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Elixir (Elixir #1)

by Hilary Duff, Elise Allen, Julia Whelan

3.59 of 5 stars 3.59 · rating details · 6,768 ratings · 1,196 reviews

As the daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington D.C. politician, Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. And though she dreads the paparazzi who track her every move, she herself is a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world.

But after Clea’s father disapp...more

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Published October 5th 2010 by Blackstone Audiobooks

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Aug 27, 2011 Lora rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: no one

Recommended to Lora by: no one - luckily for them

Shelves: g-ya-paranorm, series-abandoned

Stay far, far away from this book. It does terrible things to you.

74 likes · like · see review

May 11, 2012 fяσzєη rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dickhead-heroes, love-triangles, i-am-disappoint, unlikable-heroines, pile-of-crap, insta-love, owned-physical-copies, dont-understand-why-its-hyped, why-do-people-like-this-shit, is-this-some-kind-of-joke, horrifyingly-bad, goodbye-brain-cells, cheese, boooooring, no-just-no, waste-of-paper, my-eyes-are-bleeding, hot-mess, cant-believe-i-finished, get-that-thing-away-from-me, immortals, what-the-actual-fuck, sorry-excuse-for-a-romance, you-arrogant-prick, where-art-thou-originality

Let me start off by saying that I actually like Hilary, and when I found out that she wrote a YA book, I was excited.

Little did I know this was going to be nothing but a rip-off.

As I was reading this book, I realized that the similarities with Evermore were painfully obvious. Girl meets boy, girl finds out boy is immortal and has been with her in past lives, girl dies horribly every time, girl has a friend that's in love with her and jealous of the boy, boy had a past love interest that apparent...more

56 likes · like · see review

Oct 30, 2010 Morgan F rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, young-adult, pulse-it, series, fantasy, read-2010, characters-i-wanna-shoot, romance, terrible-parents, its-a-girl, debut, medium-sized, love-triangle, suckfest, e-book

I'm warning you now. This is more of a rant than a cohesive, intelligent review. It will be filled with spoilers and un-ladylike language, so people of delicate sensibilities take heed.

I like Hilary Duff. I grew up with her in Lizzie Maguire, and even rocked the Lizzie hairstyle for a while. I think she has grown into a nice young starlet as opposed to, well, this

I was curious about this book after seeing her name on it. I was interested. How much of it did Hilary actually write? Did she just t...more

231 likes · like · see review

Apr 23, 2012 Scarlet rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, romance, library, review, wtf-is-this, insta-love

1.5 STARS

blarrrghhhh...

I was really hoping this book would be good. I'd heard negative feedback about Elixir, but I wanted to give it a go on the off chance that people were just being extra critical since a celebrity wrote it. I love Hilary, I watched her on Lizzie Mcguire growing up and I think she's a lovely person, but sadly I was not impressed by Elixir at all.

(Just to warn you now, this review will be somewhat ranty, contain some spoilers, and be sprinkled with at least a few gifs, becaus...more

18 likes · like · see review

Sep 24, 2011 Picture Perfect rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Dumb Airheads who don't care about writing at all.

Shelves: do-not-touch-again

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I didn't have high hopes for this book when I read this book. I actually wanted to prove that I was right in the sense that this book would "suck". And, it did. It sucked guts. From the first page, the book lost my attention. The font was pretty big for a novel. Of course, that's just the beginning of it all. Here is my list of unfathomable things about this book:

1. The size of the font. Who is she kidding? Could she not fill up the book?
2. Many grammatical errors. I didn't find and pinpoint al...more I didn't have high hopes for this book when I read this book. I actually wanted to prove that I was right in the sense that this book would "suck". And, it did. It sucked guts. From the first page, the book lost my attention. The font was pretty big for a novel. Of course, that's just the beginning of it all. Here is my list of unfathomable things about this book:

1. The size of the font. Who is she kidding? Could she not fill up the book?
2. Many grammatical errors. I didn't find and pinpoint all of them because I don't like to do that. But, some were just so easy to catch.
3. Clichéd plot. Totally copied Evermore by Alyson Noel. Alyson Noel should sue. It kind of brought all of the "Immortal series" books into one book to start off Hilary Duff's series.
In both books, there is an immortal character. An elixir. A conflicting character between the romance. This book doesn't talk about powers or anything. But, it does mention at the end the "forbidden relationship". Comparing this book to Evermore is actually not an accomplishment.
4. I totally wanted to slam the book against the wall. Hilary Duff watches too many movies. Way too many. So, Clea meets her "soulmate" in a span of 2-3 days. Declares that she loves with him and is the man in her dreams. And, when she is supposed to be picking up snacks, she has sex...with him...in the passenger seat...of her best friend's car. Talk about wrong. That is not romantic. I think that's kind of...weird, considering how Sage happened to bring along birth control. EWWWWW!!! This series should totally end with Clea getting some rare immortal STD from Sage. Ha.
5. The romance between Clea and Sage is really weird and bi-polar. It's lust not love.
6. The characters are very weakly-developed. In the beginning, Clea basically acted like some storyteller. Randomly, she started thinking about her life...in a nightclub.
7. The plot dragged on at some parts but sped in some parts. It's like Hilary Duff just wanted to write for the sake of finishing a book and getting publicity. Hilary Duff! Don't quit your day job! Wait, I think she doesn't even have one. Last time I checked, her acting career disappeared.

Anyway, despite all the negative comments, the book was decent probably because Hilary Duff had some help from another person and all. I think it should be Elise Allen with Hilary Duff. But, I can tell that Hilary Duff did think of the story. She must have read Evermore before writing. Ha. The humor is kind of strange and some parts. It's okay if you like Twilight and all. The writing was pretty poor and boring. I kind of feel Tokyo and Conneticut and Brazil are the same place now. A good writer would have put description into the quickly-changing setting. It may seem excess, but it isn't. It gives the plot more of an even tempo which is totally lacking in this book. I will not read the rest of the series.

-Picture Perfect
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Jan 18, 2011 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-stars

8/8/11 Update: I do NOT like the paperback cover at all. No offense, but did the cover model really have to be Hilary Duff herself?

I discovered this book in Barnes and Noble. I glanced at it, and thought "Hmm, neat cover", then I saw the author and I thought, "WHAT?" Because of course, when you think of Hilary Duff, the first thing you think of is Lizzie McGuire. I borrowed from the library just to see how 'bad' it could be.

However, this book was pretty good, better than anything I thought Hilar...more

14 likes · like · see review

Jan 23, 2011 Jenna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, mystery

Yes, I read the Hilary Duff novel. Because Hilary Duff is awesome, that's why. If you don't believe me, please see "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" for further proof.

I was very impressed with the story that Duff wove, and I devoured it like candy. Riveting right up until the end, then the abrupt/cliff-hanger type ending left me flat. I had hoped this was going to be a stand-alone book -- even if it is the first in a series.

And, yes, I'll read the next book when it comes out. Because Duff is actually a...more

10 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2010 Saniya(Will Herondale is mine) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed

Hmm...The Story went fine. Didn't love it, Didn't hate it exactly. In-Between...
First-of-all I was having a doubt that this book is written by Hilary Duff... I mean, I really loved her in Lizzie Maguire but How will she write a Paranormal young-adult book? I was suspicious and then my friend lent me this book to read. I was making fun of her like "I know Hilary just wrote the Acknowledgment and the first page, Elise Allen wrote the whole freaking story!" And guess what? It was true!

Spoilers Ale...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 25, 2013 QiJia 치쟈 rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hilary-duff, borrowed, library, read-in-2013, wasted-my-time

You read right
Hilary Duff wrote a book!!!

SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!

Open
and read
read
*yawns *
read
*eyes watering *
read.......
*zzzzzzzZZZZZZZ*

I'm pretty lenient in rating books. But this is stretching too far

Boring, cliche and gosh I couldn't stand the writing!

DEFINITELY won't be reading the second book.

Hilary Duff should stick to singing or acting than writing books.
Enough said.

4 likes · like · see review

Oct 21, 2010 Sierra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When you think of Hilary Duff, you automatically think 'Lizzie McGuire', right? So, it's probably weird for you to think that she's written a book--well, at least, I did.
Elixir was captivating, and not anything that I'd imagine Hilary Duff could write. I'm not dissing her, but it's just that I thought this would be some stupid story about a snobby-rich girl. True, the main character, Clea, was rich, but I didn't get the sense that she was snobby at all.
She was a pretty cool protagonist, and...more

12 likes · like · see review

Oct 17, 2010 Azn_seddie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*EDIT* I really loved it!! The plot is definitely well-written and put together. Hilary truly had a great sense of her characters and where she wanted to story to go. I guess you could say the first chapter is a bit wordy but it's descriptive/detailed/vivid enough for the reader to imagine the scene and get to know the characters. After that, the pacing is pretty good. I'm definitely liking the dynamic between Clea and her best friends, Rayna and Ben. In a perilous situation, Clea totally lets y...more *EDIT* I really loved it!! The plot is definitely well-written and put together. Hilary truly had a great sense of her characters and where she wanted to story to go. I guess you could say the first chapter is a bit wordy but it's descriptive/detailed/vivid enough for the reader to imagine the scene and get to know the characters. After that, the pacing is pretty good. I'm definitely liking the dynamic between Clea and her best friends, Rayna and Ben. In a perilous situation, Clea totally lets you know how functions with and without them. She's the more good-humored, humble, insecure of the 3 while Rayna is the ideal BFF package and Ben is the support system. There's plenty of one-liners that added a nice touch of humor between the 3, which was a good contrast to the heavier and slightly gory scenes and which made me LOL. Speaking of the more graphic scenes, I was certainly freaked out by them. The end of ch. 2 gave me the willies and Clea's nightmares gave me a good scare. So, props to Hilary for evoking fear off the pages.

I also got a good sense of Clea's relationship with her father. Even though they were really close, there's still a huge amount of innocence that Clea ends up having to sort through and understand. I hope later on in the series, Hilary can develop Clea's relationship with her mom, depending on where the story goes cuz as of now, there's some instability and insecurity and distance that needs to eventually be addressed. As for Clea and Sage, I really liked the fact that Clea didn't let her feelings get in the way of her trying to look at their situation logically for most of the book. At first, Sage and Clea's spiritual bond comes off a bit disjointed and kind of hard to believe during the second half of the book, though I think that was partially its intention for what is revealed when they're in Japan. That's probably my only concern. Other than that, I can see why the Ben-Clea-Sage love triangle was so dangerous; I don't even know Clea should truly be with. And I think that's good cuz Clea's been through heck and I'm waiting for some more development later in the series. And I felt that was a good place for Hilary to have the cliffhanger.

Overall, Elixir was a quick, enjoyable read and I can't wait to see what Hilary does with book 2.

I'm a huge Hilary fan and I think adding Author to her resume is awesome. She's told stories through her songwriting (and acting), so it seems natural for her to do the same in book form and Hilary said the same thing during her TODAY Show interview today. I also think it's cool of her to have her fiction series out before her self-help one cuz it seems like most celebs do memoirs/autobios. Not saying that's bad, it just that it's not very often that celebs are interested in writing fiction. It's different in a good way. Hilary and Tyra are only 2 of the small handful, that I know off the top of my head, that are doing/have done this.
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Feb 03, 2011 Shianne rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, read-in-2011

Bahaha, Hilary Duff wrote a book. And it was … not very good. Shocking!

I feel like these YA paranormal fantasy books are all the same. Nothing new ever happens! Recycled plots, with different names & different paranormal abilities! There is one boring vapid girl who is best friends with a great guy but then meets a tall, dark & mysterious stranger. Boring Vapid Girl falls instantly, madly, passionately in love with Tall Dark Mysterious Guy, while Great Best Friend Guy turns into a jealou...more

16 likes · like · see review

Jul 01, 2012 Lissa added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, hey-that-s-my-name

My review is split in to five sections: Writing, Plot, Worldbuilding, Characters, and X-Factor. Each section comprises of either half or one star, except X-Factor which can utilise two whole stars.

I would have been interested in reading this book even if it weren’t ‘written’ by a celebrity. The blurb sounded intriguing, and the reason why irises are used on the cover becomes clear in the novel as a recurring motif.

Writing 1
The writing in this was very solid. There were very few technical errors...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 16, 2011 Laura The Book Ninja rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: magic, romantic, supernatural, didn-t-like, ew, shouldn-t-have-read, worst-books-of-all-time

Hilary Duff wrote this book. I was sceptical to say the least(see the pre-reading bit for more info), and now I've read it, just to see if it was as bad as people say.

Okay, so I just finnished this book late last night. Needless to say, it was just plain odd. I didn't like it in the slightest really.

It gets half a satr for plot and half a star for making me laugh, albeit unintentionally.

The Plot: You know this one already. Clea is a cribbabe-playing, tea-obsessed, iris neckalce waering, photo...more

6 likes · like · see review

Oct 09, 2010 Ezmirelda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, books-i-own, paranormal, romance

Elixir by Hillary Duff Book Review

parafantasy.blogpsot.com

Originality-
I liked the aspect of it being about immortality, but I felt like I’ve read something like it before. Like Evermore by Allison Noel.
3/5

Characters-
I thought Clea was an okay protagonist. It was interesting to follow her side of the story but then again, I couldn’t really connect with her.
I loved the other minor characters though—like Clea’s best friend. I loved her!
4/5

Dialogue-
The dialogue was great. I really connected wit...more

5 likes · like · see review

May 27, 2012 Merary rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, boring-bland-main-characters, celebrity-writing, immortality, insults-my-feminist-self, where-s-the-fucking-conflict, rich-and-or-famous, abusive-relationships, mary-sues, photography, that-s-why-i-hate-boys, it-was-okay, guilty-pleasures, ya, fantastic-fantasy, most-anticipated, why-are-you-a-love-interest

What do you think when you hear the name Hilary Duff? Do you think of Disney's show Lizzie McGuire and/or her other movies? Or do you think of her 4 released albums, with her catchy songs and small, yet pretty voice?
What about her novel?

*record scratch*

What? Did I just say that Hilary Duff is an author? Sadly, it is true. Hilary Duff wrote a novel and her book Elixir is now a New York Times Best Seller.
Cue the disbelief.

When my Drama class teacher(Shout out to Mr. Justin Lemieux!) started readi...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Taylor rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who enjoys teen romance with a fantasy, adventure spice to them.

Shelves: teen, teen-romnace

If the rating was based solely on plot, I would have given this book 5 stars. Unfortunately for Hilary Duff, there is more that goes into writing, a book cannot stand only on plot.

The first chapter was unbearable to read. The author in me picked apart and scrutinized every word. Some times I wish I wasn't so critical, and this was one of those times. Each sentence started with the word "I". As my friend so bluntly put it, it was a poorly written first person. I struggled to be open minded and c...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 03, 2012 Sydney Owen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-star

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Hate spoilers? Feel free to stop reading!

Never ever, ever, ever, ever will I read a book written by a celebrity again. Ever. Not even if it has a cheesy but cute cover. Not even if I feel sympathy for the celebrity writers that have been getting bad reception. Not even if it's written by my childhood favorite. I learned my lesson, dammit!

So Ever Lucy Lily I'm sorry, Clea is an outsider girl who is "different" from the usual teenage crowd. All that money and wealth, plus having uber-popular/rich/...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Jaymes Brillantes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*First of all, lemmi just tell you, I'm not a hater. This review consists of my OWN personal perspective and opinion about the book.

NEGATIVES: Okay, So I like the first 200 pages of this book, then after the 'thing' that happened at Rayna's car, I started hating the story. I'm not a hater or anything, I'm just saying that it'a almost too fast. I don't care if Sage is Clea's soulmate or whatever, they just met! Like what? A few days a go. And they did 'it'. After that Clea became more obsessed w...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Teresa rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Nobody - I envy them

Recommended to Teresa by: Self - I had a moment of insanity

Let me tell you a common story we see everyday in YA fiction.

She is seventeen. He is about 500 years old.

When she sees him in her photos, she believes him to be a semi-stalker/ cold-blooded killer dead set on bringing her to her grave.

Five minutes after meeting him, she teams up with him to find her father, putting her safety in his hands...ALL THE WHILE STILL EXTREMELY SUSPICIOUS ABOUT HIS TRUE MOTIVES.

A day later, she literally decides to ditch her geeky, supportive best friend whom she's know...more

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Dec 12, 2010 Janus Vielle (The Blair Book Project) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-hardcover

If some people were sceptical about this book, I was actually very curious to read it; I mean we’re talking about Hilary Duff here! C’mon it’s intriguing!

The book wasn’t bad. In fact, I found it pretty good! The writing was clear and very descriptive, although I did find some of the parts a bit too descriptive. I guess Hilary was trying to let the reader know Clea well enough to relate to her, but I guess that went a little too much.

The plot was put together very well and I admire Hilary Duff’s...more

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Jan 07, 2011 Connie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads, ya-lit

'Hilary Duff wrote a book?!' That was the reaction most people had when they realized what I was reading. To be honest, my reaction was the same when I first found out she was writing a YA novel. But when I read the summary, I was pleasantly surprised. It actually sounded promising. After finishing it though, I had problems with the execution of the plot and the characters.

One, Clea's background. Okay, so she's the daughter of a famous surgeon and a politician that has felt the spotlight her wh...more 'Hilary Duff wrote a book?!' That was the reaction most people had when they realized what I was reading. To be honest, my reaction was the same when I first found out she was writing a YA novel. But when I read the summary, I was pleasantly surprised. It actually sounded promising. After finishing it though, I had problems with the execution of the plot and the characters.

One, Clea's background. Okay, so she's the daughter of a famous surgeon and a politician that has felt the spotlight her whole life. I might buy that she grew up kind of famous, but not to the extent portrayed in the novel. The America I know is more obsessed about the children of actors, models and the like. Unless you're the president or vice-president, most of America probably won't know who their politicians' kids are. I like to think of myself as sort-of politically savvy and I don't know who my senator's kids are, much less the kids from a senator from another state.

Two, Clea's characterization. Clea is rich, smart, famous, etc. Which probably won't be relatable to many readers. However, her sense of loss from her father's death, her drive for independence from her celebrity parent, and her strong friendship with Rayna does bridge the gap between her character and the reader's. That's a plus. However, Clea never felt completely fleshed out to me. She never becomes a three-dimensional person in my mind. I feel like with Clea and all the other characters is that Duff was just skimming the surface. There was so much to explore with these characters. But Rayna is the stock best friend. Ben is the boy who secretly crushes on her. And Sage is the mysterious boy who Clea is drawn to.

Three, Sage and Clea's relationship. I didn't buy it. It was one of those typical YA cliché where they have an instant connection and fall in love in a span of a couple days. Yea, that didn't sit well with me. I like my romances to build up. And it's not really about the days, but the fact that you barely know anything about him. SPOILER POINT: Clea, I can't believe you slept with him after knowing him for less then a week! And in a car?! I pretty much loss a lot of respect for you when you made that decision. END SPOILER

Four and last point, the plot. The premise was oh so promising. But there were so many plot holes. A lot of the plot seemed forced and engineered to get to where the author wanted it to be. Nothing felt natural. The home schooling is mention a continuous amount, but that was seemed like a way to explain all the jet setting all the time. And the two groups after the Elixir. They never really get explained. They become convenient villains. And a web forum?! For groups that sound like secret cults, a web forum?! Way to broadcast your not-so-secret group to the rest of the world. And the climax, a complete dud.

I really wanted to like this book. But there were so many problems. It's an easy read, if you can get pass the undeveloped plot and 2-D characters. I couldn't. (less)

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Dec 08, 2010 ~Megan~ added it · review of another edition

Shelves: could-not-finish

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

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Aug 03, 2011 Christel Mirassou added it · review of another edition

S'il y a bien un chose que je ne supporte pas en littérature, ou du moins quand je choisis de lire un livre, c'est que ce même livre n'est pas de fin. Et bien c'est ce qu'il se passe ici! Déjà, j'ai trouvé qu'il été difficile de rentrer dans l'histoire tant la syntaxe est laborieuse. En effet, durant le premier chapitre les phrases sont très courtes: sujet-verbe-complément, ce qui a tendance à hacher le récit. Mais bon une fois que l'on s'y habitue, on finit par se concentrer véritablement sur l...more

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May 16, 2013 Karen Samson rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh. My. Gosh. Worst book I've ever read in my entire life!! I'm actually a fan of Hilary Duff and when I found out that she created her first novel, I got so excited.

So yeah, the first few chapters of elixir was kinda good and I loved her writing style. But when it came to the near ending, it got fugly. First of, she had sex with her "soulmate" on the car of her freaking best friend. Not to mention that it's when she lost her virginity too. What. A. Whore. Second, when Sage was taken away from h...more

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May 09, 2013 Jeninne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reincarnation, unnecessary-love-triangle, young-adult-fantasy

I'm pretty sure almost everyone's initial reaction, having hear that Hilary Duff wrote a book, was to laugh. And laugh hard. Because that's what I did. Then I sobered up a little when I realized she didn't write it. She collaborated with another, probably actually talented writer, and because of her "star power" is probably the reason her name ended up on the book. I'm not saying this to bash Hilary Duff, but read the acknowledgements section and you'll get what I'm talking about.

That said, I ki...more I'm pretty sure almost everyone's initial reaction, having hear that Hilary Duff wrote a book, was to laugh. And laugh hard. Because that's what I did. Then I sobered up a little when I realized she didn't write it. She collaborated with another, probably actually talented writer, and because of her "star power" is probably the reason her name ended up on the book. I'm not saying this to bash Hilary Duff, but read the acknowledgements section and you'll get what I'm talking about.

That said, I kind of avoided this book like the plague. I was convinced it was going to be a stinker. But I heard a couple people talk about how it really wasn't that bad, and I found it at my discount book store for around $5, so I decided to give it a shot.

And it really isn't that bad. In fact, the concept of the book is pretty interesting. I love anything to do with multiple lives, or reincarnation, or immortality. And there aren't that many of these types of books out there, at least ones that don't have vampires or something like that attached. And the characters weren't the worse I've read. Neither was the writing itself that horrible, but I can't tell if that's because Duff is better than expected, or the collaborator is good.

Where this book really falls short is the execution. This book really should have been 150 pages longer than it was, especially with the kind of lore it wanted to go into. We didn't get enough backstory. There wasn't enough character development, and when you're talking a character who has lived four times previously, you have to spend some time on that. Instead we got a rushed story. There was plenty of action and excitement, but it all kind of felt flat because we didn't know enough to bond with the characters and care about them in the situations they found themselves in.

Also, excuse me, but what is the justification for the main character Clea just meeting this guy Sage, being totally worried he's an axe murder, and then saying fuck it, and sleeping with him anyway. It was completely abrupt, ridiculous, and out of place. It made the main character seem like an idiot. She felt like an idiot.

As did the best friend feel like an idiot. You don't push your best friend towards a guy that, for all you know at the moment in the plot, could be a stalker. This is a guy that you know nothing about, other than the fact that he's been following you around and showing up in pictures for years, and you tell your best friend, whom you claim to love, to go get a piece of that ass? Bad best friend. Idiot best friend.

The ending was abrupt, the book was decidedly lacking, and there was nothing standout here. But that said, this was a better book than a lot of the YA flooding the market at the time, and there's a lot of room for improvement. I'm going to pick up the next novel just because the plot is interesting, so this is a tentative recommendation if you can find the book cheap.

lol, but who else couldn't stop picturing Hilary Duff as the main character? I don't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but I could not stop. After a while it was just funny.(less)

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May 05, 2013 Accalia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Once again I learned that my fellow readers barely enjoy the things I enjoy. As always most of the readers who hated it drowned theirselves in saying that it is only a copy of another book. Well, I have heard people say the same thing about Harry Potter and Twilight. I mean ... Why even go there?

I had absolutely no opinion about this book. I had this book for ages and after being thrown on the Mortal Instruments en Percy Jackson-rollercoaster I justed was looking for something to read. I've foun...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Levian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Clea was the daughter of a surgeon and politician. her only escape from the spotlight was when she got to travel being a photojournalist, to explore even the most exotic parts of the world. but after her father disappearance, she started to notice that all the photographs she took had the same man in it, sometimes appearing in places not possible for human. when they were drawn together by the mystery of her father's disappearance, she was overwhelmed by the immediate connection that she felt wi...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Samantha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Elixir is obviously not the greatest book ever written. I grabbed the hardcover in a bargain bin for $3.00.

"Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures." - I simply couldn't resist. Plus, the supernatural element added an intriguing twist. However, I'm not really convinced that there is a true love triangle here...

Now, we know that Hilary Duff is N...more Elixir is obviously not the greatest book ever written. I grabbed the hardcover in a bargain bin for $3.00.

"Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures." - I simply couldn't resist. Plus, the supernatural element added an intriguing twist. However, I'm not really convinced that there is a true love triangle here...

Now, we know that Hilary Duff is NOT a writer. I actively disregarded weird sentence structure, all of the sentences in the first chapter starting with "I" and the awkward tenses as well. That being said, I do think the story definitely earned a solid 3 stars. I would even go to 3.5, except I did NOT like the ending. I think it would have been much more powerful and, well, tragic, if Sage was able to go through with the dagger and everyone was crushed. Especially since there are supernatural properties involved - tragedy is usually inevitable and I thought it was a bit of a mainstream rom-com cop out to have Sage get around that.

Maybe I was looking for a good cry when I read it and I was disappointed that I didn't get that; and maybe I'm just a little peeved that now I have to read 2 more books in the series to get any kind of closure. This is one of the main reasons I do not read series. I did not know it as a series when I bought it.

One thing I will mention about the characters: I think the 1st person POV made Ben's reaction to Magda's visions a little flat. We got to know Ben (current Ben) pretty well from the Diner scene, the initial scenes in Rio, as well as the little investigatory trip to Grant's studio looking for info on the Dark Lady. Once the vision hit, Ben was so distraught and insecure and frustrated with himself. While this is 100% understandable, I feel like the reader is missing out on the exploration of those feelings a bit. They just kind of...sit there while Ben messes with his "tuft" of hair.

The book is a 3 hour read and I'm sure it's heavily discounted. If you can get past amateur writing style, the mystical, supernatural aspects of the book add a nice change to your typical young-female-experiences-magnetic-attraction-towards-older-male-also-there's-a-nerdy-male-best-friend-involved story.(less)

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Mar 21, 2013 Krystal rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

**Original Review Posted here
I had a hard time taking Elixir serious. I kept waiting for that key point - 'Oh right, what was I thinking reading this? Hilary Duff wrote it!' - Maybe I was being completely judgmental but that's what I was thinking reading this. I kept remembering of the old Hilary Duff - you know, Lizzie McGuire, then pop star - and I thought there's no way she can now be a best-selling author of a YA Paranormal/Fantasy series.(actor-> singer -> author -> what next?) But...more **Original Review Posted here
I had a hard time taking Elixir serious. I kept waiting for that key point - 'Oh right, what was I thinking reading this? Hilary Duff wrote it!' - Maybe I was being completely judgmental but that's what I was thinking reading this. I kept remembering of the old Hilary Duff - you know, Lizzie McGuire, then pop star - and I thought there's no way she can now be a best-selling author of a YA Paranormal/Fantasy series.(actor-> singer -> author -> what next?) But that key point never happened, I finished the book, and enjoyed every part of it!
Clea keeps seeing this guy show up in her photos. At first, she writes it off as a security measure seeing as her mother is in politics, and is always trying to protect Clea and keep her safe. After multiple dreams featuring this mysterious guy and hours of studying these pictures, Clea finds one where the guy seems to be floating and Clea knows this is not possible. So she digs deeper and gets some help of her best friend, Ben. Together, they uncover that this is what Clea's dad had been studying, and after traveling around the world together, Ben and Clea try to unlock the secrets of this mysterious Elixir of life and find out who keeps appearing in Clea's photos. When we finally meet the guy in the picture, a character named Sage, things start going in a different direction, Clea is drawn to him in a way no one can understand.
Clea, even though a daughter of a politician and world renowned surgeon, who can travel around the world whenever she wants, and vacations in the hot spots of Paris and so on, is a character that readers can relate to. She's still just a teenager who likes being with her friends and loves dancing and the scene with Ben and her in Rio on the beach is proof of that. Sage is mysterious, and yet endearing and I always felt the need to know more about him. Ben, a young and smart guy is a real sweet and amiable character who will put anything on the line to help and protect Clea. Duff's writing was alright. she put a lot of description is her work and was able to pull readers in. There's a lot of information just left hanging there so book #2 is a must-read! (less)

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About Hilary Duff

Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, pop singer-songwriter and entrepreneur. After gaining fame for playing the title role in the television show Lizzie McGuire, Duff went on to have a film career; her most commercially successful movies include Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), and A Cinderella Story (2004).

Duff has expanded her repertoire into pop music, with fo...more

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Quotes from Elixir

“In dreams, and in love, there are no impossibilities.” — 107 people liked it

“Who are you?" I asked.
"You know who I am," he replied. "I'm yours."

~Clea / Sage, pg. 105” — 70 people liked it

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