I had bought Sweet Evil for a blog tour that I was participating in. Unfortunately for me (since I didn't like the book), it was a tour where the book wasn't provided, so I had to get it myself. I really wanted to like this one, but once I finished I realized I had not a lot of good things to say about it.

I will say that the book started off great -- there was a LOT of mystery going on and I found myself into it right away. Already it seemed like one of the better angel books I had read.

First of all, Anna (the main character) seems VERY naïve. In one instance, she's a little too trusting when going to a party, thinking the parents are there -- and seems completely bewildered when the party host says they're out of town. She was also very confused why all her classmates were drinking -- obviously, she should be at an age where she knows kids will be drinking at parties? I would also think someone would warn her against having someone else make a drink for her … you NEVER have some random person make you a drink! Even when she’s drinking it, she knows something’s up, but was just so la di da about it all … AND, Anna hangs out with the wrong crowd – for someone who can read auras, I would think she’d be able to spot something fishy.

Second of all, Kaidan. LOTS of emphasis on Kaidan being hot – it was great at first, but can get to be a little much. I did love that Kaidan was a drummer … drums are my FAVOURITE and even the description of Kaidan drumming had me going. BUT, he's also kind of a jerk.

Now, let's talk about the love part. I like Anna, but the whole idea of insta-like, or insta-love, or whatever it was bothered me. It was entertaining to read, but it just felt off at times. Really, I don’t get where the love is supposed to go in this book. According to Kai, he can’t love, and he and Anna can never be together. And really, Kai is a prostitiute. He’s mean and selfish and I just don’t get why Anna feels such infatuation with him. Really, in the beginning, it’s kind of laid down that Anna thinks he hot, or H-O-T-T. Is that really enough to base a love interest on?

Kaidan initially comes off as the swoon-worthy male – he’s in a band, he’s gorgeous, he has the British accent. But in the end, he still goes out and has sex with other girls night after night. Why would ANYONE fall in love with him? AND he says that he has to do this. He CAN'T change. O.O

A LOT of trusting going on in this novel! Parents trusting kids to do thing without much thought (seemingly). Reminded me of the beginning of Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour when Amy’s mom tells her that a friend’s son is driving with Amy down to their new home. To me, that’s a lot of trust. I know that MY parents would never EVER let me go on a road trip with a guy they never even knew. Also, a LOT of drug, alcohol, and sex references. I get why they're there, but it made for a book that I just couldn't find myself liking. The focus on alcohol, sex, and all of the other sins grew tiring after a while. I wanted something where good would prevail! Unfortunately, I didn’t see any of that.

I was not a huge fan of Anna as a narrator … her overusage of exclamation points and her using ‘Eek!’ and ‘Gah!’ constantly annoy me. I wish that the book had been written with two POV’s – Anna’s and Kai’s … it would’ve been nice to get into Kai’s head.

I initially thought this would be like City of Bones in the Mortal Instruments series, with the bad guys and the good guys, the Nephilim who are good, the Nephilim who are bad, but it’s really hard to empathize with characters who never seem to show a good side. The cover is definitely gorgeous – but maybe a little off from the rest of the book. I mean, these are TEENAGERS. The cover comes off a little too fancy for how the book goes down.

One thing I did like was Anna’s innocence in the book, but I thought that she was too easily overcome by her father, the “job,” and her unexplainable feelings for Kaidan, that this innocence really didn’t have a place. Maybe if she had originally come across as someone who was rebellious, reckless, and maybe searching for their place in life, THEN I could agree with her giving into her sinful nature. Anna is half-angel, half-demon … where was her angelic side in any of this? She seemed a little too ready to just do whatever her father said, rather than do what she thought was right.

I also really did really like Wendy Higgins’s take on the whole Angels/Demons/Nephilim thing. I liked the world and the fact that there were Dukes who sired these nephilim children to spread the sins. It was very interesting, but unfortunately, too many things had me shaking my head.

Read more reviews on my blog, Reading In Winter: