I read this book hoping it would be one of those bad/good books. Knowing that the writing might not be that great, but at least it would be fun. A lot of folks in the book-tube world (video bloggers on youtube) were talking about this series, so I thought I would give it a try.
Sweet Evil is one of three books in the "Sweet" series. It centers around a girl who is half demon, half angel, and all stupid. The main conflict in the book is that she is falling for a boy from the wrong side of the tracks who is a half demon, half human. He is an "I can change him if I love him" male protagonist who, besides from his smoldering eyes and leather clad swagger, has as much personality as a pin cushion. As the main character, Anna, tries to navigate between her demon impulses and her angel impulses, she tries to escape detection from the rest of the demon society and resist the charms of the man-child she has fallen for. Or something.
This book has all of the things that can go wrong in YA fiction. Number One. Poor writing. Dialogue is superfluous and not well managed (Wait, who's saying what here? Oh, all of the inane things are being said by the lead female character? Got it). Number Two. Super duper anti-feminist. The lead character has absolutely no control over her own personality. Everything about her is predetermined from her demon/angel parentage. This kind of naturalism in writing really irks me. I didn't like it in Zola's Germinal and it still bugs me here. Characters that have no agency (one of my favorite words, remember?), and no control over the decisions that they make, fail to become dynamic characters. I'm looking for multifaceted and complex lead characters. I want them to struggle, I want them to evolve, and I want them to have personalities. I do not want my lead female character's worth to be hinged upon a very unhealthy love interest.
FOR EXAMPLE:
“Tell me you hate me,” he demanded. I felt the air of his words against my face.
“But I don’t hate you. I couldn’t.”
“You could,” he assured me, pulling me tighter. “And you should.”
“I’m letting you go.” My voice shook. “But only because I have to. I need to move on with my life, but I’ll never hate you.”
SPOILER ALERT, she doesn't move on.
Perhaps one of the problems in this novel in regards to the development of the personality of the lead character, is that there is a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. There is no nuance to the characters or to the dialogue leading the entire novel to feel very obtuse.
So, ya. I will not be finishing this series and I would really STRONGLY DISCOURAGE anyone from reading this book. Sorry, Wendy.
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