Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins #Audiobook Review

Audiobook Review

By: Wendy Higgins

Narrated by: Erin Mallon

Published by: Harper Audio 11/2012

WARM

 The Sweet trilogy # 1

11 hrs and 41 mins

Whispersync for Voice-ready 

Sample

Embrace the Forbidden...
 
What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?
This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within.

It isn't until she turns 16 and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

©2012 Wendy Higgins (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

My Thoughts

Once in a while I buy an Audiobook just because I loved the cover, and once in a while I get pleasantly surprised, such was the case with Sweet Evil.

Ms. Higgins does a great job building this world, and slowly but surely dragging you into it.  Although this is not the first story I’ve read/listen about fallen Angels, it is my first YA with this theme, and I really enjoyed her approach.

Anna has always known she was different; she has always been able to see and feel in others their emotions, this could get a bit overwhelming for a young girl, but all begins to make sense when she meets Kaiden, a sexy drummer and all out “bad boy” who is adored by every girl, Oh! But this boy is a lot more than just a regular boy.

Although at first the story might sound formulaic, it quickly develops into a unique premise in which evil takes a new twist - Anna being raised with the religious beliefs (by an adoptive mother) of a regular girl puts her in tremendous conflict when she finds out that she really is the daughter of a fallen angel, and as such, she’s part of a race called Nephilims, whose sole job is to serve The Dukes (demons) by tempting humans to sin, and if these obligations are not carried out the result is their demise.

The emotional conflict, the sexual tension between the protagonists, the original take on the seven deadly sins, and well developed characters made this novel a refreshing and super enjoyable listen - definitely a page turner that won’t let you go until the very end, where Ms. Higgins closes this chapter with an ending that will have you screaming for the next book. Luckily for you, Sweet Peril is scheduled to be released on April, 30 2013. I, for one, can’t wait to continue this story.

  4.23  ·  rating details  ·  11,996 ratings  ·  1,837 reviews on Goodreads

Narrator

Erin Mallon

 Narration

I loved the narration by Erin Mallon, a new-to-me narrator, and another pleasant surprise in Sweet Evil

I know southern accents are hard, sometimes they can be over the top, but Mallon does a terrific job by sounding perfectly natural, and giving Anna the ideal pitch that reflected her age and personality, her good girl demeanor is clearly evident without sounding all goody tissues.  I loved how she made Anna’s character growth come evident in her interpretation.

She also does a good job with the male characters,  Kaidan’s English accent although, not the best I've ever listened to wasn't distracting; however the tone and approach to his character was dead on. I was never confused, she made it easy to follow the dialogue.

All in all, this was very good interpretation, perfectly paced by Erin Mallon, and an excellent production by Harper Audio.

The Author

Wendy Higgins