Review: Crushed

Crushed by Eliza Crewe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I didn't think I would say this, but this book is better than three important things:

1) Cracked, the first book in the series. Very few sequels are an improvement over the first book. Nay, very few middle books are better than the first book in a series. And this freaking book managed to do so.

2) This:

3) This:

Yes, people. I'm telling you this book is better than the first installment in the series and better than ice cream, unicorns and Batman together. How is that even possible? You should be asking Eliza Crewe, not me.

Cracked was more of a 4 stars book for me, but because of Meda, I made my rating be 5. This book, nonetheless was 5 stars all over the way. If I could rate it more stars, I would, trust me.

Saying that might make you think that this is a perfect book, but the fact is, it is not. It's just that its flaws are overshadowed by all its awesomeness.

First, there's the amazing set of characters. Meda being my favorite by far. Her story follows where it was left in Cracked. She's now under the care of the Crusaders and is living by their rules.

"Stupid Crusaders with their stupid rules. For a homicidal group, they’re appallingly restrictive.

No, Meda, you can’t leave campus.

No, Meda, you know we have a curfew.

No, Meda, you can’t eat that guy."

So of course, when a half-demon guy offers Meda some fun and freedom, what can she do besides feel tempted? Besides, she's a trying really hard to be good, so this obviously makes her feel like this:

I tell you, Meda is the best possible MC you can have in YA fiction.

"I am Meda Melange, demon-saint monster girl. I make full-grown men scream in terror. I break bones and drain blood. I turn nightmares into reality.

I am the most powerful creature on earth. I do not wear a leash.

The darkness seethes under my skin. I blink and the world is a new place."

She's no Mary Sue, she's kick-ass, a bad girl, funny, sarcastic, she doesn't let herself be overpowered by hormones... and she's like me! I'm not joking. I'm so happy I finally found the literary me in a book. And in a book I loved! Actually, I'm more of a combination of Jo and Meda and many unlikable characters... but who cares? Meda is still so me!

Continuing with why I love the characters so much, we have Jo. The same from the previous book. I like her because she's also kick-ass and really intelligent, and she has many layers. Neither of the characters are one-sided. They all have their faults and their pros. Jo cares about Meda, but “taking care” of her may seem treacherous to her, so they have their fights... which are realistic.

And last but not least, we have a new character introduced! Armand Delacroix. We got to know him at the end of Cracked. He's another amazing and well-crafted character. He's the half-demon guy the synopsis talks about. In a typical YA book, he would be the abusive guy causing the MC's brain to stop functioning, but this is no typical YA book! He's literally evil, so how could I not love him?

This book also made me feel a lot of things. There's that feeling of not knowing who to trust, of not distiguishing between who's “good” and who's “bad”; there are also parts that warmed my heart... there were others that made me burn with rage, or with joy... but the thing is, I felt, which I adore when it comes to books.

But I cannot finish this review without ranting about one little thing. Before I start, read this. Do you have an idea why I am angry? You see, this is not the first series I love that has suffered a similar fate. Some years ago, something like this happened to a series I love with all my soul before the last book in it was published. I'm not joking when I say that the series was almost not finished. Thanks to the fans and the author's efforts, it was saved.

Years later, the same thing happens to this series. Why are there a lot of crappy books that get all the popularity when the real masterpieces are left to be forgotten in the shadows? Why does the world work this way? It's such a shame to see books like these left unknown.

Finally, you should know that the effect this books leaves in me is extremely euphoric—orgasmic, for lack of a better word. (Haha! You guess where I took that quote from!) Seriously, they're so much fun! I don't remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much. Points for that, Eliza. Now you've made it to the list of my favorite authors.

Anyway, if you haven't read this, what are you waiting for? You have no excuse for not doing so. And do you know what else? I added this book to my all-time-favorites shelf. In that shelf, there are only books that I love with all my soul, that have influenced my life, that destroyed my soul, etc., so that should tell you something... And it should tell you something else that I don't like books about angels and demons, so...

HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION.

P.S.: Damn. Another Bible-lenght review. Do you know how many of those I have written? There's only one series for which I've done this, besides this one. Only one, people. I'll leave it here.



View all my reviews