Covet by Melissa Darnell

Book:  Covet (The Clann #2)

Author:  Melissa Darnell

Publisher:  Harlequin Teen

Date:  September 25, 2012

Source:  Publisher via Netgalley

My grade:  A

Dangerous to be together. Painful to be apart.Savannah Colbert knows she broke up with Tristan Coleman for the right reasons. Most of all, to keep from killing him with her new vampire abilities. But try telling her heart. Now, lost in a sea of hostile Clann faces, Sav tries to come to terms with what she's becoming and what that means for her future. And that someone is doing their best to bully her into making a terrible mistake.

Tristan can't believe Sav won't even talk to him. If being apart is her decision, fine. Just don't expect him to honor it. But even as he prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them both in directions neither could have foreseen or prepared for.

A reckoning is coming… and not everyone will survive.

MY REVIEW

 

Initial impression

Holy bloodsuckers, Batman!  I did not see that coming!!!

Title and Cover

The title is alright.  I don’t love it but I don’t hate it.  I don’t really care for this cover.  The first one had a really pretty cover, but this one looks like the model is losing a battle with static electricity in her hair.  At least the colors are nice….:shrugs::

What’s the Story?

BE AWARE THAT THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST BOOK IN THIS SERIES, CRAVE!

So, I was a little worried that I wouldn’t remember enough from the first book, but I decided to just dive right in and see what happened.  This was a good idea because the beginning of the book gave me enough info from the previous book that I remembered enough to just keep on going.

So, we pick up as Savannah, her dad and Tristan are returning from Paris and Savannah is dreading that she will have to break up with Tristan.  Now, at this point I’m hoping that she’ll change her mind, but of course, that doesn’t happen.  I started setting myself up for a New Moon situation, but luckily for me, they both stay right there in town so I can keep hoping for reconciliation.

Now, at this point I do need to stop and ask, just what the hell is wrong with all these emo vampires breaking up with humans “for their own good”?  ::rolls eyes::  I’m so done with that.  Just stop it, ok?

Anywho, the book continues and switches back and forth between Tristan and Savannah’s points of view.  It was cool to see the transformation into a vampire and Savannah’s discovery of all the things that her unique parentage allows her to have.

Of course, there was a good deal of relationship angst, but it was nicely balanced out with a suspenseful plotline and the development of other relationships in the book.  I really did not want to put this book down and, truth be told, if I didn’t need to work during my planning this semester with my student teacher, I probably would have read it during my planning for the last couple of days!  ::hides head in shame::

For some reason, I really like Tristan and Savannah.  I know the whole star-crossed lovers theme is getting overdone, but these 2 characters seem to be so much more mature for some reason.  Being inside their heads does not make me want to poke my eyeballs out with a fork and thank God that I will never have to be 17 again.  Even though they are both hurting a lot, there is not a whole ton of teen drama to go along with it.

There is a nice mystery murder plot going on along with everything else and the whole storyline really kept my attention and kept making reach for this book when I had a free moment.  I definitely cooked a meatloaf while reading, which might explain why the meatloaf was so darn ugly.

There is one thing about this book that bothered me and it’s really nitpicky.  I hated it when all the teen characters used the word “dang” instead of “damn”.  Now, I spend all day with high school students and I can assure you that 99% of them are not making that substitution.  For that reason, it really stood out every time it was used and I really wish the author had just chosen to use the “real” word.  I don’t think that people are horribly offended by that word any longer.

Otherwise, this was a really fun, enjoyable read for me and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book.

The Soundtrack

To me, a good portion of this book is about the heart fail, so here is my totally emo soundtrack.

Broken by Lifehouse

Changes by 3 Doors Down

Everything Reminds Me of Her by Elliott Smith

Star-Crossed Lovers by Take Cover

The Space Between by The Dave Matthews Band

You can also find Melissa Darnell’s playlists for both books here:  http://www.theclannseries.com/music.html

The Final Grade

My final grade for this novel is an A.  I loved it!  I felt like it didn’t fall into that second novel slump at all.  Instead, it was a heartbreaking story that kept me flipping pages with bated breath to see what would happen next.  It had a killer ending and I cannot wait to read the third book.  In fact, Melissa Darnell, I would trade both my children for a copy of that right now.  Want to take me up on that offer? : )