* * 3/4
For as long as Ebony can remember, she's been sheltered.
Confined to her home in a secluded valley, home-schooled by her protective
parents, and limited to a small circle of close friends. It's as if she's being
hidden. But something is changing in Ebony. Something that can't be concealed.
She's growing more beautiful by the day, she's freakishly strong, and then
there's the fact that she's glowing.
On one fateful night, Ebony meets Jordan and she's intensely
drawn to him. It's as if something explodes inside of her--something that can
be seen from the heavens. Ebony still doesn't know that she's a stolen angel,
but now that the heavens have found her, they want her back.
Since there is a lot to this book that would be hard to talk
about without giving away details and spoilers, I’ll summarize it this way:
What I Liked …
I was pleasantly surprised that the description did not give
away the entire plot. There really was a whole lot more to it. It wasn't just Ebony and Jordan’s story even though
it was told from either of their perspectives. There were other players involved
who had something at stake. And how they're all connected is the giant puzzle that needs to be put together. I wasn't immediately able to
discern who the good and bad guys were. I viewed each character skeptically and
it was nice to
be kept on my toes that way. So it felt real that Ebony felt the same and was not easily swayed by what was revealed to her all at once practically.
The other …
I really wanted to get carried away by this book but there were times when I found my interest waning because the conversations didn't flow naturally for me. I admit that I did put the book down for a day or so but my curiosity got the better of me and I knew then that
it was still a story worth reading because I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
I mentioned previously that there were quite a few subplots which was fine though they did feel cluttered at times. And there were events I felt happened too quickly, awkwardly or unnecessarily. But all that can be put by the wayside because it all came to a pretty intense climax that I thought was rather clever because of all the dubious characters and side deals that threw me off.
So my ultimate take on Hidden is that it's a decent read and it's a story that has potential. Curley offers up a different take on angels and the idea of heaven versus hell, good versus evil, science versus religion – all new concepts to embrace. I'll be interested to see where she takes this as the series progresses.
~ Bel
