6.1.2014 | Sunday

The Kiss

Item: The Kiss
Rating: 3
Author: Kim

category: Book Reviews
tag(s): young adult
0 Comments

title: The Kiss
author: James Patterson
series: Witch & Wizard #4
published: 4 February 2013
genre(s): dystopian, fantasy, sci fi
pages: 370
source: bought
format: eBook
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | BookBub | Goodreads

rating:

the blurb

PASSION HAS NEVER BEEN MORE DANGEROUS.

Whit and Wisty Allgood, a witch and wizard with extraordinary abilities, have defeated the ruthless dictator who long overshadowed their world. But for the first time in their lives, the powerful brother and sister find themselves at odds as Wisty is drawn to a mysterious and magical stranger named Heath.

Wisty has never felt as free as she does with Heath, especially when the two of them share and test their magic together. But when a merciless Wizard King from the mountains suddenly threatens war, Wisty must make an excruciating choice. Will she unite with Whit to fight the mounting dangers that could return their world to a tyrant's domain? Or will she trust the beautiful boy who has captured her heart?

ONE KISS COULD DESTROY THE WORLD.

James Patterson's epic saga continues as the witch and wizard who have inspired countless imaginations must rally together before the world they fought to save collapses.

my review

Once I get into a series, I have to finish it… no matter what. This is where I am with this series. I love James Patterson as a rule and I loved the first two in the series. I had issues with the third and I am faced with more here with the fourth. There is another coming later this year and I hold out hope.

Some of it was very good and some of it was head-shakingly not so good. The insta-love between Wisty and Heath drove me insane. It is a YA cliché that I abhor. It colored the entire rest of the story for me. Based on the previously established relationship between Wisty and her brother Whit, I have a hard time believing that he would have just let that go as he seemed to.

The action and the intensity of that aspect was good. There were parts that had me on the edge of my seat. There were also times when I was so frustrated with the “good” characters that I was on the verge of losing my mind.

Things to love…

The action and the intrigue.

Things I wanted more/less of…

Less insta-love.
Less clichés.
Less companion writers.

I will read the next book, but I am truly hoping that the use of companion writers stops. I think his work is much better on his own.

About James Patterson

It is no surprise that in January, 2010, The New York Times Magazine featured James Patterson on its cover and hailed him as having “transformed book publishing,” and that Time magazine hailed him as “The Man Who Can’t Miss.” Recently, NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams profiled Patterson’s prolific career, AARP named him one of the “50 Most Influential People Who Make Our Days a Little Brighter,” and Variety featured him in a cover story highlighting his adventures in Hollywood.

In 2013, it was estimated that one-in-five of all hardcover suspense/thriller novels sold was written by James Patterson, his books have sold over 300 million copies worldwide, and he holds the Guinness record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers of any author. And his success isn’t based solely on thrillers like the perennially popular Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club and Michael Bennett series. Patterson is now also the current bestselling author in the young adult and middle grade categories.

He’s been called the busiest man in publishing, and that’s not just because of his own books. For the past decade, James has been devoting more and more of his time to championing books and reading. From the James Patterson Pageturner Awards, to his website ReadKiddoRead.com, to his College Book Bucks scholarships and his regular donations of hundreds of thousands of books to schools here in the states and troops overseas (see interviews on Fox & Friends, The Dennis Miller Radio Show and CNN.com), Patterson has passed on his passion of books and reading and supported those who do the same. Jim personally funded a major ad campaign re-printing a recent opinion piece on CNN.com about how it is our responsibility to get our kids reading. The ad has run in the New York Times, The New Yorker, and USA Today. Those ads are a call to action to parents to make their kids reading a top priority; and were featured by USA Today here. Patterson believes that we cannot rely on schools, teachers or the government to get our kids reading; only parents can make this crucial change in the reading habits of our kids. Here are links to some interviews on his first-ever dual lay down (two books, one for parents and one for kids, in one day): AOL’s You’ve Got, NBC’s “Today Show” with Hoda and Kathie Lee, USA Today and Family Circle, NBC’s “Today Show” with Al Roker, as well as an interview with AARP.