Vala: Agendas by J.F. Jenkins - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

Jan 29, 2012 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog-tour, kindle, favorites, review-on-blog

I really really loved this book! I was so excited while I was reading it because I kept liking it more and more. I have been in a so so reading slump. Lots of 2 and 3 star books that I either didn't enjoy or liked but didn't love. It kind of puts you in a weird mood. I want to be excited about the books that I read, and Vala: Agendas did that for me! Once I picked it up I could not put it down. I actually had dinner plans and had to stop reading around 1/4 way through the book, and all through d...more I really really loved this book! I was so excited while I was reading it because I kept liking it more and more. I have been in a so so reading slump. Lots of 2 and 3 star books that I either didn't enjoy or liked but didn't love. It kind of puts you in a weird mood. I want to be excited about the books that I read, and Vala: Agendas did that for me! Once I picked it up I could not put it down. I actually had dinner plans and had to stop reading around 1/4 way through the book, and all through dinner I was just thinking about what was going to happen next. I think I may have even eaten a little faster.

Cheyenne is a cool character, I love that she interacts with plants. There are so many freaking secrets in this book, I don't even know where to start. It seems like everyone has not one, but multiple secrets- it is hard to keep them all straight. I am dying to know about the secrets surrounding Denver the most! We don't even know what he is! I know it must be driving Cheyenne crazy but she handles it all really well. Probably better than I would be. I know I would be demanding answers. (I hate not knowing things)

Denver is the mysterious, bad boy type and normally that is not my thing, but there is just something about him. I like that Cheyenne acknowledged that he was a bad boy and she normally did not go for that, but she couldn't help herself sometimes when Denver is involved. I am dying to know more about his backstory and I hope it is a real focus in the second book.

The twins Anj and Des are pretty cool, but when Cheyenne's dad said she didn't trust the seer, I was so intrigued. I did not doubt either of them for a second. I am so interested to see if anything is going to happen with them. They seem really genuine, so I would be really sad if that is not the case- but I guess we will find out soon enough.

I really liked that there are still more than a few unanswered questions at the end of the book. It is giving me something to look forward to for the next book. I think Vala Agendas sets up the story really well for an awesome series! I can't wait for the next book to come out. I'm really excited for it! Lot's of great things are to come!(less)

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Jan 23, 2012 Sapphyria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reading-romances-challenge

When Cheyenne attends a teen night club and gains the attention of the new kid, Denver, little does she know that he's about to open up a part of her heritage that has been kept a secret. After being bitten by Denver Cheyenne begins hearing the plants and flowers in her room talk to her. To top it off, it appears her mother knows about these incidents 2 strangers to their home. These 2 strangers, a witch and an angel of death, swoop into her life, remove her from what's familiar and deposit her...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Cass rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was a little apprehensive about reading Agendas, a book about a girl who talks to flowers? But I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading and fell in love with the characters!
Agendas reminds me of every good thing in the House Of Night Series; which I love. Right from the start you are given intrigue, betrayal and romance. Agendas isn't simply about a girl who talks to flowers, it's about a girl who is thrust into a society of the gods. I don't trust Halyn, I', half in love with Denver...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Tracey (YA Book Addict) rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I first read the blurb for Vala: Agendas, the thing that struck me was "Her plants start talking to her".... Okay I thought, This should be interesting!! And while this started out as a bit of a slow read, it quickly picked up pace about a third of the way through and turned out to be a really great and engaging story!!!

Cheyenne Loveless was quite a reserved and quiet sixteen year old. She hates being in the spotlight but one night attends a party where she meets the gorgeous and mysterious...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Cheyenne was just a normal girl living with her single mom until new bad boy Denver bit her. Suddenly Cheyenne finds that her mother isn't her mother at all but simply a guardian put in place to watch her until the time came for her to learn about her powers. As she waits for people at the Vala School to arrive she begins hearing things and realizes the flowers are talking to her. Before she can freak out too much she's whisked away to the mysterious Vala School.

Once there life is much differen...more Cheyenne was just a normal girl living with her single mom until new bad boy Denver bit her. Suddenly Cheyenne finds that her mother isn't her mother at all but simply a guardian put in place to watch her until the time came for her to learn about her powers. As she waits for people at the Vala School to arrive she begins hearing things and realizes the flowers are talking to her. Before she can freak out too much she's whisked away to the mysterious Vala School.

Once there life is much different for Cheyenne then it had been in her prior life. Where she was shy, prone to panic attacks, and didn't have many friends before, suddenly she is popular with more friends and events happening in her life then she thought was possible. Her roommate Halyn is a sweet, caring witch who has high energy and quickly becomes Cheyenne's best friend.

Then there's the overwhelming amount of boys in her life. Cheyenne first meets the William's twins who are not only the most popular boys at school but they are cute too! Anj is intelligent, mysterious, and blind, but his magic allows him to see. Zes is nervous, sensitive, and adorable. I couldn't help but like both of the twins. Then there's Denver; he's apparently a student at the school and while he pretends to not care about Cheyenne there's a sexual tension between them that made me blush.

Finally we have Lucien, a dark angel and resident of Hell. He thinks he's reincarnate of Hades and Cheyenne holds the spirit of Persephone the First, who is of her bloodline. Lucien will stop at nothing to make Cheyenne his bride and finally unite the underworld with the Divine.

This book was a quick read that was very enjoyable. The characters are all very likeable and I felt as if I knew each and every one of them. There's so many mysteries to uncover in the story and it's fun putting the pieces together to understand what is happening in the school.

There were two things I didn't like about this book. I hated that Cheyenne left her guardian, whom she thought was her mother, and never spoke to her again. It made me sad for both Cheyenne and her guardian. I also thought that the ending of the book was abrupt. I would have liked to have had a few more pages written to know what was going on before it simply ended.

I will say I can't wait to read the next book in this series. There's so much going on and so much more I want to know about. I don't yet know what gifts Jewl, Anj, and Zes have. I want to know who Cheyenne will choose to date. I also want to find out what will happen between the demons and the Divine. I hope the next book has as much action and romance as this one did!

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

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Dec 18, 2012 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars

PDF free for honest review

I found myself loving this book very much. It had it all for me, adventure, love, mystery, paranormal, and budding friendships/new families. The characters were very easy to come to love and hate, depending on the character. Cheyenne was my favorite character, and not just because she was the main character. She was a character that can be connected to on some level. She is a shy girl, some would call a nerd, and doesn't really have many or any friends in her high schoo...more PDF free for honest review

I found myself loving this book very much. It had it all for me, adventure, love, mystery, paranormal, and budding friendships/new families. The characters were very easy to come to love and hate, depending on the character. Cheyenne was my favorite character, and not just because she was the main character. She was a character that can be connected to on some level. She is a shy girl, some would call a nerd, and doesn't really have many or any friends in her high school. She is in to her studies and thinks the only friend she needs is her Mom. When she goes to a party that she was only invited to as "the proper thing to do" she goes reluctantly and soon wishes she would have just stayed home. At this party she is bit by Denver, a "vampire" of sorts, and her life changes in every way possible. Cheyenne soon finds out she is not who she thought she was, her Mother is not who she thought she was, and her life, as she knows it, is pretty much a great big lie. Soon she is being whisked away to go to some "special" school for people "like her", but she doesn't even know what that is yet. She learns that her parents are part of the Divine, a high up party in the magical society of myth. She also learns that she may not be safe at the new school, for the boy that bit her and started all this nonsense for her is also a student there. To make matters worse Cheyenne finds out that she could very well be betrothed to a Demon! She soon makes friends, which is something she has never really had before, but her life is far from "happily ever after". Can she continue to be protected from the Demon that wants to claim her as his wife and upturn the whole society as they know it? What happens when you make the wrong choices, but don't even know it? Will she be putting her new friends in danger just by being with them? Can she find love and be happy? If a Demon is after you, do you really have a choice of not being with him? What can they do to stop all this craziness? How does a teenage girl pick between Denver and Zes, two totally opposite types of boys? And will she have a chance to?

The plot was well thought out, but it did seem to move a bit on the slow side at a point in the book. It dove right in at first, then seemed to stall a bit before picking back up. It did pick back up though, which is what kept me reading. I also loved the mythical concept of it all, so found myself drawn into the book. I enjoyed the book, plot, and characters and am looking forward to reading on in the series to see where it takes them all. I do hope though, that the next book moves a bit faster than this one and has a bit more action all throughout the book.

4/5 Stars!(less)

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Dec 18, 2011 Annette M Guerriero Nishimoto rated it 3 of 5 stars

Today's review is on Vala: Agendas by J.F. Jenkins

Vala Agendas was a delightful book to read, if at times a little bit slow. It was easy to fall in love with the characters and the story line; which is based on a unique myth. In fact, the school where the main and supportive character's attend works to clarify the myths from the facts of their supernatural students.

Cheyenne Loveless is out one night when she is approached by a handsome boy with emerald, green eyes. She is instantly attracted to...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Chrystal added it

Shelves: 50-book-challenge-2012, young-adult

This was an amazingly unique story. I was not really sure what to expect with this novel, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was it's own story and not like anything else I've read of late.

Cheyenne is a quiet, reserved girl who tends to keep to herself. She has almost no friends and has panic attacks easily. I kinda liked the fact that she was a bit bookish/geeky as if made me related to her more. After a night of fun with a few friends she is attracted to a guy, Denver Collins, who she thi...more This was an amazingly unique story. I was not really sure what to expect with this novel, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was it's own story and not like anything else I've read of late.

Cheyenne is a quiet, reserved girl who tends to keep to herself. She has almost no friends and has panic attacks easily. I kinda liked the fact that she was a bit bookish/geeky as if made me related to her more. After a night of fun with a few friends she is attracted to a guy, Denver Collins, who she thinks might kiss her, but in fact actually bites her. That is when her world turns upside down and feels more like a bad dream.

From this point on she finds out her Mom is not really her mother, but a kind of foster mother. She also finds out that she is a Nymph and the daughter of the Divine, she is Persephone's daughter. Strangers, a witch and a Fallen Angel, come to her home to take her to her new school and to eventually meet her real parents. So much happens in a short time for Cheyenne, but she adapts pretty quickly. It's almost like she finally feels like she is a part of something instead of feeling like an outsider. And her panic attacks are almost non-existent and she becomes a stronger person as the story expands.

She meets some amazing new friends - Halyn (her roommate) and Anj and Zes (the twins). She has an instant attraction to the twins, she seemed more interested in Anj at first, but I kept pulling for Zes throughout the story. Little does she know that this Denver Collins guy attends her school and is looking to cause her some trouble.

There are all kinds facets to Cheyenne's story: her attraction to the despicable Denver, her connection and love for Zes, and of course there is Lucien who believes she is bound to end up his possession due to some old tale of the Divine.

There are so many ways for this story to go and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next installment. I'm pulling for Cheyenne and Zes, but have a feeling Denver and Lucien will try to disrupt their relationship some more. (less)

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Nov 15, 2012 Once Upon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Cheyenne is just another girl who falls to the wayside in her school and is quickly dismissed as the unpopular nerd. It's not until one night at a party she somehow got invited to at the new nightclub for teens that her whole life changes. It's this particular evening that she meets Denver Collins, a brooding, dark and handsome young man with emerald green eyes that melt Cheyenne's insides every time she sees him. Denver invites Cheyenne to take a walk outside the club with him and instead of ma...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Megan McDade rated it 4 of 5 stars

The rating for the book is 3.5 but I rounded up to 4 cause goodreads doesn't do .5's!

Vala: Angendas follows main protagonist Cheyenne Loveless who is a normal sixteen year girl. She is quite shy and doesn't have many friends . Everything changes when she meets dark, handsome and broody Denver Collins. Every time she sees Devner she gets butterflies. She some how ends up at a new teen club that has opened and Denver approaches her and asks her to step outside with him. He then bites her. And from...more The rating for the book is 3.5 but I rounded up to 4 cause goodreads doesn't do .5's!

Vala: Angendas follows main protagonist Cheyenne Loveless who is a normal sixteen year girl. She is quite shy and doesn't have many friends . Everything changes when she meets dark, handsome and broody Denver Collins. Every time she sees Devner she gets butterflies. She some how ends up at a new teen club that has opened and Denver approaches her and asks her to step outside with him. He then bites her. And from there everything changes.

I was a little annoyed when I first starting reading Vala as she just lets him bite her, even though she doesn't know he is going to, it just felt a little strange and unrealistic regarding the character, as she is shy and just basically the way it happened felt wrong. I was a little unsure of the book after the first few pages but I am glad I keep reading as the story really picked up and I couldn't put it down after the initial issues I had.

I really liked when Cheyenne went to Vala, the boarding school for people with "special skills", as it turns out Cheyenee is adopted, a decedent of Persephone and can talk to plants, it turns out she is a Nymph. There she becomes friends with a group of popular kids and finds herself on the other end of the popularity scale from loner to popular which is a bit of a shock to her. I really liked the twins Zes and Anj who are some of Cheyenee's new friends. They where total opposites and there "skills" intrigued me. I also liked that there is a love triangle between Zes, Cheyenne and Denver (as it turns out he attends the boarding school) I am not sure who I want her to be with but Zes is a little ahead of Denver.

It was great that there where alot of supernaturals in Vala: Angendas and not just your typical vampires and werewolves, we have nymphs, descendants of mythical creatures, witches, and an angel of death. I also really liked learning about the mythology of the creatures, there is of course Greek mythology in it which I am starting to really enjoy reading about.

Overall I enjoyed Vala: Angendas. There where great characters, a good storyline and lots of mystery which I liked. I can't to find out what happens next!(less)

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Feb 02, 2012 Heather Robbins rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book

I really loved this book! Great world to get yourself lost in. There are still questions I want/need answers to!

Cheyenne doesn't stick out..she is just a normal 16 yr. old girl. Well NOT so...she get's bitten by hottie Denver and learns she is a Nymph. This is why I love her because while learning all of this, she doesn't just take it and roll. She asks questions, gets mad, throws a fit just like a 16 yr old! She does grow into her new self as time goes on and things happen.

Denver...Mysterious,...more

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Dec 19, 2011 Sana (Breathing Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews

Once again really good novel! The thing i like about the author is that she is willing to venture out of the comfort zone of the readers. I mean she doesn't know if her book will sell or if readers will enjoy it, but she is ready to take that risk.

We, as readers, are so accustomed with vampires, werewolves, fallen angels etc that when i came across this book it sounded different , yet i was apprehensive. I still gave it a shot and i was pleased. It really is a good book.

The characters are really...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Brittany rated it 4 of 5 stars

When asked to review for this tour, I just couldn't help but want to after seeing the cover! It's so intriguing to me! I loved the authors writing style and how she weaved this mysterious tale while still leaving SO much to look forward to in the next book. There are so many unanswered questions left at the end that you just HAVE to read the next in the series. The characters are developed to the point that you can't help but want to love them. The story line keeps you flipping those pages so fa...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Holly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: angels-demons, greek-mythology, kindle, series, witches_magic, from-author

I received this from the publishers to read and review.

When I read what this was about, I thought it sounded a lot like Haven and a bunch of other YA books where all the supernaturals go to the same boarding school. (And it's always a boarding school.)

The beginning of the book was really good. It built into the story easily and introduced characters in a way that made sense and intrigued me. Right off the bat, I wanted to know more about the first supernaturals she met, especially Mr. Thantos.

Bu...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Cass rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was a little apprehensive about reading Agendas, a book about a girl who talks to flowers? But I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading and fell in love with the characters!
Agendas reminds me of every good thing in the House Of Night Series; which I love. Right from the start you are given intrigue, betrayal and romance. Agendas isn't simply about a girl who talks to flowers, it's about a girl who is thrust into a society of the gods. I don't trust Halyn, I', half in love with Denver...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Midu Hadi rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: YA readers

Shelves: 212books, deities, fantasy, mythology, really-ya, series, demons-succubi-and-hell, first-in-the-series

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 29, 2012 Jessica(WonderlandReviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I quickly found myself emerged in this book, always the sucker for mythology, this book did not leave me wanting as the author chose an interesting take on the romance and that is Persephone and Hades. For those of you who do not know the greek myth you can go here to learn more. Here

I think one of the best aspects of the story was that the personalities matched to people I could come across in my day to day life.

There is the popular guy that has been spoiled and has that somewaht jerky attit...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Nancy S. rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think there were some minor plot issues in this book but over all, for a new author, this was a great book. A young girl is bitten, not involuntarily, by a boy outside a club and her life is never the same. She finds out that the world is so much bigger than she ever imagined and she is much more than she thought.

I was a bit disappointed in the ending and I wish all the loose ends and questions had been handled, but I suspect there is a sequel out there somewhere.

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Jan 25, 2012 Vanessa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bewitching-book-tour

Vala: Agendas was written in quite impressive depth and stunning details which captured my imagination. At some point, I thought I was reading a much mystical version of X:Men, but without much action and suspense. The story itself mostly revolved around Cheyenne’s conflicting relationship with the boys around her. One minute she likes this guy, the next she likes the other which was rather irritating. But Cheyenne was likable and I could relate to her every emotion in some way or the other. So...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Liz rated it 5 of 5 stars

I had the privilege to read this book in a very early stage. I loved it then and I love it now. The premise is like nothing out there currently and that to me is part of Vala's appeal. Even though you will find familiar elements in it (vampires, fallen angels,etc) the mythology that J.F. Jenkins creates is all her own.

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Jan 15, 2013 Juliette Brandt rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was drawn into this novel from the very beginning. I've always liked stories where the main character finds out they never really belonged in the place they have been all their life. I like the idea that they are destined for bigger and better things. I did have some trouble with this novel though. I thought that the fact that she could talk to plants should have been more relevant to the overall plot. Read the rest of this review here: paperbacksandfrosting.com

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Jan 02, 2013 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars

I didn't realize this was the first book. I actually read Jewl's book first. I liked this one as well. From reading Jewl's book, I was curious about how some things had happened with Cheyenne and reading this cleared it all up.

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Jul 07, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

See my review at:

http://www.sizzlinghotbooks.net/2012/...

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Feb 02, 2012 Rachel's Book Reviews marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I've read another book by this author and loved it, I'd like to read the rest of her books.

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May 17, 2013 N marked it as to-read

May 12, 2013 Tiara marked it as to-read

May 05, 2013 Laurie Bongiorno marked it as to-read

Shelves: maybe, library-has

May 01, 2013 Maisha marked it as to-read

Apr 25, 2013 Sita marked it as to-read

Shelves: lp

Apr 08, 2013 Jennifer Lawlor marked it as to-read

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