Sweet Evil Trilogy

by Wendy Higgins

Rating

5 stars

Date Read

19/04/13 (First read) and 02/9/15 (Re-read)

Age Group

15+ 

Sweet and terrible and beautiful and intense.

The first few chapters might trick you into believing that this is boring. That Anna is slow and innocent and annoying and self righteous. A Mary Sue. You wonder if you should put the book down, maybe read something else. You migh even wonder if it'd been too long since you last read it, maybe it's not all it was cracked up to be, all you remember. 

You'd be wrong. It'd be what you're supposed to believe, only to make the plot thickening and character development all the more interesting. Dramatic. Anna growing up in during the little over two years that the books take up, maturing, learning, deciding. Falling in love. I just finished rereading all three books, Thursday through to Monday. I couldn't believe it had only been a year since I ordered Sweet Reckoning, a little over that since I'd last read Sweet Evil and Sweet Peril. I was sweeped in yet again, hungry as if I was reading it for the first time.

Wow. I don't know if that made any sense. I'm delirious. Let me start again.

General Thoughts

Anna is innocent. Sweet. Honest. She has... gifts. Powers, hightened senses. But still, she considers herself normal, tries to blend in, avoid attention. Then she goes to a concert of a creatively named boy band and can't take her eyes off of the drummer. Little does she know he's a fellow Neph, son of the Duke of Lust (one of the twelve embodied demons scurrying the earth and corrupting humanity). Or that she'll be going on a trip across country with him in less than two months to meet her own demon father, only to learn that she is different, unique, the daughter of a demon and an angek of light. And so the journey begins.

Through lies, deceit and sins, the demons control the earth, taking positions near leaders, authority figures, so as to influence them and lead nations astray. Cold wars, bombings, scandals, hatred. They're involved in everything. And they force their Neph children to do the same. Anna and Kaidan aren't allowed to have fun, to act on whims, to stray from the demons' orders. Or to fall in love. It would be stupid, forbidden and perilous. It would endanger them both.

Well that never seemed to stop anyone before.

As the story proceeds, it becomes apparent that Anna is part of a larger scheme, a mercenary from Heaven, sent to rid the Earth of demons, so that humans and Nephilim alike can live without Evil breathing down their necks. She sets off to find allies, with the help of her demon father and the support of her human adoptive mother. She has a purpose, larger than anything she could have imagined while she moved her hips to the drum beat of that Lascivious concert a little before her 16th birthday.

Funny thing was this time around, I started Sweet Evil a couple of days before my 16th birthday. You can imagine my disappointment when I didn't meet any hot blue-eyed half-demons even after a few days into my 16th year. Maybe these things do only happen in books.

Main Characters

Anna

Daughter of Belial, Duke of Substance Abuse.

Starts off sweet and innocent, childlike. Blissfully ignorant to the evil in the world. But she's more than that. Little Ann is honest and courageous with amazing self control. Through the ages of 16 to 18, the span of the three books in the trilogy, she grows up impossibly fast, opens her eyes and, righteous as she is, sets out to fight a war that will free the Nephilim from their devilish fathers. She's hard not to like, with her witty remarks, unyielding faith and annoying habit to see the best in everyone, even gorgeous half demins with devilish grins and heveanly blue eyes.

Kaidan

Sin of Pharzuph, Duke of Lust. 

Total bad boy, dark and dangerous. He isn't someone you move on from. Which is exactly his intention. He was raised to break hearts, one innocent girl at a time. He's "the boy daddy warned you about". Too bad no one warned Anna. On a serious note, Kai is intense and passionate and love deprived. He appears cold and calculating, he's good at hiding his feelings. But under all that, he is vulnerable, yearning his father's approval, unable to resist the sweet, innocent, all natural blondie that was thrown into his path. Or maybe he was thrown into hers.

Kaiden Rowe

Patti

Sweet dear Patti. Anna's adoptive mother, supportive and loving and faithful, giving and loyal. No one can not love Patti.

Kopano

Son of Alocer, Duke of Wrath. 

A coffee skinned African Neph. Studying at Harvard, after he made it clear to his father that he would no longer work for him, leading humans to sin. If Anna's self control is admirable, his is impossible. Calm and peaceful, never raising his voice, his intelligent light eyes drawing Anna in like a magnet. And still there is no love triangle in the books, simply because there is no competition. Anna's heart was stolen before she even met Kope.

Marna

Daughter of Astaroth, Duke if Adultery (cheating). 

Completely loveable. Sweet and girly and pleasant, easy to get excited, talkative and quick to show mirth over her friends' sutuations, even when hers look dire.

Ginger

Daughter of Astaroth, Duke if Adultery, twin sister to Marna. 

The mama bear, fiercly protective of her sweet sister, acting cruel and cold, snapping and sneering, all the while hiding that inside she's just afraid.

Blake

Sin of Melchom, Duke of Envy. 

His is the best sin. He just has to have all the best gadgets, live in a mansion, be good at everything and have the most beautiful girl at his side. He's funny and competitive, almost antagonistic, his mood never wavers and he's a good friend to have, having Kaidan's back, supporting Anna, taking care of Gin.

Belial

Duke of Substance Abuse

Also known as John La Grey, Anna's demon father. Spent the past 16 years in jail after being caught for drug trafficking. He's a terrifying spirit, an intimidating man, gruff and mean looking. He's also a protective, loving father, and has been waiting for a chance to redeem and find his way back to Heaven and his Mariantha for centuries.

Pharzuph

Duke of Lust. 

Also known as Richard Rowe, Kai's father. Creepy and cruel and awful and ... evil. Not a thing to add to that. Evil is just the right word.

Writing and Narrative

Anna's voice is innocent and sweet, her sense of right and wrong never fading. Easy to read quickly and hard to forget.

Plot

The three books are carefully thought through, making up a calendar that goes through two years of the characters' life, packed with events and actions and twists and sins, guiding the reader through the Anna's growing up with Patti's never ending support, Kaidan's finding love and Belial's plan to find salvation, along with several other supportive characters's dreams, all of them sufficiently developed and with a story worth telling.

All in All

Still on my Favourites list!!!


PS Song: Adam lambert - What Do You Want From Me

XOXO

Aggie Pearson