Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm pretty sure anyone who has been bullied in their lives has wished for revenge or a makeover or a guardian angel or just something to make the pain stop. Edie gets all that and more in this book but it comes with a price. I applaud the author's creativity with the background and world building. The paranormal aspect was neat and at times scary creepy. I think the romance aspect actually lessened my enjoyment of the story and I'm not sure how she plans to continue that throughout the rest of series. ( )

Maybe 2 1/2 stars... I'm not quite sure.

It started out all "Mean Girls" on crack, then began to get a bit interesting with the monsters and "The Game". Details trickle out, but don't make a lot of sense at that point. Then it just gets really sad and depressing and then WHOMP, it's over. The climax takes about 10 seconds and suddenly you're reading the author's notes. I'm left a bit bewildered.

I doubt I'll read on. ( )

-- Want to know if the whole series is worth reading? Read my overall review of the whole series at seriesousbookreviews.com! Spoiler Free!

If I wasn't buddy reading this novel, I probably would have DNF'd it.

This story just moved too slowly for me to truly enjoy it. I just felt like we were in the exposition wayyyy too long with this one and that nothing was really happening. It takes Edie a long time to get involved in the "game" and by the time she gets there, I really didn't care anymore. Add to the fact that everything seemed to be overly and unnecessarily complicated.

While I sympathize with Edie because she was bullied, there really isn't much too her as a character. Her plan for revenge is never really elaborated on and she doesn't come across as the brightest. I guess Kian was supposed to handle most of it with her wishes but that was never really clear to me. I just wanted more from her.

Not even the romance saved this one!

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!

Full Review: http://wp.me/p7hLUw-1oe
Actual Rating: 2/5
( )

It's the whole Faustian bargain thing done for YA (which has been done before). The good news is, it was MUCH better than the last book I read with the same basic plot-line; "Another Faust." At best, the story had enough twists to keep it interesting. At worst, it used one of my least favorite YA tropes: teenagers who love classic movies and know too much "Casablanca" trivia. ( )

In the beginning of this book, Edie is on a bridge, preparing to commit suicide. Kian stops her with an intriguing offer - three favors now in return for three favors later. She has the opportunity to ask for three things within 5 years and then the company will ask for three things in return. She is intrigued, yet frightened. He can't give her many details at first, until she agrees and even then he is fairly cryptic. All she knows for sure is there is magic involved and she has to decide right away. Edie is aware of the dangers of deals such as these (monkey's paw anyone?), but in the end, she agrees.

I love Kian and Edie's relationship. It's great that he fell in love with her in her imperfect form, before the makeover (her first favor). She was teased mercilessly in school to the point where she felt worthless and unwilling to go on. He makes her realize that she is important. I loved watching Edie evolve into a more confident person and seeing how it changed her relationships with others, even her parents.

I really enjoyed this book. The bullying/revenge angle combined with the immortal game is very cool. The way they explain the immortals is very interesting and something I have heard of, but I haven't seen it used like this.

Recommended to:
Young adults who enjoy school stories involving demons/immortals with a touch of romance. This book takes the high school clique experience and bullying to the next level. ( )