ARC Review: Hidden by Marianne Curley

Title: Hidden (Avena #1)
Author: Marianne Curley
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Goodreads rating: 3.64 out of 5.00 (pre-release)
Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13265293-hidden

For as long as Ebony can remember, she's been sheltered. Confined to her home in a secluded valley, home-schooled by her protective parents, and limited to a small circle of close friends. It's as if she's being hidden. But something is changing in Ebony. Something that can't be concealed. She's growing more beautiful by the day, she's freakishly strong, and then there's the fact that she's glowing. 

On one fateful night, Ebony meets Jordan and she's intensely drawn to him. It's as if something explodes inside of her--something that can be seen from the heavens. Ebony still doesn't know that she's a stolen angel, but now that the heavens have found her, they want her back.




Review by Nara


Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for sending me an advance copy of Hidden through NetGalley. In no way did this affect my opinion of the book.

First, Aussie author FTW.

One thing I can say about Hidden is that it started off quite well. If I were to name the best scene of the book, it would be the one where Ebony and Jordan first meet. Oh Jesus, that was freaking hilarious. The two of them were so awkward and the way dialogue flowed, I could easily see the scene being played out in my mind. Oh man...it was so good. I won't spoil any of it for you by quoting it (although I was pretty tempted to do so), just read the actual book and you won't be disappointed (by that scene anyway).

So, shortly after that hilariousness, we get a massive dose of action when Jordan is suddenly stabbed by someone. MAN DOWN! From there, we go on to get our first taste of the paranormal, with angels intervening to save Jordan's life. And while I suppose this action was what we needed, having this excitement at the start only served to increase the annoyance I felt during the middle of the book, where the pace was sluggish at best.

A bit of background: basically, Ebony (real name Ebrielle) is an angel who has been "Hidden" on Earth by the evil angels, and now the good angels are trying to get her back to the Heavens.

Let me pose a question. If you were trying to hide a girl from the angel world, and her real name was Ebrielle, why the freaking hell would you give her the name Ebony?! Make it easier for the enemy, why don't you! What is with this recent influx of incompetent angels...#AShimmerofAngels (review can be found here)

And then, when the angels actually find Ebony, they don't tell her that she's an angel because she won't trust/believe them. Which, you know, I suppose is reasonable, but why don't you just show her your wings??  Then she might believe you....On the other side of the coin, Ebony finds that she has started growing wings (or at least has feathers coming out of her back). WTF. If you have wings/feathers coming out of your back, you are clearly not normal. If you've read books, then yeah, you're kinda going to assume that you're an angel (or that you have some weird disease-which is actually probably more likely now that I think about it).

After this irritating period of obstinacy on Ebony's part where she can't accept the fact that she's an angel, the pace picks up again. Particularly, towards the end, I flew through the novel as more action was brought in.

Romance

CONGRATULATIONS! INSTALOVE ALL ROUND! 

One aspect of the romance which was sort of annoying was definitely the instalove. It was seen with both love interests, but especially with Jordan. I mean, seriously, the guy didn't even talk to her much before he suddenly decides that he loves her. And, no offense, but Jordan was pretty bland as a character. I don't know what it was about him, but I just wasn't feeling the connection that you should feel to a narrator.

The other love interest, whose name I won't mention for fear of spoilers, was marginally more interesting, but:

1. There was still instalove.

2. I just realised there actually isn't a two for objections to this character. But instalove is enough to ruin a romance!

I really hope that both relationships are explored in more depth in sequels, otherwise I may have to give up on this series.

To conclude, I'd like to say that the ending was certainly.....interesting. I feel that I will probably read the sequel to see what happens.

Recent Recommended Books:
1. Poison by Bridget Zinn
2. The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (First book: The Name of the Star)
3. Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Ratings
Overall: 7/10
Plot: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 4/5