Nocturnal Predators Reviews: Book Review: Captivate Me By S.J. Pierce

Captivate Me

By S.J. Pierce

Expected Publication: April 1st 2014

“My mom had always told me – when you meet “the one”, you’ll know; they’ll captivate your heart the moment you lay eyes on them. I had always wondered, though, if my mom’s words of wisdom were finite – if they applied to everyone. Maybe those who had found their one great love were the lucky few, and maybe the rest of us would have to settle for less than earth-shattering.”

Seventeen-year-old Kat Walsh is a Gifted – a human with paranormal abilities. With her mom a former Angel and her dad a dream prophet, it’s always been in her genetic make-up to be extraordinary. Unfortunately for her, the world can’t handle the strange or unusual. So when she slips up and uses her powers at her high school in Ireland, the entire student body treats her like a freak – even the ones she thought were her closest friends.

Broken, but hopeful for a fresh start, she allows her parents to enroll her in a boarding school buried deep within the forests of a small Colorado town. At Midland Pines, School for the Gifted, she feels as though she can finally be herself; she makes new friends and even has the attention of the most popular guy in school – Levi. Everything feels normal again… or does it?

Not long after her arrival, weird dreams of an alluring boy whom she’s never met surface during the night, and the eerie, shadowy trees encircling their school seem to call to her. As these disturbing, yet enticing developments intensify, other bizarre occurrences happen – students and staff turn up missing, and mystery visitors leave gifts while she sleeps. With all of these other things vying for her attention, a desperate Levi has to fight even harder to keep her interest. But with the dreams of the attractive boy slowly captivating her heart, Kat has to make a choice – will she settle for ‘great’ Levi, or will she search for her elusive dream visitor, possibly stumbling across ‘amazing?’

From the author of the Alyx Rayer Chronicles, comes a refreshingly different Young Adult series with plenty of love, suspense, and a new take on the Paranormal.

Recommended for readers 16 and up due to mature content.

My Review:

* An eARC was provided by the author in exchange of an honest review.

This book was a good quick read. It started out nicely narrated and the heroine was some what likable. I got annoyed with the kind-of instalove in the middle, but the plot twist toward the end totally questioned that. The ending was predictable and I'm happy to report there was also NO cliff hanger.

The heroine (Kat) started out a descent person. She was caring, devoted to her friends and all around goody two shoes. Toward the middle (after instalove happened) she became petulant, annoying, idiotic and as shallow as a kiddy pool. Also she seemed to want to force love with Levi. I got tired of hearing her talk all about how if she forced love then it wasn't love, or was it? She become very dramatic during the story as well. It also hints at a love triangle and even though Kat does do something about it, it wasn't because she decided "I have to set one of them striaght". Oh, no. That would be too much to ask. She does something because the "other guy" (Levi) corners her.

I liked Levi from the beginning. He was a nice friendly face every girl deserves. He was considerate, caring and felt something akin to love toward Ms. Kat. Though it didn't work out, I didn't like what was hinted at the end of the book with the "new" love interest.

"Levi, however, was tangible, and still as sweet and gorgeous as ever."

The mystery guy was a mystery. All I learned in this book is that he has powers, loves his "adopted" family and living like a homeless person. We, as a reader, didn't even get a glimpse of him as a person. All Kat would ask him is what his family was like and yet she was "captivated" by him. As far as I know if you lust after someone it's because you want them fiscally and there's a reason it isn't considered a relationship.

"His face - gorgeous, ethereal like a majestic angel or god."

I suspected the shady clan from the beginning. It also bothered me that because of a guy, Kat was ready to throw her life, friends and family included, away to live like an animal always camping and migrating from state to state without even wanting proof of the so called "threat". I wouldn't believe/trust someone I've known all of one week enough to drop everything and live with them. My point below....

"I needed to let go and trust that Iris knew what she was doing."

The ending was crazy. I liked how the author threw in that plot twist and the doubts she planted. After all that was resolved it went back to Averageville. The ending from there was predictable and I really wasn't expecting anything less.