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64th out of 360 books
—
1,043 voters
Desire (Desire #1)
by
Kailin Gow (Goodreads Author)
Kirkus Reviews (May 2011) says DESIRE is "The first book in a fantasy romance series featuring a heroine who must choose between two very different men and two very different destinies."
A Dystopian world where everyone's future is planned out for them at age 18...whether it is what a person desires or not. Kama is about to turn 18 and she thinks her Life s Plan will turn o...more
A Dystopian world where everyone's future is planned out for them at age 18...whether it is what a person desires or not. Kama is about to turn 18 and she thinks her Life s Plan will turn o...more
Paperback, 290 pages
Published
May 24th 2011
by Edge by Sparklesoup
(first published May 1st 2011)
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Aug 07, 2011
Kailin
rated it
5 of 5 stars
· (Review from the author)
Shelves:
young-adult,
dystopian
No, it's not like Delirium, and it's not like Matched. It's something entirely different, but takes place in a dystopian society. Desire is the first book in this series, and serves as the intro to this world with many layers.
8 likes · like · see review
view all 4 comments
A combination of Dystopian society and fantasy. Kama will be given her Life Plan when she turns 18, however, things don’t turn out as expected: she may not be marrying the boy she loves, she may not love him so much and she may not be who she thought she was, but somebody else.
Lots of romance and love in Desire and unexpected violence in Summer Wishes , a novella in which Jocelyn and Matthew, Kama’s friends who are about to face the same Life Plan situation learn the truth about the beautiful ci...more
Lots of romance and love in Desire and unexpected violence in Summer Wishes , a novella in which Jocelyn and Matthew, Kama’s friends who are about to face the same Life Plan situation learn the truth about the beautiful ci...more
Desire by Kailin Gow... I don't know what to say. Well I do, unfortunately, because if I didn't, I wouldn't waste my time writing a review.
Here it goes:
I have a few issues with this book. First, the main character. I'm all for love, but this girl, Kama, it's like love is the only thing on her mind. Everything became just a bit more cheesier because of that, and it almost made me stop reading halfway.
But because I am such a darling, I did no such thing, and carried on reading.
Second & last is...more
Here it goes:
I have a few issues with this book. First, the main character. I'm all for love, but this girl, Kama, it's like love is the only thing on her mind. Everything became just a bit more cheesier because of that, and it almost made me stop reading halfway.
But because I am such a darling, I did no such thing, and carried on reading.
Second & last is...more
I am wrong…a lot. I admit this freely, of course, because lying about it will always come back to bite me in the ass, but let me assure you this statement does leave dents in my pride.
A few weeks ago I was having a conversation with a friend and I…the poster-child for stubbornness, had insisted that “I have read books about every freaking topic on the planet.” Now, I know what you are thinking; “Misty…you are a total dumbass, that is the broadest statement imaginable.” And to that I say…”Yes, yo...more
A few weeks ago I was having a conversation with a friend and I…the poster-child for stubbornness, had insisted that “I have read books about every freaking topic on the planet.” Now, I know what you are thinking; “Misty…you are a total dumbass, that is the broadest statement imaginable.” And to that I say…”Yes, yo...more
2 likes · like · see review
Kailin Gow amazes me with her stories. I love the Frost series and wanted to read something else by her. I love the characters that she brought to life in this book. Kama and Torrid are my new favorite book couple, well I'm not so sure that they are a couple but in my mind they should be. The story line captivated me from the first page. I liked that Kama's background was different from fairies, vampires, werewolves, etc. "The Magical Ones"...what an idea. I loved that about this book. I won't t...more
Kama lives in Arcadia about 1000 years in the future. When people turn 18, they are given a Life Plan. It will tell them who they will marry, what their job will be, etc. Kama hasn’t turned 18 yet, but she’s pretty confident it will include Liam Seer, her boyfriend in it. Liam and Kama’s friend, Sarah, live in the exclusive Diamond District, where the upper elite live, while Kama comes from the Amethyst District, where the middle-class live.
When Kama was younger, she had a crush on Liam and neve...more
When Kama was younger, she had a crush on Liam and neve...more
3 - 3.5 star
Kama lives in a dystopian, perfect world. At the age of 18 everyone receives their Life Plan and it's usually what they desire.
Kama meets someone that uncovers secrets about who she is.
Kama has to choose between two different destinies and two different guys.
At first I couldn't really get used to the way Arcadians speak. They're kind of cheesy and formal to each other. But, either I got used to it or it got better.
Now, for the love triangle. I went back and forth who she should be wi...more
Kama lives in a dystopian, perfect world. At the age of 18 everyone receives their Life Plan and it's usually what they desire.
Kama meets someone that uncovers secrets about who she is.
Kama has to choose between two different destinies and two different guys.
At first I couldn't really get used to the way Arcadians speak. They're kind of cheesy and formal to each other. But, either I got used to it or it got better.
Now, for the love triangle. I went back and forth who she should be wi...more
What a great first book .
The first book in the Desire series. I can't wait to start the next book, I am so enchanted with this author and her way of creating new ideas... I have already started checking out her other series.
Kama is living a perfect and blessed life. As a citizen of Arcadia , at age 18 your "Life Plan " is shown to you. It details what kind of job you will have , if and who you will marry, as well as future social standing. Kama fully expects to marry Liam her long time boyfriend...more
The first book in the Desire series. I can't wait to start the next book, I am so enchanted with this author and her way of creating new ideas... I have already started checking out her other series.
Kama is living a perfect and blessed life. As a citizen of Arcadia , at age 18 your "Life Plan " is shown to you. It details what kind of job you will have , if and who you will marry, as well as future social standing. Kama fully expects to marry Liam her long time boyfriend...more
I really enjoyed this book... it has been on my wish list for a while and finally I just couldn't resist the gorgeous cover art any more Once I downloaded the sample and started reading I was hooked. I started and finished the book in the same day! I was really enchanted by Kama and her life in the dystopian society of Arcadia. It is similar in nature to "Matched" by Ally Condie with a slight paranormal twist. The writing style makes it a quick easy read, yet I felt very connected to Kama and he...more
I rarely give one-star reviews. Especially to books I don't finish. ESPECIALLY to books that make me stop after the first page. If you're considering buying or reading this, do yourself a favor and go read the first page of this on Amazon (click on "Look Inside" to see the first few pages). It is laughably bad and reads like a 7-year-old wrote it. The grammar is awful and I already hate the main character. Sorry, Ms. Gow. I know firsthand how difficult it is to write a book so I'm usually genero...more
First off, I know its really hard to write a book but really?! Nobody read this through before publication? Its badly written and the entire plot is thin and not well thought out. The entire story jumps from situation to situation, without fully exploring any. It seems written In haste, with the author rushing to make the important points and not letting the characters or story develop fully. If you're hoping to read something as good as Hunger games, matched or Star crossed, don't read this.
An...more
An...more
The story revolves around an eighteen year old girl called Kama Johnson who lives in a dystopian society called Arcadia. When the citizens of Arcadia reach the age of eighteen they receive a life's plan ( a plan that tells them how they are destined to live out their lives). Kama has always thought her life's plan included certain events and people,but will it include what she has always thought it would include ?
I enjoyed reading this book. It was a total page turner! Totally would recommend th...more
I enjoyed reading this book. It was a total page turner! Totally would recommend th...more
Where do I start with this one... I must say I have NEVER felt this conflicted about writing a review on one of Kailin Gow's books like I do with this one. If you know me you know my deep love for her books and the passion and feeling that she pours into her books. This one was a completely riveting read that had me hooked from the first chapter but there were things that just got to me too.
Kama is my biggest conflict in this book. I loved her but she made me so down right angry at times I jus...more
Kama is my biggest conflict in this book. I loved her but she made me so down right angry at times I jus...more
Nov 21, 2011
Amy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
great-indie-book,
kickass-dystopia
For a more in-depth review and more, check out http://vivaladolcevita14.blogspot.com/
Wow, after the bomb that was Daughters of Dracula, Kailin Gow really redeemed herself with this one! I love this book so much, I stayed up until almost 2 in the morning to finish it! The pacing was wonderful, the story excellent. I loved this dystopian world, especially since that element is so wonderfully subtle at first. Then the paranormal aspect came in, and made things even better. I haven't seen any Parano...more
Wow, after the bomb that was Daughters of Dracula, Kailin Gow really redeemed herself with this one! I love this book so much, I stayed up until almost 2 in the morning to finish it! The pacing was wonderful, the story excellent. I loved this dystopian world, especially since that element is so wonderfully subtle at first. Then the paranormal aspect came in, and made things even better. I haven't seen any Parano...more
I have seen so many Kailin Gow books out there. This is the one series that intrigued me the most though. And that cover… just so gorgeous. So I splurged last year and bought the paperback. I had to find out what it was about this author that everyone loved. I discovered that it wasn’t as great as I expected.
First of all, it is not very well written. Grammatical mistakes aside, the writing was too simplistic and sometimes messy. There was an odd progression to the story, what Kama did or chose t...more
First of all, it is not very well written. Grammatical mistakes aside, the writing was too simplistic and sometimes messy. There was an odd progression to the story, what Kama did or chose t...more
Cover 1st: LOVE it. It is beautiful!
I really liked this story.
Kama is 17 years old. Awaiting her 18th birthday when she will get her life's plan. She is dating Liam. Who is the General's son. Being with Liam, would give Kama the perfect plan. The wife of the future General. When Kama meet's Torrid. A mysterious, gorgeous boy, he quickly takes Kama's breath away. Who is this mysterious boy? Torrid has a little gift. One that allows him to speak to Kama in her mind. What is he? What is Kama? hmmm...more
I really liked this story.
Kama is 17 years old. Awaiting her 18th birthday when she will get her life's plan. She is dating Liam. Who is the General's son. Being with Liam, would give Kama the perfect plan. The wife of the future General. When Kama meet's Torrid. A mysterious, gorgeous boy, he quickly takes Kama's breath away. Who is this mysterious boy? Torrid has a little gift. One that allows him to speak to Kama in her mind. What is he? What is Kama? hmmm...more
All you desire can be yours in this dystopian society. In Arcadia, you are given your life's plan when you turn 18 years of age. Your life plan is filled with things you desire and want out of life. The committee in charge of life's plans try to keep to those things if possible. Arcadia seems to be a beautiful and peaceful place. Kama and Liam are deeply in love and hopeful that their life's plan will evolve around each other. Kama, is strong, courageous, willing to sacrifice, and in love.....Li...more
This book was okay. I liked the story theme actually. Genies has never really been done before and it was something new for me to read. Plus it was a dystopian society setting one of my favorites. I would have liked the story I think if I didn't find the main character to be such a two timer. She loves her current boyfriend of four years Liam. They both think their Life Plan at eighteen will be to get married to one another. But when Kama's life plan isn't what she desired and it comes up blank...more
Desire introduces you to a strange new world where your whole life is planned out for you at age 18. Even if you want one thing for yourself whatever is planned out is what you must do...or else.
Desire follows the story of Kama. A young girl who is about to turn 18. Her life is perfect and she hopes that her life's plan will have her life following the path she's on now. She hopes that her plan will be just as she wishes just like her boyfriend's and her best friend's have. Everything was going...more
Desire follows the story of Kama. A young girl who is about to turn 18. Her life is perfect and she hopes that her life's plan will have her life following the path she's on now. She hopes that her plan will be just as she wishes just like her boyfriend's and her best friend's have. Everything was going...more
There are a lot of mistakes in this book so far, just editing issues, but enough to be irritating. Pretty engaging story so far, but a touch too teen-angst-filled for me. I have high hopes that it will improve in the next few chapters.
This is older YA, high school, I'd say, and it's unfortunately following the recent trend of writing a book as a series that likely could have been one pretty good book with editing. I have no desire to read the rest of them.
This was basically an interesting short...more
This is older YA, high school, I'd say, and it's unfortunately following the recent trend of writing a book as a series that likely could have been one pretty good book with editing. I have no desire to read the rest of them.
This was basically an interesting short...more
I don't want to say that I hated this book because I didn't HATE it. It seemed like a combination of a lot of other books. I also hate when you can poke holes through the story line. All that aside, I have to say, genie's?!? Really? I was so not seeing that one coming...There were many problems with the story line. Many. I am a sucker for a series but, unless I'm truly bored, I don't see myself reading the next one in this one.
Where do I even start??? Desire was one of the best books I've read in a while, in thi genre anyway. It is in th dystopian/paranormal romance genre and i decided to give it a try. Yeah, best decision ever! The protagonist, Kama, starts off as being a typical in-love teenager, blind to everything going on around her. But quickly after the introduction, her courage and intelligence starts to surface and she actually proves that she is different from who the reader origInally though she was. Liam a...more
While the premise is alright, the writing is a bit stagnant. Teenagers in this speak as though they are Victorian-era middle-aged adults, which is a bit hard to believe. The author goes from a pretty standard dystopian-style world to one which includes genies (aka magic ones aka djin). The transition didn't feel natural to me, and the fact that she uses 3 different words for one type of being can get a bit confusing.
I'm pretty confused by all the good reviews this book is getting. Seriously? I thought the writing was terrible, and the characters weren't much better. I think this was actually written by a 10-year-old. Things just happened out of nowhere, new concepts introduced, and you were just supposed to roll with it with NO backstory whatsoever. I cannot emphasize enough the fact that there wasn't any backstory on anything. Even the romance that took place - just kinda popped out of nowhere in one scene...more
3.5-4 Stars
I wasn't sure what to expect when I first opened this book up,a typical dystopian book I suppose, and while I did get that I also got a love story with a slight paranormal aspect as well.
While there are editing errors throughout the book that are slightly distracting the sweet love story and life of Kama more than makes up for it. I am a sucker for a good love triangle and Gow seems to be the master at making them and she didn't disappoint. While I loved Liam, I felt myself rooting f...more
I wasn't sure what to expect when I first opened this book up,a typical dystopian book I suppose, and while I did get that I also got a love story with a slight paranormal aspect as well.
While there are editing errors throughout the book that are slightly distracting the sweet love story and life of Kama more than makes up for it. I am a sucker for a good love triangle and Gow seems to be the master at making them and she didn't disappoint. While I loved Liam, I felt myself rooting f...more
I definitely will not be reading DESIRE. It seems like too much of a trendbait. And, based on the many errors in the plot description above, I doubt I'd like to see how many are on the inside. I honestly think this book will end up being ripoff of Matched or Delirium, but only time will tell.
2 likes · like · see review
I bought this book for 2 reasons, first, it was listed as a book "like the hunger games" and 2nd, it was only $2.99! It is not at all like the hunger games and I know why it was so cheap...this was the worst book I've ever read! It's about genies...genies, really?? No Thanks, save your money!
The last twenty pages of this book made it worth reading... The rest of it was just ur typical YA fantasy drama. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and I get the feeling that it will definitely improve...
I know I say this alot but WOW. Desire was so much more than the dystopian YA romance I thought I was going to be reading and i'm sad that I have had it on my kindle since it was released. Kailin Gow's twist of her first Dystopian novel rocked my world I loved that within the Dystopian world you also had genies some thing I have never read about and please don't think A lamp and you rub it and out pops your genie to grant you three wishes. These genies have a magical history and powers beyond wh...more
1 like · like · see review
This book is amazing. I like almost everything it has in it.
The characters were well written, the idea and whole plot was fresh and exsciting. I had a connetction to this book.
What I didn't like was love triangle....AGAIN....I'm starting to think that Kailin Gow just can't write a book without it!
And what i didn't like the most was that this book is too short for such an awesome story like Desire....and I think that it's because Kailin Gow just wants to get more money!!! That's with all of her...more
The characters were well written, the idea and whole plot was fresh and exsciting. I had a connetction to this book.
What I didn't like was love triangle....AGAIN....I'm starting to think that Kailin Gow just can't write a book without it!
And what i didn't like the most was that this book is too short for such an awesome story like Desire....and I think that it's because Kailin Gow just wants to get more money!!! That's with all of her...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What a beautiful cover!!! | 2 | 9 | Jun 30, 2011 10:07am |
Kailin Gow uses her author platform to bring awareness to issues affecting young adult and women. She has appeared on national radio as a regular guest on topics such as body image, self-esteem, dating and sexual relationships, bullying, and more; often brought up in her fiction books for young adults and women.
She is a graduate of the Annenberg School for Communications Masters in Management pro...more
More about Kailin Gow...
She is a graduate of the Annenberg School for Communications Masters in Management pro...more
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