goodreads, but sadly, I'd resisted getting on. Just another website to suck away my time. But, after reading this book, I had to get on. It's the first time I've been inspired to write down my thoughts about a book.
It's superb!!!
I loved the multiple points of view.
I loved Venus.
Michael was tough to like at first, but by the end - man, oh man, did I fall hard for him.
Zaren is yummy! I want a guardian like him. Heck, I want a man like him! "Lemons and honey." That's how Venus describes him as smelling. Seriously delicious!
Vinny is awful, yet likeable at times. A great bad guy.
AND THOSE BOOTS. PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE CAN I HAVE A PAIR?
If you're interested in a fun read. Full of great descriptions and laugh out loud (in a great way) dialogue, then this book is for you.
Read and enjoy. -
In a world of vampire and werewolf novels, Workman is a breathe of fresh air by bringing a new era into science fiction.
I loved the alien mythos and fell in love with not only the characters, but the story as well.
Looking forward to the rest of the series and eager to learn more about Workman's alien world! -
This is quite possible the most gorgeous cover of 2011, paralleled only by
.
Hope the book is as great. -
This book is amazing. RaShelle, you're an great writer. This book is amazing. Yes, I purposefully said your book is amazing twice cuz it's like totally awesome!
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I love this cover!
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Oh dear, my Goodreads rating is dropping really fast.
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کتاب بسیار سطحی، کسلکننده و فوقالعاده ملالآور بود...داستانی کاملا تکراری که از این دست کتابها به وفور در بازار پیدا میشود و ابدا توصیه نمیکنم!
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Saturday, February 4, 2012Exiled by RaShelle Workman
Exiled by RaShelle Workman 4 of 5 stars
I originally saw Exiled on a review blog where it was featured in a giveaway. The cover looked interesting and the storyline seemed different. So, when I saw it available on Amazon for free, I made sure to download it.
The story was interesting enough- I read it in two days. Exiled is the tale of a Kelarian Princess named Venus. She lives a stable life until she passes out and awakes to find that her family has disappeared and she has been framed for their killing. Zaren, her "Formytian," (basically her bodyguard/servant,) makes sure she makes it safely to Earth. There, they discover that they've been set a task by their gods to help the boy named Michael. From there, they meet up with Dervinias, (a.k.a. Vinny,) who is the villian of the tale. He's basically a psychopathic, murdering, immortal Kelarian who has his own agenda. He also has a bunch of humans, (including Michael's girlfriend, Cheverly,) under his thumb. The story continues with Venus and Zaren trying to complete their mission by helping Michael and is complicated by the love triangle between the three of them and Cheverly.
Meanwhile, Vinny sends out his minions to make attempts on Venus's life, (which sort of fizzle out to pointlessness in the end.) But time starts to run out anyway for Venus as her body becomes more and more poisoned by Earth's atmosphere and she starts to die. The story races to an interesting end which has a cliffhanger of sorts- will Vinny gets what is coming to him? Will Venus and Zaren find out what happened to her family? It's clear there's going to be a sequel.
I actually enjoyed reading this story: it was fun, entertaining, and had enough action to keep me reading. There were some typos that indicated one more editing check should have happened, but overall it wasn't distracting enough to stop me from reading the story all the way through. I did/do feel bad for Zaren in the midst of the whole love triangle- I'm kind of hoping the next installment will resolve that dilemma for him, at least. There were some complaints that the love triangle seemed contrived- but I remember being a teenager (horrors!) and I remember having 3 or 4 crushes at the same time (who never even knew I was alive lol.) So, I kept that in mind while I read.
The slang used was a little annoying and dorky- sometimes authors need to keep in mind that when they use slang in books- it pinpoints CERTAIN TYPES of teen groups. Slang differs from each teen cultural group to the next- just like it does for adults- so plleeeeeze be certain you're using the right slang!
Also, the idea of Venus's planet and culture were really interesting and compelling and drew me into the story immediately. Being thrown back onto planet Earth with Michael was a little confusing/overwhelming at first, but pulled together as the story went on. But I would love to learn more about Venus's planet and culture- they were interesting enough to pull me into the story in the first place.
In any case, none of the things in the book that irked me, bothered me enough to destroy my enjoyment of the story. The story itself is hard to classify- is it Contemporary Sci Fi? Is it Urban YA? Is it Mythological Romance? Hard to say.
Guess you'll have to read and decide for yourself! -
“If you’re trying to get me to kiss you again,” he whispered hoarsely, “it’s working.”
After reading Exiled by RaShelle Workman it is official, there needs to be more sci-fi novels in YA! The cover of Exiled everyone can agree is beyond gorgeous, but what’s within the cover..is even better! This was a story I cannot wait to continue in book two, there was romance, there was action, there was a mystery, there was everything I love in a novel! Normally I am not a huge fan of books written in 3rd person, they normally have to be amazing for me to like them, I can easily say that Exiled was nothing less than amazing!
Exiled starts off with Princess Venus, she is supposed to become immortal soon, and she can’t wait. That was all until her life was flipped upside down. Someone has framed her of a crime unthinkable on her planet, someone has framed her of killing her irrihunter. For this crime she is banished to planet Earth and given a task, her task, for whatever reason is to make human boy Michael find true love. She thinks this should be easy, but what happens when he falls in love with the wrong girl? As if trying to get stubborn Michael to fall in love wasn’t hard enough, there is someone close by that will stop at nothing to see her dead.
Exiled was such an addictive read, when I read Exiled I was in one of those weird reading moods where nothing was satisfying me! I kept starting books, then putting them back down! When I picked up Exiled though, there was no way anyone was going to take it out of my hands! It had me from page one curious about the world Venus lived in, and on the last page left me dying wondering what would happen next.
The things I liked most about Exiled was first off the story, I loved the idea of a princess from another plant being framed and then banished to planet earth. It was a new fresh take and had a mixture of mythology, sci-fi , thrill, everything. It was truly a great adventure!
What I loved most though about Exiled was the characters! RaShelle’s characters were each so different and I loved all of them! My favorites were the three main characters Venus, she was so fearless and tough! I loved it! Even though she would try and act like she didn’t care, deep down she had a heart of gold and felt so sad for Michael and the life he was in she wanted nothing, but to help him and make him feel loved. Michael I also loved, at first he comes off as an arrogant and stubborn boy, but that’s all a front. Really he is actually quite sad deep down..he feels lonely and unloved. I couldn’t help, but feel for him. The way his mother acts towards him is horrid. Then there was Zaren, I think he was my favorite character even though we don’t get to know him as much, I love how sophisticated he was and how caring and understanding he was towards Venus. I am hoping in book 2 there will be lots more of Zaren!
Overall if you’re looking for an amazing new Sci-Fi YA novel then I highly recommend Exiled, it had thrill, romance, heart break, betrayal, and everything needed to make up one awesome read!
“I’m the death of you, gorgeous.” -
Up front I must admit that I approached this book with hesitancy. Clearly, if I shied away from cheesy love stories then I wouldn’t be so drawn to young adult fiction. As much as I enjoy the cheese, however, I’m also embarrassed by it and long for more to a story than just the age-old love triangle. The description of this book and the blurb about the author made it unabashedly clear that love was a primary focus of this novel. Hmm…
In the end, I bought it hook, line and sinker. ☺
Nearly always, within the pull of the ol’ triangle, I quickly attach myself to one of the choices and remain loyal to that connection throughout—Edward was always and forever my team leader in Twilight. Peeta, regardless of Ms. Collin’s choice, would eternally, in my opinion, be the great hero of the Hunger Games—It would seem, with that background in mind, that my chosen beau for Venus in this story would be an easy one. Not so…
This book, more than any other I have read, provoked internal questions about love: What does love look like? What role does the physical side of love play? Is love complete without reciprocation? What impact does time have on love? Does true love always last? How does one demonstrate love? Etc? Etc?
It also left me wondering about the connection between the fictional love stories I am drawn to and my own personal love story. I realized that I am drawn to stories that contain two significant aspects: things that I recognize from my own relationship and things that I will ever only dream about.
My most personal, noteworthy discovery between my questioning is that all of my favorite love stories {Moulin Rouge, Titanic & Twilight} seem to contain a significant amount of conflict, many of which end tragically. Hmm… … … …
Well, if you’ve read this far into my review, perhaps you’ll indulge me and answer some of the questions I posed to myself: What are your favorite fictional love stories? Why? What sort of a connection do you find between those stories and your stories?
{p.s.} If this book stirred so many thoughts and questions why did it not receive 5 stars? There are a few extremely disturbing {violent} scenes that knocked it down a notch for me. Though they are short and easy to skim, consider yourself warned should you fork out the buck it will cost you to buy this book on Amazon for your Kindle. -
I picked up a E-copy of Exiled a while back for free, and when I heard about the tour for the next chapter I had to sign up. Venus has turned sixteen which means she now will become a immortal, setting her on the path to be the next queen. But fate steps in changing her forever when she's exiled to earth with her only chance of returning to help a mortal boy find love. Venus has seven days to help Michael find his soul mate or she won't be able to return to her home planet and Earth’s atmosphere will kill her. Thankfully she's not alone on the alien world she has her bodyguard Zaren an immortal to protect her.
They seek out the help of a immortal who's pretending to be a high school student to help blend with the humans. However Michael isn't thrilled with the idea of finding love since both of his parents have let him down all his life. Then he catches his girlfriend cheating on him on his killing any chances of being in love when he meets Venus who he suspects is the Angel of Death. Venus thinks that by reuniting Michael with his girlfriend will solve her problem but Michael may love his girlfriend but he's not in love with her. On earth Venus learns that one of her own is killing a human which has the government after them too.
I just love the cover for Exiled it's just beautiful. I'm still new to the Sci-Fi genre but the more I've been reading the more I'm starting to really enjoy them. Exiled is a great first book in the Immortal Essence series. I wasn't sure about Venus as a character but the more I read I started to warm up to her and really like her. However with her love life I'm not sure how I feel about it. I try to avoid books that are love triangles because I hate them so much but for the most this one wasn't bad. I found the concept for the story unique and fascinating it captured my imagination refusing let go even after I finished. The story is filled, with action, adventure, romance and emotions that keep you wanting more. Exiled is a decent size book but for me it was a fast read, one of those you just don't want to put down and I ended up staying up super late just to finish. It even took all my will power not to start the next one. This is my first book by RaShelle Workman and after reading Exiled I'm a quick fan. -
Okay so I actually finished this book on Sunday and I really didn't want it to end! If you love romance AND aliens you will love this book. This was my first supernatural book I ever read and I wasn't disappointed at all! Ohhh my, I just can't write enough for this book.
Venus and Michael were so amazing together. They basically depended on each other and my heart melt for them. The ending with have you shocked that's all I have to say!
THEN RaShelle Workman teases you at the end with an excerpt from the 2nd book in this series. WARNING!! DO NOT READ THE EXCERPT UNTIL YOU FINISHED THE BOOK!!!! IT WILL RUIN THE BOOK FOR YOU!
How do I know this? Well my best friend was flipping through the back and saw the excerpt, and she gasped. Of course she knows all about the characters and plot...I tell her everything. The first sentence, only three words both had us crying and I didn't even finish the book yet!!!!!!
Then I finished, THEN I read the excerpt and I actually left out a big breath, relieved! I guess you'll just have to read it yourself!
P.S. Workman uses song titles for her chapter titles...coolest thing ever!
I didn't want to say goodbye to this book like Rose and Jack didn't want to leave each other!!!
-
4.5 stars
I really liked this book. I'm pretty surprised it has a 3.6 stars rating.
I must admit it was a little confusing at the beginning. So many names and creatures that made me feel lost for a while.
But then, as the story progressed and I was getting used to those weird and complicated names, I found it amazing.
It's a simple story: A Princess that is framed and exiled to Earth. She doesn't know why she is there, or who did that to her, but the only way the Gods can forgive her and let her back in her planet is if she accomplishes a mission: She has to help Michael find true love.
There is an interesting twist though, she has a week before Earth's air kills her...
Around those facts the story has action, romantic chemistry and we can discover a wonderful world Rashelle Workman created for this Kelarian Princess called Venus.
She is a great character, ok... yes, she is a little lost regarding emotions but she experiences life through "new eyes" while she is on Earth and matures whereas the plot entangles.
Her Formytian (some sort of protector), Zaren, is the hottest thing on... should I say Earth? or the Universe? lol The tension between them is WOW! WOW! WOW! (no words to describe it)
And Michael, his story is heartbreaking, I felt so bad for him, It made me sad :( But his personality is magnetic and just loved him.
One detail I liked: the name of the chapters are all song's names!
Anyway, this is my opinion and I think it is a sweet and nice story :) -
I got to 50% before realizing I was groaning and hating every minute of this novel. I even attempted to connect my ereader to a public wifi to download ANYTHING else so I wouldn't have to read this. So it's probably best for my sanity to DNF this one.
Exiled is not a terrible book by any means, but features a host of things I just don't care for:
-Insta/lust-filled romance that is justified (by the use of true love, time constraints, and character traits)
-Name Dropping
-Predictability
-Character Stereotypes (abusive mother, bully bad girl, innocent MC, BFF male savior, bad guy who is somehow helping you, misunderstood love interest...)
-Oddly/Inconsistent chapter breaks (Seriously, this does annoy me. Be consistent or GTFO)
-Multiple POVs that seem kind of pointless
I really don't know why I stuck around in hindsight. Maybe I was hoping this one would get better.
Oh well.
No rating will be given, as I have not finished the book and thus cannot give an adequate review on the entirety of the piece, but anything marked as DNF or a book I gave up on is usually around the 1-2/5 mark.
