Illuminated

Sorry I've been gone so long. There were finals to study for, and then I wanted to take a bit of a break from blogging. Onto the review:

An epic romance full of mysteries that transcend time—fans of Romeo and Juliet and The Time Traveler’s Wife will rejoice! 

Some loves are not made to last . . . Like Romeo and Juliet, Heloise and Abelard were doomed from the start, and their romance was destined to pass into history. Yet when sixteen-year-old Callie Martin discovers a diary hidden within an antique book, their story—and hers—takes on another life. For the diary leads Callie to the brilliant and handsome August, who is just as mysterious as the secret the diary hides. Their attraction is undeniable. As the two hunt down the truth behind the diary—and that of Heloise and Abelard’s ancient romance—their romance becomes all-consuming. But Callie knows it can’t last . . . love never does. Will their love that burns as bright as a shooting star flame out, or will these star-crossed lovers be able to defy history? (from Goodreads)

Please scratch what I said about The Mephisto Covenant being the worst case of insta-love! I've ever read. Illuminated is far, far worse.

This book, physically, wasn't to my liking. It was on the smaller side with huge print, so the 250-page number was misleading.  And so when the romance started on page 30, the book didn't get any brownie points from me.

I was actually excited to read this book. It has pretty cover and a retelling of Romeo and Juliet - yeah, that seems pretty good. But the summary is really, really misleading.

The book started out okay, with Callie and her uncle discovering a really old, valuable book. That part I liked - I love to read (duh!), and old books are fascinating. In fact, Uncle Harry was my favorite character, along with Miriam. They just acted so real and genuine, and I could imagine them as real people, with real emotions and reactions.

But my like for the book stopped pretty much after Callie met August. It was insta-love! of the worst kind. Callie even says something to the effect of it at the beginning of the book, something like how she couldn't believe how much of a connection she felt with August after two days. Part of the things I like about romance is seeing the relationship develop. And there was none of that here.

I also didn't really connect with Callie. Maybe it was because she made so many decisions that I thought were really stupid, but I wasn't rooting for a happy ending for her. I actually disliked her, and that led to the dislike to the book as a whole.

The part about Heloise and Abelard was interesting, and I'd like to have read more about them and that part of the book.

The bad characterization just ruined this book for me. That and the romance.