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Betrayal (The Descendants #1)

by Mayandree Michel (Goodreads Author)

3.61 of 5 stars 3.61 · rating details · 1,747 ratings · 287 reviews

Where there is love and power, there is always... betrayal.

At seventeen, Cordelia is an ordinary teen with an extraordinary and frightening secret. A secret that induces vivid dreams which she not only experiences true love, but crippling fear while barely escaping with her life each night.

After a life altering event, Cordelia has an unexpected encounter with Evan, the mys...more

ebook, 603 pages

Published March 28th 2011 by Mayandree Michel (first published March 1st 2011)

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Sep 16, 2011 Vinaya rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: bleh, books-i-hated, did-not-finish, dont-read-if-you-value-your-sanity, fluff-fluffy-fluffest, jeez-they-ll-publish-anything, stab-kill-shred-burn, the-nightmare-hasnt-ended, what-the-eff, worst-book-ever, ya-fantasy, indie-self-pubbed

Okay, I tried. I really, really did, but when Evan's liquid blue eyes practically leapt out at me, I couldn't take it any more.

Seriously, there are awful books, and awful self-pubbed books, and then there is Betrayal. It's truly in a league of its own. This is a book that should never have seen the light of day, let alone been given rave review after rave review. Think I'm being unnecessarily harsh? Why don't you try this on for size -

Something dashed right through me. Right through me! The va...more

100 likes · like · see review

May 24, 2011 ☆Jessie☆ (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: nook-books, supernatural-fiction, mythic-fiction, owned-copy, reviewed, series-ongoing, 2011-reviews, 2011-reads, indie-author

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

I struggled mightily with this book. I liked the idea for the story (descendants of the Olympian Gods have a hidden, secret Empire in present day and also vampires, werewolves, etc). However, it was a good idea poorly executed in many parts of this looong book.

Coming in at 662 pages, this is far from the longest book I've read this year. However, I feel like I was counting every single one of those six hundred odd pages; it literally sapped my stre...more Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

I struggled mightily with this book. I liked the idea for the story (descendants of the Olympian Gods have a hidden, secret Empire in present day and also vampires, werewolves, etc). However, it was a good idea poorly executed in many parts of this looong book.

Coming in at 662 pages, this is far from the longest book I've read this year. However, I feel like I was counting every single one of those six hundred odd pages; it literally sapped my strength to finish this book. Why? Well, my first issue was the pacing. Incredibly, ridiculously slow and filled with little real content. The beginning suffers the most from the meandering pace, and thus made it hard for me to connect to the characters or to be invested in the outcomes for Delia, Evan, Beth, Niko and Victor.

Additionally, the writing itself seemed very awkward and stilted at times. It simply didn't flow the way a novel should; there were abrupt transitions and awkward dialogue and exposition many times in the pages. Also, THE GRAMMAR. Abysmal. Truly, truly abysmal. I am aware this is a self-published author so she may not have the same resources, but it was truly egregious. "There" for "their/they're" many, many times, "here" instead of "hear", not correctly using quotation marks, or not even using them at all, among other offenses. The amount of editing errors were very distracting from the story and also just plain aggravating after a while.

Delia is the main character of Betrayal, a descendant of Zeus and soon-to-be Empress of the gods remaining Empire. She is not original, there is very little to differentiate Cordelia from thousands of teenage protagonists in YA paranormal fiction. Delia is a distant and aloof character, both with the remaining cast and with the reader. She's hard to sympathize/empathize with, and tends to keep everyone in the book at arms length. She is more likable as the novel progresses, but continued to be a source of frustration for me. She's meekly accepting when she should be demanding and questioning. She relies on others to protect her constantly, never once taking an imitative to defend herself, and often flouts the protection that is extended to her. I know the author was striving to make Delia appear independent and determined, but she ends up more careless and self-centered. She has genuine chemistry with her love interest, Evander the descendant of Poseidon, and therefore, the second most powerful descendant besides herself. Evan himself and the centaur Nikolas are probably the only characters I came to care about throughout the course of the novel. However, Evan does seem a bit too perfect.

Evan's younger sister, Bethany, was one of my least favorite characters this year in any novel. She's a very unfriendly character and fails to connect with anyone in the book besides her brother and her lover. I found her actions and attitude toward her "best friend" Delia to be completely perplexing and rude. She was a veeeery grating character; demanding when she should be helping, controlling instead of supportive. She's ridiculously inconstant and secretive, only showing a softer side to her love, Niko.

All in all, this was a very mixed effort. I really, really wanted to love this book and in the end, all I feel is underwhelmed and relief that I managed to finish. (less)

10 likes · like · see review

Mar 13, 2011 Meghann (reading impulsively) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, indie, unfinished-series

Gods, Goddesses, shifters, vampires.. Betrayal had it all. Forbidden love, scandal, secrets. Michel paints both beautiful and grotesque imagery in the first installment of her freshman series The Descendants. The beginning drags a bit, not gonna lie, but some disturbing, and life changing events grab you by the shoulders and you realize what a gem you’re holding in your hands. There’s a wealth if information in this book, and nothing is lacking. From character building to world building, there w...more

17 likes · like · see review

Feb 28, 2011 Adrienne rated it 5 of 5 stars

I got to read this amazing novel pre-launch and as soon as it debuts I'm running out to get a copy!
M.Michel is a new author who has written a compelling story of love, deception, magic, greek myth, historical fantasy, and time travel - what a winning combination!.
I couldn't stop reading until I finshed, and then wanted more.
The protagonist, Cordelia, wasn't the average teenage girl you read about these days (weak and dependent on some guy she met yesterday - ugh!).
Cordelia was very likable be...more

12 likes · like · see review

Mar 28, 2011 Laura YA indie princess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: must-read-2011, wish-list, arc, for-review, 2011

First off I would like to say thank you to Mayandree for letting me have the chance to read an ARC of Betrayal before it's release date.

When I first read the plot summary I was like I need this book NOW. I have to say god,goddess and myths are becoming my favourite book subject to read about and Betrayal didn't let me down although I found that it didn't hit the right pace until 100 pages in but then it was like a run away train and I just could stop reading It just was amazing. I loved all the...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jan 12, 2013 Stitch_Princess rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, mythology

This book was fantastic! At first I was doubtful a series that had mythology, vampires, time travel, and werewolves it seemed too busy. But it was amazing how all of those different elements seem to work well together. There were some parts that were a bit predictable but other than that it was a great book and I look very forward to reading more from this author!

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 10, 2012 Charly rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a great book, expecially if you like Greek mythology. My only problem with the book is that it seemed to drag on and on due to the descriptions of every little thing. I just felt like some of the information was not neceassary. However, it was well worth the wait to get to the end. Great wrap up! Looking forward to the next book.

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 18, 2011 Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, arc-s, covers-to-die-for

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
*First, I have to say a big thank-you to Mayandree Michel who gave me the chance to review her book per-launch. I’m very grateful and honoured to have had the opportunity.

I really enjoyed this book. Most of the time I found that I didn’t want to stop reading. I wanted to know what would happen next, all the way up to the end.
The writing itself was beautiful and flawless. It was detailed and interesting, painting a picture of exactly what was happening and the world the story was set in. The wri...more
*First, I have to say a big thank-you to Mayandree Michel who gave me the chance to review her book per-launch. I’m very grateful and honoured to have had the opportunity.

I really enjoyed this book. Most of the time I found that I didn’t want to stop reading. I wanted to know what would happen next, all the way up to the end.
The writing itself was beautiful and flawless. It was detailed and interesting, painting a picture of exactly what was happening and the world the story was set in. The writing itself lends a lot to the time in which the book is set; maintaining that proper, correct pronunciation and word use.
I loved the idea of this novel. The story and concept was unique and not something I’d heard of before; it wove Greek Myth and Lore together with the popular supernatural creatures we all love nowadays, vampires, werewolves, ghosts and more.
The story starts out slow, and yet not in a way that leaves you bored. It’s a great setup for a captivating tale and once the story picks up, it gets very good. This book has an odd pace. It’s not exactly fast paced, and yet it’s not slow. The story progresses at a good rate, telling you things from time to time. I was caught from the moment Cordelia experiences her “life altering event” and eager to see just what was going to happen next. Just when I thought I knew where Mayandree was going or what she was going to do next, she threw something in that changed direction! I love books like that....stories where you never know what’s in store next.

I thought the characters were great too. Each one had a sole purpose within the story and was unique. Cordelia, Evan, Bethany, Nikolas, even Victor, Lucas, Sasha, Winston, Gerald and Evan and Bethany’s parents all had their purpose and role within the story.
I really liked Cordelia. She’s the type of heroine I’m always on the lookout for; normal, relatively tough girls, who react realistically and question everything that’s happening. They look at the world with an open mind and don’t just settle for what people are telling them. And yet they don’t go out looking for trouble....although it usually finds them anyway. I liked that she saw herself in a realistic manner. I felt she grew a lot too throughout the course of the novel, and it’s always great to see character building when you read a book.
I liked Evan, although for the most part I felt like I didn’t know too much about him. It was obvious that he was a good, honourable man, although I felt like there was a lot of him that was kept hidden. I hope we get to see this more in future books.
In the beginning I found it really hard to feel the romance between Delia and Evan. Even though it was nice and sweet, no matter how I hard I tried, I never completely felt it. There were times when thought I did, and yet for the better part of the novel I found it hard to get into. And then heading towards the end of the book.....I felt it! I think I felt it at the exact moment that Cordelia did and you know what—I think the author is brilliant! Her writing made it hard to feel at times and yet that went perfectly with what Cordelia felt. Towards the end of the book the relationship between Cordelia and Evan begins to form in the way that I love--growing gradually and beginning to take shape. There were a few moments between them that I thought were very cute and sweet and a few, “awwww,” moments on Evan’s part in my eyes. He certainly was swoon worthy on occasion.

The ending of this book was very exciting. From the moment the Masquerade Ball began all the way up until the final page, it was fast paced and heart racing. So many things came to light, questions that left me shocked and wondering just what is really going on in this world. Many things came to light and left more questions to be pondered. When Cordelia learned the whole complete truth, I was shocked. I hadn’t been expecting what she discovered, and get it’s all so brilliant. It was so dramatic and the final chapter of this book was breath-taking and heartbreaking—my heart cried for those hurt by the truth.
This book ends perfectly; ready for the next chapter in Cordelia’s journey and I think it’s going to be an exciting one. The one question that’s on my lips is considering everything that’s come to light and happened....just who will the next enemy be....
Can’t wait to find out!
(less)

8 likes · like · see review

Apr 03, 2011 ☺~Tina~☺ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: not-yet-released, young-adult, paranormal-mixed-w-mythology

3.5 STARS but since there are no half star ratings it's closer to a 4 than a 3.

Great start for a new author and a new series. Betrayal shows what happens when the god/goddess play with humans. The main characters are the children (Cordelia, Evan, Bethany, and Nikolas) who have the task of protecting their race since after a certain age the elders lose their power.

There is a touch of everything in this book, vampires, shape-shifters, centaurs, arranged marriages, romance and love triangles. The...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 08, 2011 Charia rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was fortunate enough to read this great book pre-launch. This debut novel is by the talented Mayandree Michel. This is also her first book in "The Descendants" series, which I am now hooked on.

Mayandree's writing is very creative and descriptive making her world building and characters easy to imagine. With a unique blend of mythology (Greek myths, vampires, ghosts and shifters). Add a storyline that keeps you guessing this book is a must read. Don't let the young adult category scare you away...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 07, 2012 Amy rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one who doesn't wanna attempt suicide

Shelves: e-books

That's it I am done I'm giving up on this freaking book. How the hell can you even call this a book? This is an epitome of junk, worthless. I mean who the hell rates these books. Self publishing a book gives you no right to write outrageous stuff like this. I read about 6 chapters of a book and consider that a accomplishment, its that damn bad. The only good thing here is that it was a free ebook I didn't pay anything for it, but you know what that is a bad thing a book such as this should never...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 01, 2011 Precious rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Originally posted at Fragments of Life.

Betrayal started out like most paranormal romance novels: a teenage girl wanted nothing but to get away from her boring birthplace – Nickel City. The following events surprised me. These twists and turns spiced up the novel and were one of the things that I liked about the novel.

Cordelia found out that she was one of the direct descendants of the Greek gods and that she was betrothed to the gorgeous Evan – the mysterious boy from her dreams. The only proble...more Originally posted at Fragments of Life.

Betrayal started out like most paranormal romance novels: a teenage girl wanted nothing but to get away from her boring birthplace – Nickel City. The following events surprised me. These twists and turns spiced up the novel and were one of the things that I liked about the novel.

Cordelia found out that she was one of the direct descendants of the Greek gods and that she was betrothed to the gorgeous Evan – the mysterious boy from her dreams. The only problem was that she did not remember her life as a descendant. She experienced a troubling and crucial stage in her life. A great responsibility was placed on her shoulders that no one else can ever carry. What was worse was that they expected her to have her memory back an hour after she returned to the place where she supposedly belonged. Cordelia was faced with a surreal reality that was very difficult for her to accept. Without her memory, she had no powers. Vulnerable, she depended on Evan and the people, whom she was forced to accept as family, from Viktor and his minions and the Apolluon vampires. The only thing that I did not like about her was some redundancy of her thoughts.

The empire of the Ischeros was composed of several families. Each family possessed inherited gifts from their direct Olympian ancestor. There was a hierarchy in the empire and a marriage system. The children were matched with each other depending on their family rank. Cordelia’s match was Evan. Even without her memory, she felt a strong attraction to him and even a little sense of familiarity. Evan was protective, sweet, thoughtful and gentle. But in the trying time that they were in, this wonderful side was overshadowed by his brooding side. Cordelia was overwhelmed with his love for her – something she could not reciprocate. But Evan was not the only one who received her love in the past. His rival was Gerald, a human. He was amazingly and patiently in love with Cordelia. He was the kind of person who does not give up easily. I was torn. Gerald seemed too good and too sweet to give up. He was fragile and normal and he had the ability to make her feel as if no danger and no worries existed in the world. But Evan was her soulmate, the one who shared her worries, protected her and adored her. He was her partner-to-be in running the empire.

I enjoyed Cordelia’s lovelife, her curious adventures, the constant threat of Viktor and the vampires, the betrayal, the untold secrets and the unexpected twists. Two characters really stood out for me: Viktor and Winston. Although half the time I wanted Viktor to be banished or to be dead. I found his words haunting. He was blinded by his rage and his greed for power. Winston was Gerald’s dead older brother. He was privy to important information. He would become one of the persons to help Cordelia. The ending was awesome. Michel had me smiling and aching at the same time. Every drama, every doubt, every suspicion and every ounce of power and emotion led to this dilemma-charged ending.

The writing was quite flowery and beautiful. Although there were editing mistakes, this book had potential. This would be better if the writing would be polished. Despite the fact that the story was long, it had a certain appeal that made me read on. Betrayal is an enjoyable paranormal romance with fresh concepts. The originality and the promising love triangle (the said love triangle is one of the reasons why I WANT the sequel) will entertain readers and seekers of unpredictable reads. I recommend this to paranormal romance readers who are patient since the book is quite long.(less)

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Dec 20, 2011 Hannah rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: what-the-hell-is-this

Well, Cookie Monster said it better that I ever could:
rude-cookie-monster

There was awful spelling, overused similes, dragged-out descriptions, and pretty much non-existant plot. I was caught between laughing and launching the thing at the wall. I chose to laugh, because I read it on my laptop, and these things are expensive.
But honestly. What the crap.

'The periwinkle empire mini dress was made of delicate cotton, and was perfect for this profusely obscene weather.'

Profusely obscene...wait, what? I think that's jus...more

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Apr 03, 2011 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great read! I loved this story and the suspenseful surprise ending! As stated by someone else the beginning takes a little patience as it is slow moving and the main characters internal dialogue feels really redundant as it frequently recaps events that just happened.

Once the story gets moving though it is fast paced and very well written. The plot is original and intriguing and the characters are all well developed and certainly pull you into the story wanting things to go a certain way. The l...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 25, 2011 Brandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was lucky enough to be able to read this book before release. The only bad part about that is that I have to wait that much longer for the second book! :)

Many books have been written about the descendants of the Greek Gods, but none that I have seen with such an interesting take. I don't want to give too much away, so I won't give any details. To me the book was like a roller coaster. The first few chapters were that slow ascent into the darkness. You don't know when the drop is coming, but th...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 28, 2011 Candice rated it 5 of 5 stars

I asked the author a chance to read this book and was lucky for the chance to read this AMAZING book pre-release. Thank you, thank you,thank you Mayandree! I loved this book from beginning to end.
There are points in the book with reflection and it gives you a really good view of the depth of Cordelia and her struggles. She was definately my fav character. Every character was important and well developed. I really enjoyed their interactions with each other in this greek myth inspired story - so d...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 02, 2011 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

This debut, first in the Descendants series by indie author Mayandree Michael was an intriguing read, but what holds it back from receiving a higher rating for me is the length. This book was incredibly long-winded, but beneath all that was a truly unique plot and storyline that I thoroughly enjoyed. Despite every little detail being described I was still turning pages long into the night to see what would happen next in the incredible world of gods, goddesses and demigods Mayandree lovingly cre...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 09, 2011 Literary Cravings rated it 3 of 5 stars

Betrayal was an interesting read that provided a new twist on Greek Mythology. With an interesting plot filled with mystery, action, love and deceit woven together I couldn’t wait to dive into this tale and see what would happen.
What I enjoyed about Betrayal was the mystery and intrigue. Not knowing what was going to happen next to Cordelia and her friends kept me interested and wanting to know more. The things that happen within the book weren’t normal or predictable and I liked that. Kept me o...more Betrayal was an interesting read that provided a new twist on Greek Mythology. With an interesting plot filled with mystery, action, love and deceit woven together I couldn’t wait to dive into this tale and see what would happen.
What I enjoyed about Betrayal was the mystery and intrigue. Not knowing what was going to happen next to Cordelia and her friends kept me interested and wanting to know more. The things that happen within the book weren’t normal or predictable and I liked that. Kept me on my toes! Ms. Michel wasn’t afraid to push the envelope with the action and allowing crazy things to happing and letting the focus be about the aftermath and how Cordelia would deal with what happen next. Plus the fact that having the added pressure of trying to remember who she really was. I liked the romantic tension between Cordelia and Evan, with everything going on around them and them not exactly knowing whether they would be together in the end.
The things that didn’t work for me within the story were the pacing and character development. I felt that there wasn’t smooth consistent pacing. The story would develop slowly for a long while then, bam! The action would happen and the story would pick up but then would go slowly again. And within those slow passages I felt were filled with things that weren’t really important. I enjoyed the action and would have like more of it. Though the characters were interesting as well as getting to know their crazy lives, I didn’t really connect with them or Cordelia like I wanted to. With all the crazy things happening to her I didn’t really get to really know who she really was as a person and not just this powerful supernatural being. Though I understood what she was going through and the choices she had to make there wasn’t as strong of a connection as I would have liked. The reason for that may have to do with her world crashing around her in a matter of days and her trying to figure out who she really was in the first place.
Overall I found Betrayal to be an interestingly entertaining story. And I enjoyed reading the new twist created with the Greek mythology. Though I have a few gripes with the story it didn’t really deter me from enjoying the story as a whole. Readers interested in the Greek mythology told in a new way added with action, mystery and a bit of romance should give Betrayal a read. I’m interested to see where Ms. Michel will take this story next.
(less)

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May 06, 2011 Lilo rated it 2 of 5 stars

Thank You Mayandree for my copy of Betrayal!

Betrayal was captivating, and entertaining. I devoured this book. The story of an amnesiac demi-goddess, who happens to be fighting for both her survival and the future of all other demi-god families. This novel contains everything needed to entertain: love, suspicion, untethered powers, detailed characters that you want to love and hate, twists, ect.....

I thought the author did a fine job of building the characters and story. She entwined some of th...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 24, 2011 Kyami rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: magic, mystical, paranormal-romance, young-adult

I was a little hesitant about it being for young adults but found myself pleasantly surprised. In the beginning; everthing happened so fast that I felt like I started from the middle of the story and was a little lost. Around Chapter 4; that's when I got sucked in, no pun intended (lol). As you progress in the story you get better clarity on who Cordelia is and her personality. You watch her as she transforms and grows. All and all; I really liked the premise, the fantansy angle was unique, and...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 29, 2012 Serenity rated it 5 of 5 stars

Cordelia found out that she is a direct descendant of the Greek gods and that she was betrothed to the gorgeous Evan. The only problem, she did not remember her life as a descendant. A great responsibility was placed on her shoulders that no one else can ever carry. What was worse was that they expected her to have her memory back an hour after she returned to the place where she supposedly belonged. Cordelia was faced with a surreal reality that was very difficult for her to accept. Without her...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 09, 2012 Maud rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Okay I have to be honest, I choose this book to read not only because it sounded interesting but the cover looks just awesome. And I'm glad I did because this book is not only pretty on the outside, it is also very good on the inside. I have always been a big fan of the Greek Gods and the myths and everything and this book fulfills my need to read that kind of books completely. I loved the story and the characters and the way the writer described the surrounding buildings, gardens, clothes and s...more

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May 21, 2012 Amy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Originally at ...
http://teenyreader.blogspot.co.uk/201...

Plot: Cordelia, is an ordinary teen, or so she thinks, until one day she dies and is brought back to life and taken into the past by her best friend and strangers who say that she is a descendant from the Greek Gods and one of the most powerful of her kind awaiting to become their Empress. Only problem is Cordelia's memory of her previous life has not returned. Can she get it back before defying the Gods?

Good Points: Okay, I thought the id...more Originally at ...
http://teenyreader.blogspot.co.uk/201...

Plot: Cordelia, is an ordinary teen, or so she thinks, until one day she dies and is brought back to life and taken into the past by her best friend and strangers who say that she is a descendant from the Greek Gods and one of the most powerful of her kind awaiting to become their Empress. Only problem is Cordelia's memory of her previous life has not returned. Can she get it back before defying the Gods?

Good Points: Okay, I thought the idea of the story was quite good, the author had obviously thought about how she was going to explain the whole Greek gods and vampires and such which I liked. Some characters stood out more to me than others did and I couldn't grumble at the price of the book because it was free! There's a lot of description in this book and a lot of information to take in which was sometimes good, however I did struggle to even finish it.

Bad Points: I understand that the author has published this herself and I think the idea of the book is great however it really needs to be re-jiggled around a bit. I found myself actually screaming 'Why?' at the book at some points and not for the good reason. The book would drag out a lot of the time by using way too much detail and I think there was even a point in the book where someone asked a question and instead of giving a little description and then the answer we were left hanging for two pages of description! Also Cordelia's character seriously annoyed me and I couldn't understand how any of them would honestly put up with her and her constantly escaping from the house despite them already mentioning that these 'God-like creatures have great senses of people being present, You'd think they would keep a closer eye on her if their own lives depended on it...

To Sum Up... I really do think that with some extensive cutting to description in this book they're may be a gem of a book hidden underneath. Until then though I wasn't that keen. Nice cover though...(less)

1 like · like · see review

Apr 01, 2012 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: beautiful-covers, mythology-based, ya-fiction

This is a good story. It's sort of a Percy Jackson for Young Adults, only with a female lead who is directly descended from Zeus. It keeps you guessing and turning the page. I have to admit that I started having to re-read passages because there seemed to be just too much unimportant detail at times and my mind wandered off. There are also a lot of typos and grammatical errors, which were distracting for me at times, but didn't detract from the story itself.

There was a character that I didn't l...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Alex rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: cheap-on-kindle

This book was great in theory. In fact, the story seemed like a pretty amazing idea. However, the execution was not great. This book wasn’t bad. It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t gut wrenching terrible.
The major problem I have with this story is the editing, or really, the lack of editing. I am usually pretty lenient when it comes to editing errors. I make them all the time. However, it is when the errors become so bad that they hinder the audience’s ability to understand the book that I begin to...more This book was great in theory. In fact, the story seemed like a pretty amazing idea. However, the execution was not great. This book wasn’t bad. It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t gut wrenching terrible.
The major problem I have with this story is the editing, or really, the lack of editing. I am usually pretty lenient when it comes to editing errors. I make them all the time. However, it is when the errors become so bad that they hinder the audience’s ability to understand the book that I begin to have a problem. At one point, a character says that he’ll, “take great pleasure in watching my sister tear you apart one limp at a time.” Great! Is his sister injured? Perhaps she is a one-legged pirate. That is the type of thing that is annoying, but eventually I would have forgotten. However, in addition to this madness, the author continuously uses the term “purist” instead of purest. With all of this purist talk I half expected Voldemort to make an appearance. One example of this is the phrase “true love at its purist.” Is someone throwing true love at a purist? (Would that hurt?) Again, I would accept this if the author made this mistake once or twice but it was more often than that. I find it hard to accept an author’s credibility when there is a lack of elementary grammar principles.
The use of descriptions in this book was terrible! If I had to hear one more thing about Evan’s blue eyes, I was going to take someone down. I got it, his eyes are blue! Thank you. Let’s move on. The descriptions were overdone. It felt like reading Dickens’s work without the mastery of language.
Because of the overuse of descriptions, I found myself skipping entire pages. I could skip ten pages and not miss any of the so called “plot.” The fact that I was able to do this shows a lack of focus, not only my part, but the writer’s part as well. In order to better focus on the storyline, this book needed to be cut down by a good 100 pages.
I think that as a series, this has the potential to become interesting. However, I don’t see myself spending more time reading this series to find out whether it will redeem itself.
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Aug 21, 2011 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this book to be amazing! There were so many elements that Michel blended together so smoothly and seemingly effortless. For the most part, I was sucked into this novel so thoroughly I was prolonging bathroom breaks!
It starts off sort of slow; seeing Delia's everyday boring old life after something strange happens to her. She and her parents don't really understand what happened to her so no one talks about it.
Then, at the end of that third chapter, your like omg! I was drawn to it after...more I found this book to be amazing! There were so many elements that Michel blended together so smoothly and seemingly effortless. For the most part, I was sucked into this novel so thoroughly I was prolonging bathroom breaks!
It starts off sort of slow; seeing Delia's everyday boring old life after something strange happens to her. She and her parents don't really understand what happened to her so no one talks about it.
Then, at the end of that third chapter, your like omg! I was drawn to it after that. With the demigods and the vampires, the shapeshifters and the centaur! It was especially interesting to see Michel 's take on the powers the Gods have vested to their offspring, and the ways they choose to wield them. Along with the organization of it all. It was very imaginative and creative and I imagine it will only get better from there.
My biggest problem with this book was the repetitive statements. Through Delia we hear the same things over and over again. If when hears something, then so do we. Then a few pages later we have to hear it again as she recounts to a different character. As we learn what Delia learns, we also learn how she feels about the situation. That's good. I want do know how she feels, but I don't want to still be reading about it two pages later. It was slightly over descriptive in that way to where I found myself skipping paragraphs at a time to reach the next set of dialogue. The problem-as I quickly learned-was that during that twelfth paragraph about Delia's confusion, there was something else thrown in quick would make it near impossible to 'skim'.
But, overall this was an amazingly interesting read. Everything was actually believable. It wasn't a bunch of people telling someone they're from outer-space and having that person say "Okay, but let's gets back to how in love with me you are after only knowing each other for two hours."
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes an interesting journey; as long as they have time to read about a particular golden dress for three pages.(less)

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Aug 12, 2011 -k The Lady Critic rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book

Ok, I’m going to be honest – I wasn’t fully sucked into this novel. I’m going to blame it on two things though. First, since I read the online version that Goodreads is currently offering (the novel in its apparent completion) I had to read it on my computer screen which started to give me a horrible headache, which caused me to skip over large pieces of the plot in order to get to the end. The second reason is that I just don’t think that I was in the mood to read a paranormal novel like this o...more Ok, I’m going to be honest – I wasn’t fully sucked into this novel. I’m going to blame it on two things though. First, since I read the online version that Goodreads is currently offering (the novel in its apparent completion) I had to read it on my computer screen which started to give me a horrible headache, which caused me to skip over large pieces of the plot in order to get to the end. The second reason is that I just don’t think that I was in the mood to read a paranormal novel like this one. And I’m going to add in that since the screen was giving me a headache, I was in no frame of mind to keep characters and details in proper order.

However, there was just something that made me want to read it. The cover alone was enough to get me intrigued and I’ll admit that I wanted to know just what it was all about. But, I don’t know, it also just started to seem like a whole mish-mash of paranormal subjects thrown together into one large stewing pot and the end result was this novel – which is both good and bad. Good because it offers a lot of action with the gods, vampires, werewolves, secrets, lies, murder, conspiracy, and let’s not forget all sorts of romance. Bad because at times it felt overdone and I just wanted things to be simpler.

Admittedly, since I skimmed the vast majority of this novel, I know that I missed out on a lot – but by reading the final “chapter” (don’t let those ‘next chapter’ buttons fool you – they go for a lot more than just one) and intermittent pieces between I was able to get the gist of what was going on.

I think that if I was ever able to come across a paperback copy of this novel that I would read it again and give it more of a fair shot. I did enjoy the idea and several of the concepts used were relatively undone (meaning I’ve never come across them before). I think that this novel has great potential for someone who would have more patience than I do and especially for someone who could read it not on their computer screen.

I’m going to give this novel a 6/10 (though only 2 stars on Goodreads) and I recommend anyone who thinks this would interest them to give it a chance.
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Jun 14, 2011 Cari rated it 3 of 5 stars

Warning: some spoilers

This book was mild entertainment for a dollar on my Nook color. However, it had some major flaws:

1. There were so many spelling errors that I wondered if it had been run through an editor at all. It really took away from the professionalism of the story. I don't know if it was just through the transition to the Nook - if this is the case, then disregard. The sentence structure was plain and could've been a lot better - see my below comment also.

2. There were some really, re...more Warning: some spoilers

This book was mild entertainment for a dollar on my Nook color. However, it had some major flaws:

1. There were so many spelling errors that I wondered if it had been run through an editor at all. It really took away from the professionalism of the story. I don't know if it was just through the transition to the Nook - if this is the case, then disregard. The sentence structure was plain and could've been a lot better - see my below comment also.

2. There were some really, really bad metaphors - for example, "warm as a freshly baked muffin" to describe someone's eyes. My jaw literally dropped when I saw that one. I had to grit my teeth and ignore them to continue on.

3. In many instances, she referenced pop culture, which often didn't fit the scene or the mood. During the final scene she threw in a reference to the main character's MP3 player, which detracted from the scene's mood entirely and was unnecessary. Really, although this is a YA novel, your readers DO NOT need pop culture references thrown at them! They're annoying and it is plain the author believes that young adults cannot read a fantasy novel without pop culture references.

4. Pacing: the story was way too slow paced, and included boring descriptions of dresses, the house Dalia stayed in and all that. I love all this Victorian stuff, but it was too much. More action and less description, please! I also could've done with her memory returning a little faster - it seemed much of the book's plot depended on the fact that she had no memory, weakening the story as a whole.

Now there are some things she did well:

1. Characters: although Bethany annoyed me to no end at times, the author did a good job on keeping her three dimensional. Same goes for Dalia and Evan - I was expecting the stereotypical perfect boy that seems to be prevalent in many YA novels, but he had his flaws.

2. Plot: The plot was a bit slow, but the overall concept was good and I particularly enjoyed the ending when she came to know her powers. The beginning, when she died, was heart-wrenching for me and the author did a good job on that part. The middle was where it got slow.

3. The Gods - I felt it was a little rushed at times and unbelievable, but I liked how the author didn't over-include the Gods in the story and let the characters do things themselves. It was kind of cool to see how people's powers reflected the Gods.

Overall, the story was a nice read for the summer, but it has major issues that need to be fixed. (less)

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May 29, 2011 Jules rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-paranormal, greek-myth, favorites, 2011, lend-to-dena

Betrayal, the debut novel by author Mayandree Michel, doesn’t read like a debut at all. This book has all of the necessary elements for a really great paranormal romance. It’s engaging, with a fantastic storyline and outstanding characters.Mayandree’s capability to create engrossing three-dimensional characters is spectacular. In my opinion, the characters drove the story as well as the plot. Evey single character was essential to the story and not a prop. With each introduction of every charact...more

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May 29, 2011 Mistyreign rated it 5 of 5 stars

I almost didn't spend the measly 99 cents for this book after reading a couple of 1 star and 2 star reviews. I do realize that everyone is entitled to their opinion so I decided to form my own. I succumbed to the gorgeous cover and finally bought the ebook for my Kindle.

I'm THRILLED that I did! Luckily for me, I didn't let those 1 & 2 star reviews deter me.

I didn’t think it was slow as others are describing. The story grabs you from the beginning with the detail. The author lays out the fo...more I almost didn't spend the measly 99 cents for this book after reading a couple of 1 star and 2 star reviews. I do realize that everyone is entitled to their opinion so I decided to form my own. I succumbed to the gorgeous cover and finally bought the ebook for my Kindle.

I'm THRILLED that I did! Luckily for me, I didn't let those 1 & 2 star reviews deter me.

I didn’t think it was slow as others are describing. The story grabs you from the beginning with the detail. The author lays out the foundation of the blah western town where Cordelia the MC lives and drops the first bomb in like the first chapter. From then on it's a rollercoaster of unpredictable event after event.

This book turned out to be a beautiful story, and beautifully written. The author did a phenomenal job of creating a unique world of her own mythology largely based on Greek mythology, Vampires, shifters, ghosts, and magic. The break-down of the ancestry of the descendants and world building is extraordinary. I am in awe of this author for weaving everything so tightly!

I connected with many of the characters and liked Cordelia the best from the start. She's a smart and independent teenager. In one of the reviews, Cordelia is described as a whiny brat and selfish. This is a YA novel about teenagers. If you wanted to read a book about a grown, self-assured and experienced individual, well you should read an adult book about adults. In no way did I feel that the MC was selfish or a brat for wanting to know the truth and demanding it. She acted like an empress before she even knew she was one and never backed down to anyone. My kinda girl!

I do have one gripe though, and it’s Bethany, Delia’s so called "best friend". She's the only character that annoyed me for the entire book. Bethany seems to have no clue how to be a friend, but I won't give this book a lower rating just because I disliked a character. I loved Nikolas (the warrior centaur) and Winston (the disgruntled ghost). They're both excellent characters. Nikolas is hilarious! There is a place in my heart for both Evan and surprisingly Victor (the villain) too. Even the evil twins – Sacha (Victor’s girlfriend) and Lucas (Victor’s most trusted follower) were well rounded characters.

I have so many favorite parts of this book that I can’t pick one. When the truth and secrets of the betrayal began to surface, I couldn’t put it down. The ending was a shocker and AMAZING!

I’m jumping for joy that there is a sequel. This is a fantastic book. Just to think how I almost missed out on this! Ms. Michel deserves plenty of praise for an exciting first novel!

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About Mayandree Michel

Mayandree writes young adult paranormal romance and historical fantasy. When she's not writing, she's playing with her kids, reading or sketching. Her first novel, Betrayal (The Descendants, #1),is available now. The second novel in the series, Sacrifice, will release in June 2012.

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Quotes from Betrayal

“I didn’t come here to fight with you. I’m here to fight for you.”
-Evan” — 46 people liked it

“Hope is what one relies on when one has no control of one’s fate. We, my dear, have nothing in common with those who rely on hope,” Thaddeus proclaimed.” — 12 people liked it

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Betrayal (The Descendants #1)

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