Review: Oracle by Andi Copeland

 

Hi Munchworms!

This is the first book that I read that wasn’t on my September TBR-list. Mainly because I was planning on reading solely sequels this month, but then this popped up in my mailbox and I couldn’t say no. Oops..

It’s being published today, guys, so if you want to be one of the first to get your hands on it… Now’s your chance!

Rhennan Ward is no one special. Or so she thought. Soon after her eighteenth birthday she finds out how very different she really is.

Rhennan is next in line to be Oracle, the one chosen by the Creator to guard the secret of Heaven – The Tree of Life. Rhen’s grandmother, the current Oracle, gives her a beautiful pendant for her birthday. Soon after, strange things start happening, and Rhen sees things she shouldn’t. Coming into her powers before her time, Rhen believes she’s going crazy.

Maddox Bell is the new guy at school. When the tall, good-looking bad-boy shows up in his leather jacket and moto boots, all it takes is one look into his sapphire eyes, and he makes Rhen forget about her ex-boyfriend – the one who broke her heart. As Maddox and Rhen become closer, things get stranger, threatening to rip them apart.

When Rhen makes one wrong decision, her life and that of her family, is irrevocably changed forever.

---

Ever since certain Angels fell from Heaven, they have been searching for the Tree of Life. The Tree holds the Truth of the Heavenly Throne, and they are determined to take it from the Creator.

The Guardians – half Angel and half human – were created to protect the Oracle and her family.

Nephilim are the product of humans and demons, and it is their job to help the Fallen Angels get closer to the Oracle and discover the Truth. As the sisters find out, good isn’t always dictated by the blood in your veins.

The Fallen get closer to the Truth, and it will be up to the sisters to figure out who they can trust. One wrong move can destroy Heaven.

Follow Rhennan and Nikira Ward as they learn who they really are and what that means for their future.

Fantasy with a bad boy? Yes, please! I was totally willing to indulge in Oracle as soon as I had read the blurb. Not to mention Nephilim… I’ll always have a soft spot when it comes to them.

Before I’m going to start my review, I have to say that it’s been quite some time since I had such a love / hate relationship with a novel. To clear that up: I went from nearly hating and getting annoyed by Oracle to loving it and wanting more.
My challenge? Trying to explain that evolution to you!

In his plain white T-shirt and black leather jacket, Maddox looked like a goth James Dean.

When I started reading, I expected the first couple of chapters to be slow, to ease into the world and slowly caption my complete attention. The contrary happened, though! I was thrown in the deep end immediately.
It only took a couple of sentences for Maddox to arrive at the scene, being the typical bad boy he is, and capture Rhennan’s attention. Cue the kind of insta-love trope making a stormy entrance.
I don’t necessarily have anything against tropes, but this is just the one trope that I keep having some difficulty with.

Let’s add Rhennan’s personality. She got on my nerves at times. Her feelings were all over the place throughout the first part of the novel and – maybe because I wasn’t like that – at eighteen years old, I’d expect a little more.. maturity? Less naivety? For some reason, Rhennan was just that and it bothered me to no end.
She kept changing her mind about more than one subject, made those opinions clear in both actions, words and thoughts and then went the other way again. Why not?!

“How do I do that? How do I tell the one person who’s been there for me for so long everything I need to say to her? How do I tell her goodbye for the last time?”

Just when I was at the point of saying “Nope, I’m not liking this novel”, Copeland took me by surprise and made me fall in love with her writing, with the world of Nephilim and Guardians.
The moment Rhennan grew up a bit more. The moment both she and I started piecing together more and more of what exactly was going on. The moment I lost myself in the twists and turns Andi Copeland created. Loved it!

Even though I didn’t like the content at the beginning, I did like Andi’s writing throughout the whole novel. It’s very direct, yes, and I know that isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. And while, at times, it feels way too detailed – figuratively speaking, I could really go without knowing when Rhen puts her left foot in front of her right or vice versa – the story does have a flow, a steady one, that keeps its pace throughout the entire novel. It made me enjoy reading even when I didn’t like the content all that much. Scratch that, I did like the content, I just didn’t like Rhennan and that can be a problem when it’s written from a first person POV, huh?
Anyway, because of the pace, I really did fly through the pages.

Rating this novel was both easy and hard at the same time. I ended up loving it! So it should be easy, right? Right? Nope! The dislike was still there and I can’t just ignore that.
But.. being able to keep hold of a reader while she gets frustrated over and over again with the MC is a talent in its own. As such, 4 / 5!

As for the munches… There were different things mentioned in the books but I’m going with fajitas! Multiple reasons. One: my boyfriend wanted to make those for a while now, so I gave him the perfect excuse to do so. Two: I ate fajitas once a long time ago, didn’t like them. Then ate them once again with a friend a while back and loved them. Pretty much explains my relationship with this novel, no?

Anyway! As I said, this book is coming out today, so head on over to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Kobo, B&N or iBooks and grab it already!
Or you can go and add it to your Goodreads-TBR!

Kathy

 

 

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review and a spot on the release blitz. I’m not being compensated for this in any way. All opinions are entirely my own.

---

Andi Copeland is a YA Fantasy author who lives outside Nashville, Tennessee with the love of her life, and her four-legged best friend. She strongly believes that love is love, and there’s not enough love in the world.

She began writing in high school and over the years, penned many stories and poems. When her dreams continued to get crazier than the one before, she decided to keep a dream journal. Many of these night-time escapades have led to a line, a chapter, and even a complete story.

Andi is a lover of music, mostly hard rock, and she prefers it live and loud. When she isn’t writing, she can be found reading, riding her Harley, or playing trivia.

When asked what her purpose in life is, she will say it’s to entertain the masses. Even if it’s one person at a time.

Newsletter – Facebook – Website – Amazon – Goodreads – Email

Advertisement