Burn - Paula Weston

Burn is book four in the fantastic Rephiam Series. Please be aware that Shadows, Haze and Shimmer come before this!

A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book

Gaby remembers everything . . . 

My Review

What can I say? I knew I'd love this book before it was even out. There's just something about this universe and these characters that makes me want to read and read and read and never put the books down. I was so excited to read the prologue I had to stop myself making excited noises and my heart was racing. Like all other readers, I was desperate to know Gaby's whole story at last.

Weston went about this in the absolute best way. Instead of trying to explain all that had happened leading up to Gaby's memory loss and making the writing clunky and awkward, Weston let us live it with her. And when I'm alongside Gaby, I'm all kinds of ready. It was fascinating to be beside Gabe for once and not the Gaby I'd come to know and love.

It was amazing how Gaby and Gabe were the same person a year apart and yet they were so different. Gaby's much softer and . . . wait, I really want this to make sense . . . Gaby has more memories and therefore sees the world a little differently and that subtle difference between the past and present in this story makes me want to bow down to Weston because it is nothing short of perfection.

And just as I get my head round explaining that, Weston blows me away by doing so in less than fifteen words:

"I've been someone else for a whole year; I'm a different shape now."

As with all four of these books, you get a such-a-long-day kind of feeling as you battle right beside Gaby. It's incredible that I can feel as though I'm living all of it. It really is a masterpiece.

I was in the middle of  Burn for about thirty-three hours. Twenty-five of which I was awake and obsessing about it. I couldn't sleep for thinking about it. Then, when it was all over, I was so lost. I felt like I was missing something . . . no, someone.

I miss Gaby already!

FAVOURITE BOOK OF THE YEAR!

Evaluation

Overall 10/10

Would I recommend it? Yes! In a heartbeat! 

Would I look up the author? Yes but I don't have to.

Burn was everything I was expecting and then a whole lot more.

Molly Looby
Author / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready
molly.looby@hotmail.com

Haze - Paula Weston

Haze is the second book in the Rephiam series, Shadows being the first. If you want to read Shadows, which you most certainly should, you should avoid this review because of spoilers.

Blurb

Gaby Winters' life used to be pretty normal.

She lived with her best friend. She worked in a library. She was slowly getting over the death of her twin brother, Jude. Until Rafa arrived.

Now Gaby has discovered she is one of the Rephiam - descended from fallen angels. She knows demons exist. They are coming for her. And that Jude might be alive.

What she does next could change everything.

My Review

Just like Shadows before it, Haze blew me away. Everything I loved about Shadows I loved all over again and it took all of my strength not to pick up Shimmer (book three) straight away which is waiting on my shelf. I can't read it yet because I know Burn (book four) isn't out until August in the UK! But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Even though it's been a while since I read Shadows, I still felt like I perfectly understood Gaby. I really felt for her. I thoroughly enjoyed following her through another action-packed story, guessing what was going to happen next. You can send Gaby Winters an invite to my imaginary fictional tea party please! I admired her strength just as much as the first time and it made me want to be braver and fight alongside her. Not many characters get that response out of me.

Again, like Shadows, I just couldn't put this blasted book down. I read the entire second half in one day. I just kept turning pages, not caring the sky was growing darker. I couldn't help myself. The breathless pace doesn't let up from the first sentence and that truly is incredible.

I have to commend Weston for her fight scenes. They're fantastic. Usually, I really struggle my way through a fight scene and have to skim them to catch the gist. It's very rare for me to follow every punch and every flash of a sword. But Weston just has this way that not only keeps me hooked on every word, but makes me understand what's going on all over the place. And Haze is not a simple book. No way. And yet, I followed every action sequence. In fact, I was always secretly hoping for one.

I just have to add that Haze was as good as Shadows and sometimes that's half the battle.

Evaluation

Overall 9/10 - the only reason I feel I can't give this book a 10 is because it was borderline too confusing at times.

Would I recommend it? Yes. Get book one and read it and tell me how much you loved it!

Would I look up the author? Yes. Have done it. Am eagerly awaiting anything else that comes out of this woman.


Haze's breathless pace doesn't let up from the first sentence and I was left with no choice but to keep turning pages.

Molly Looby

Author / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly.looby@hotmail.com