I’m going to do this review a little differently and review the whole trilogy at once because, well, I read all 3 books at once. Which I love. I was able to not have the anxious wait in between books which is a good and a bad thing. That build up of excitement wasn’t there but I also didn’t have to experience any disappointment if that build up anticipation didn’t meet my expectations. So I’m going to divide my review into 3 parts- one for each book.

Between the Lines #1

Reid Alexander is young Hollywood star who is used to getting what he wants- cars, movies and girls. Emma Pierce is a small time actress who just got cast in Reid’s next movie. Reid quickly sets his sights on Emma. Emma is very down to earth and notices quickly that Reid expects things to come easily to him. But she is still very attracted to him and unsure of herself. When Emma meets Graham, another young actor in the movie, they begin to hang out and Emma finds herself also attracted to him.

I liked the dynamics of the books and the dual points of view- from Emma and from Reid. Reid decides Emma is what he needs in his life and we as the audience gets to see how he maneuvers things to make that happen. From Emma’s point of view we can see how Graham is very kind to her and how quickly they fall for each other. Of course issues arise and Emma begins to date Reid instead. With the secondary characters around them playing important parts – I loved to see the different worlds of each of these young actors. Some were born into it and some worked very hard to get there. This first book set the stage for young love though at turns it’s hard to see exactly for who.

4 stars

Where You Are (#2)

This book had an altogether different feel to it than the first one. While the majority of the first is on a movie set, this one moves around a lot. From New York, to Texas and then back to Hollywood. It starts out with Emma and Graham declaring their love for each other and dealing with the fact that Graham has a young daughter. From there the plot revolves around Brooke, the temptress best friend who has been waiting for Graham to wake up to what’s right in front of him for years. She teams up with Reid to break up the two to get to the ones they think they want.

A series of potential misunderstandings are luckily sidestepped by the young couple. I really liked seeing how both Emma and Graham were pretty open and communicative with each other. Reid and Brooke really seem to deserve each other by the end of the book and I was surprised that’s not where it went. I was also surprised there was another book to go as the book seemed to wrap up all that I cared about.

4 stars

Good For You (#3)

This book revolves around Reid Alexander. He is a complete party-er and has gotten into multiple situations that he had to be gotten out of by his PR rep or lawyer. His most recent scrape means he needs to do community service. Enter Dori. She is a genuinely good person and wants nothing to do with Reid and doesn’t really want him around while he does his time. Slowly they begin to have pull on each other until they realize they are both falling for each other.

This book for me was completely out of nowhere. It felt nothing like the other two and to be honest I didn’t really care for Reid at all. I didn’t see the point of his own book, or if he got his own book I was waiting for something more interesting. Dori felt completely boring to me and I could never really get into her storyline at all. I’ve heard many other people with opposite opinions of mine, including another muse actually, but I wish this would have ended with just the 2 books. I was surprised to find out there was a 4th book in the series (the last one) but I will not be purchasing it.

2 stars.

So my personal recommendation is to read the first two and enjoy them. They’re cute, enjoyable, funny and sweet. Skip the next two.

~Clio

Between the Lines #1 Buy it Now Between the Lines (Between the Lines #1)

Where You Are (#2) Buy it Now Where You Are (Between the Lines #2)

Good For You (#3) Buy it Now Good For You (Between the Lines #3)

This is the captivating sequel to What’s Left of Me that I reviewed and gave 5 stars to a few weeks ago. This releases today! Once We Were picks up shortly after the conclusion of What’s Left of Me. Addie and Eva escaped the governmental institution and find themselves in league with a group of underground hybrids who are all on the lam. They immediately want to be part of the resistance and to make a difference.

However they discover there is a lot of waiting around to be done. During all of the waiting the girls learn how to withdraw and to give each other much needed private time. Eva uses that time to get closer to Ryan and learn how to maneuver around all that comes with hybrids dating each other.

“But the thing is, sharing hands doesn’t mean sharing goals. Sharing eyes doesn’t mean sharing visions. And sharing a heart doesn’t mean sharing the things we love.”

Meanwhile their new found friends are taking part in the resistance in ways both big and small. Eva feels a desparation to get things going immediately and to make a drastic impact. This causes her to convince Addie to make some questionable choices.

There are a lot of differences between this and the first book. For the first 50% or so there was not a ton of action, which I honestly liked. This part of the book was more focused on the relationships between Addie, Eva and the rest of their hybrid group. I really loved seeing the girls trying to figure out how to date and how to determine who gets control of the body and when.

When the action does get started it was definitely exciting and while I knew something was going on – I couldn’t quite figure out what that was, which I liked.

While I did love this book, I didn’t love it as much as the first one. I think it’s mostly because the novelty of hybrids had worn off for me. I still can’t wait to see what is going to happen next for both the resistance and those hybrids that are under the government’s control.

4 Stars

~Clio

Buy the first one if you haven’t already! (It’s only $2.99 right now) What’s Left of Me: The Hybrid Chronicles, Book One

Buy it Now Once We Were: The Hybrid Chronicles, Book 2

In this world all children are born with two souls in one body. One of those souls is expected to be recessive and to settle – basically fading away to nothingness. But when the norm doesn’t happen they’re called Hybrids and society considers them to be a very dangerous thing and force them to go through medical testing and counseling until the dominant soul is the only one left.

This is what Addie and Eva have gone through and come out the other side – but with a secret. Eva, the recessive soul, has survived. They consciously work daily to ensure that no one suspects this, not even their family.

“But understanding a thing and accepting it are so very different things.”

When they meet another Hybrid everything changes. Eva is given a chance to have a voice again and while Addie wants to stick with the status quo, for once Eva won’t let her. It’s incredibly dangerous and if anyone finds out they could be institutionalized or worse.

From the very beginning Kat Zhang’s prose grabbed me and pulled me into this world and into Addie/Eva’s head. The book is told from Eva’s point of view which is in stark contrast to her world, where she literally has no voice. Eva’s experiences were heartbreaking and very well expressed.

As the book progresses and there are more and more decisions to make we get to hear Addie and Eva’s internal monologue on how to deal with these new challenges. Addie has been used to being the dominant soul and letting go of that is hard for her but she still wants to give Eva the chance to not be hidden anymore.

I would highly recommend this book, it’s a different take that I’ve ever seen before and I am super excited to review the second book What We Were in a few weeks when it comes out!

5 stars

~Clio

Buy it Now What’s Left of Me: The Hybrid Chronicles, Book One