Author: Heather Demetrios
Series: Dark Caravan Cycle #1
Publication: October 7th 2014 by Balzer + Bray
Genre: Young Adult ~ Fantasy
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Kobo
Cover Rating: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5
Forced to obey her master.
Compelled to help her enemy.
Determined to free herself.
Nalia is a jinni of tremendous ancient power, the only survivor of a coup that killed nearly everyone she loved. Stuffed into a bottle and sold by a slave trader, she’s now in hiding on the dark caravan, the lucrative jinni slave trade between Arjinna and Earth, where jinn are forced to grant wishes and obey their human masters’ every command. She’d give almost anything to be free of the golden shackles that bind her to Malek, her handsome, cruel master, and his lavish Hollywood lifestyle.
Enter Raif, the enigmatic leader of Arjinna’s revolution and Nalia’s sworn enemy. He promises to free Nalia from her master so that she can return to her ravaged homeland and free her imprisoned brother—all for an unbearably high price. Nalia’s not sure she can trust him, but Raif’s her only hope of escape. With her enemies on the hunt, Earth has become more perilous than ever for Nalia. There’s just one catch: for Raif’s unbinding magic to work, Nalia must gain possession of her bottle…and convince the dangerously persuasive Malek that she truly loves him. Battling a dark past and harboring a terrible secret, Nalia soon realizes her freedom may come at a price too terrible to pay: but how far is she willing to go for it?
Inspired by Arabian Nights, EXQUISITE CAPTIVE brings to life a deliciously seductive world where a wish can be a curse and shadows are sometimes safer than the light.
Granting wishes is a bitch.
I'm jumping right in with saying that Exquisite Captive was incredible! It really, really, really was! The book started out as 'not bad' but kept on growing and growing into one striking story that I adored. Really, I couldn't have been more pleased about it.
I loved Nalia's character and the more I read about her the more I realized that she's a very different heroine compared to others because to some people she's the enemy. But aside from all that she was powerful, kick-ass and yet had a vulnerable side. Her strenght was very admirable with everything she went through in the past. But even though her past was pretty horrific, she still would do anything to save her little brother.
Then there's Raif. I'm not his biggest fan but I also don't hate him or anything. He was nice to read about. I guess I just wasn't a fan of the romance between him and Nalia. I mean, I like the whole enemies having feelings for each other thing but 'eh', I don't know yet. Of course there's a whole set of drama in between and I'm sure more drama will follow so I can't wait to see where things will go.
I must warn you that, yes, there is a love triangle in this book. Normally I'm not a fan of those but I honestly didn't care that there was one because both guys were pretty great. Like I said I'm not Raif's biggest fan, but I absolutely loved Malek. He was very mysterious, dark and let's just face it, damn sexy! He's got my vote for sure and I can't wait for find out more about him!
Now, about this world... It was brilliant. I haven't read many stories about jinns before. Maybe once, but even so they weren't a huge part. All I know now is that I need more books about jinns. I loved reading about them, about their world, their powers, everthing! The world-building was simply awesome. At first it might be a bit confusing with all the different kinds of jinn but eventually I got the hang of it. Also the part of jinns being sold to humans, basically a slave trade, brought the whole story to a darker level. I also can say that for a YA book, it's pretty dark and steamy. Not too much (because it's still YA) or anything but that's how it was for me. And I loved it so!
There's a lot of twists that I hadn't seen coming. Just when you think the book is going in one direction, it's taking a complete turn the other way. That was so freaking good. The end is also pretty unexpected. I really hadn't seen that coming at all.
So overall, Exquisite Captive was one fantastic and enjoyable read. Heather Demetrios introduces us to a dark, exotic and very intriguing world that I couldn't get enough from. It was sedutive, enticing and made complete with excellent and enticing writing. It had everything I wanted from a great book. I can't wait to read the next one!
Favorite Quote:
Breaking away from him was like coming up for air, only she didn't want to breathe.
About the Author:
When she's not traipsing around the world or spending time in imaginary places, Heather Demetrios lives with her husband in New York City. Originally from Los Angeles, she now calls the East Coast home. Heather is a recipient of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award for her debut novel, Something Real, which Publisher's Weekly calls “[An] addictive yet thoughtful debut” about reality TV stardom. She is the author of the upcoming EXQUISITE CAPTIVE, a smoldering fantasy about jinn in Los Angeles (#1 in the DARK CARAVAN fantasy), as well as I’ll Meet You There. Coming from Macmillan in Winter 2015, I’ll Meet You There is a love story about a young combat veteran and a girl trapped in their small town, both struggling to escape the war at home. Heather is the founder of Live Your What, an organization dedicated to fostering passion in people of all ages and creating writing opportunities for low-income youth. She is proud to have an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts (okay, she'll have it THIS JULY). You can always find her on Twitter (@HDemetrios), ogling the military dogs she wants to adopt (but can’t because her NYC apartment is way too small).
Need. NEEEEED THIS BOOK!
ReplyDeleteJackie @ No Bent Spines