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Matefinder #1
Matefinder
Werewolves, facing the threat of extinction, desperately seek their mates to bear young. Aurora, a human far removed from the supernatural world, is nearing her own end after being fatally injured in a car accident. Kai, an alpha werewolf, lurks in the nearby trees watching her bleed out. He chooses to save her the only way he knows how, by changing her. Aurora struggles with her past as a domestic abuse survivor and the new dominating and violent lifestyle of a werewolf. No one is prepared for what happens next. The tides turn in favor of the werewolves. The Matefinder has been found, and she is more powerful than anybody ever imagined. But is she prepared to be the most hunted werewolf in history?
346 pages, ebook
First published December 24, 2014
5773 people are currently reading
7881 people want to read
About the author
Leia Stone
93 books6,607 followersLeia Stone is the USA Today bestselling author of multiple bestselling series including Matefinder and Wolf Girl. She's sold over two million books and her Fallen Academy series has been optioned for film. Her novels have been translated into five languages and she even dabbles in script writing. Leia writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance with sassy kick-butt heroines and irresistible love interests. She lives in Spokane, WA with her husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,099 reviews
August 20, 2015
Before I begin this review, let me start with the fact that this book was sooo terribly written that I specifically CREATED A PROFILE ON GOODREADS JUST TO LEAVE A REVIEW. It was that bad. Also, there are spoilers.
First off, it is way, way, WAY too fast paced. I mean, the MC just accepts everything. There is absolutely no conflict when her entire world is completely flipped upside down and she ALMOST DIES. She is just like, "Werewolves? Ok. Witches? Ok. Vampires? Ok. This dude mauled me and now I think he is sexy and totally don't care that he MAULED ME? Ok. Let's get married."
FURTHER MORE, no character development. No matter that she killed her father (we see no true emotional turmoil for that until the middle of the novel) or ripped some werewolf's head clean off. She is unfazed. Oh, and she is a vegetarian. I know that because it was mentioned about ten times in the first and second chapters.
While we are on the character development thing, the author has completely made this MC to be perfect. Every time there is a new conflict, instead of having to compromise her MC's perfection and show us any true faults that affect the storyline, this chick just gets a new ability that magically handles the situation. Everything just falls into place in an unbelievably forced way. Throughout the entire book. New abilities that arrive at the time they are needed. Some don't even make sense. It is infuriating. I WANT CONFLICT. I WANT DIFFICULT MORAL DECISIONS. AND I DO NOT MEAN "SHOULD I KILL THIS PERSON OR NOT? I MEAN, THEY DO HAVE MY BEST FRIEND HELD CAPTIVE." No. I mean the good kind. The kind that shows the MC is faulty. No one is perfect.
Because of crappy character development on all the characters, i could not truly relate to anything in this book at all. I get she was a victim of abuse. I get she is trying to do good. But it just.... it doesnt feel real. It is too processed, too much repeated. The author did no good there either. AND DO NOT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE M&Ms IN THE TOILET THAT ARE THE DIFFERENT SPECIES OF THIS BOOK. SO MANY SPECIES. SO MANY CONFLICTING STATEMENTS.
And my favorite color is teal, but COME ON. Bright teal sweater, bright teal trailer, bright teal sari - EVERY. FREAKING. THING. IS. BRIGHT. TEAL. WTF. IT'S LIKE A 1ST GRADER WROTE THIS SHIT. "THE YELLOW SUN SHOWN ON THE YELLOW FLOWERS ON HER YELLOW DRESS ON THE NATIONAL YELLOW APPRECIATION DAY GOD BLESS THE COLOR YELLOW." THE AUTHOR'S LITERARY INCOMPETENCE IS BURNING THROUGH MY EYEBALLS RIGHT NOW. IF THERE WERE SUCH THING AS TERMINAL LITERARY INCOMPETENCE, THE AUTHOR WOULD HAVE DIED THE MOMENT SHE WROTE THE FIRST SENTENCE.
I'm sorry if my review is all over the place. I do not do this often and I haven't been so disappointed in a book in my entire life. And the more I write in this review, the angrier I get. And I get so angry because this novel HAD POTENTIAL. This could have been legendary. The plot could have been wonderful. This could have been the wing book to harry potter or maybe twilight. It could have gone so far.
But the author is a terrible writer and does not understand pacing, character development, or even fiction world structure. I understand she is the author and gets to do whatever she wants. But it is just..... the book could have been AMAZING, but I will probably use the pages to clean up the vomit if disappointment that came quickly after finishing it. I don't mean to offend anyone, but I am quite literally disappointed to the point that there is bile on my tongue.
First off, it is way, way, WAY too fast paced. I mean, the MC just accepts everything. There is absolutely no conflict when her entire world is completely flipped upside down and she ALMOST DIES. She is just like, "Werewolves? Ok. Witches? Ok. Vampires? Ok. This dude mauled me and now I think he is sexy and totally don't care that he MAULED ME? Ok. Let's get married."
FURTHER MORE, no character development. No matter that she killed her father (we see no true emotional turmoil for that until the middle of the novel) or ripped some werewolf's head clean off. She is unfazed. Oh, and she is a vegetarian. I know that because it was mentioned about ten times in the first and second chapters.
While we are on the character development thing, the author has completely made this MC to be perfect. Every time there is a new conflict, instead of having to compromise her MC's perfection and show us any true faults that affect the storyline, this chick just gets a new ability that magically handles the situation. Everything just falls into place in an unbelievably forced way. Throughout the entire book. New abilities that arrive at the time they are needed. Some don't even make sense. It is infuriating. I WANT CONFLICT. I WANT DIFFICULT MORAL DECISIONS. AND I DO NOT MEAN "SHOULD I KILL THIS PERSON OR NOT? I MEAN, THEY DO HAVE MY BEST FRIEND HELD CAPTIVE." No. I mean the good kind. The kind that shows the MC is faulty. No one is perfect.
Because of crappy character development on all the characters, i could not truly relate to anything in this book at all. I get she was a victim of abuse. I get she is trying to do good. But it just.... it doesnt feel real. It is too processed, too much repeated. The author did no good there either. AND DO NOT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE M&Ms IN THE TOILET THAT ARE THE DIFFERENT SPECIES OF THIS BOOK. SO MANY SPECIES. SO MANY CONFLICTING STATEMENTS.
And my favorite color is teal, but COME ON. Bright teal sweater, bright teal trailer, bright teal sari - EVERY. FREAKING. THING. IS. BRIGHT. TEAL. WTF. IT'S LIKE A 1ST GRADER WROTE THIS SHIT. "THE YELLOW SUN SHOWN ON THE YELLOW FLOWERS ON HER YELLOW DRESS ON THE NATIONAL YELLOW APPRECIATION DAY GOD BLESS THE COLOR YELLOW." THE AUTHOR'S LITERARY INCOMPETENCE IS BURNING THROUGH MY EYEBALLS RIGHT NOW. IF THERE WERE SUCH THING AS TERMINAL LITERARY INCOMPETENCE, THE AUTHOR WOULD HAVE DIED THE MOMENT SHE WROTE THE FIRST SENTENCE.
I'm sorry if my review is all over the place. I do not do this often and I haven't been so disappointed in a book in my entire life. And the more I write in this review, the angrier I get. And I get so angry because this novel HAD POTENTIAL. This could have been legendary. The plot could have been wonderful. This could have been the wing book to harry potter or maybe twilight. It could have gone so far.
But the author is a terrible writer and does not understand pacing, character development, or even fiction world structure. I understand she is the author and gets to do whatever she wants. But it is just..... the book could have been AMAZING, but I will probably use the pages to clean up the vomit if disappointment that came quickly after finishing it. I don't mean to offend anyone, but I am quite literally disappointed to the point that there is bile on my tongue.
June 1, 2020
Very good story, but I wanted some passion!
I really like the overall premise of the book, the characters are well developed and the world building is terrific. The only thing missing was more passion between the two main characters and I would like a few steamy scenes as well. I think this is the first clean shifter/werewolf book that I have read. The book is definitely a romance and there is chemistry between the two main characters (Kai and Aurora) but the most they do is kiss.
I looked up the difference between a shifter and a werewolf because in this book they are werewolves. The main difference is that shifters are born that way and most werewolves get changed by a bite from another wolf, though if two werewolves mate and have a child, that child is born a werewolf. This book follows that line of thinking but also there are some other differences in these wolves. First is that when in wolf form, like shifters, they are aware of themselves and know what they are doing. Second is that they look and act like large wolves, they don’t walk on two legs in a more humanoid wolf form like on teen wolf.
Lastly werewolves that were once human and changed through a bite have some kind of special gift or power. Aurora is bitten by Kai after she gets in a terrible car accident. After her first change it is found that she is the Matefinder, which means that she can tell who the mate is of another wolf. This is especially needed because werewolves are dying out. They can only breed with their mate and their mate could be anyone or anywhere in the world. I like this because it is more realistic than most shifter books where there is only one true mate but most find that person nearby or in their own pack.
Also, without Aurora, the only way to tell if two wolves are mates is that their coloring is opposite each other. For example if a wolf is grey with two black spots on his back, his mate will be black with two grey spots. Aurora and Kai are attracted to each other from the start, but it isn’t until he sees her in wolf form that he knows she is his mate.
There is a big thing about dominance as well in this story. How the alpha is most dominant in the pack and they each know their place in the pack by having a staring contest and the first one to look down is the less dominant. Aurora is a dominant female and she finds her place in the pack right away. There are more twists and turns to the story when Aurora finds what she is capable of, but being the Matefinder come at a price.
Apparently the vampires want her for nefarious purposes of their own and they want to use her to help wipe out the werewolf race and take humans as blood slaves. Werewolves protect humans, so the Vampires are evil in this story. There is also a Shaman and a few witches in the mix to liven things up. I really enjoyed the storylines, though I wish the romance was hotter. I am not sure if it will be different in the next book, since Aurora and Kai will be having their mating ceremony.
This book was definitely worth reading though if you like a good story with lots of action and supernatural characters and abilities. I enjoyed it quite a bit and it went really fast. I will give this 4 out of 5 ⭐️’s for story and 1 out of 5 🔥’s for heat.
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I really like the overall premise of the book, the characters are well developed and the world building is terrific. The only thing missing was more passion between the two main characters and I would like a few steamy scenes as well. I think this is the first clean shifter/werewolf book that I have read. The book is definitely a romance and there is chemistry between the two main characters (Kai and Aurora) but the most they do is kiss.
I looked up the difference between a shifter and a werewolf because in this book they are werewolves. The main difference is that shifters are born that way and most werewolves get changed by a bite from another wolf, though if two werewolves mate and have a child, that child is born a werewolf. This book follows that line of thinking but also there are some other differences in these wolves. First is that when in wolf form, like shifters, they are aware of themselves and know what they are doing. Second is that they look and act like large wolves, they don’t walk on two legs in a more humanoid wolf form like on teen wolf.
Lastly werewolves that were once human and changed through a bite have some kind of special gift or power. Aurora is bitten by Kai after she gets in a terrible car accident. After her first change it is found that she is the Matefinder, which means that she can tell who the mate is of another wolf. This is especially needed because werewolves are dying out. They can only breed with their mate and their mate could be anyone or anywhere in the world. I like this because it is more realistic than most shifter books where there is only one true mate but most find that person nearby or in their own pack.
Also, without Aurora, the only way to tell if two wolves are mates is that their coloring is opposite each other. For example if a wolf is grey with two black spots on his back, his mate will be black with two grey spots. Aurora and Kai are attracted to each other from the start, but it isn’t until he sees her in wolf form that he knows she is his mate.
There is a big thing about dominance as well in this story. How the alpha is most dominant in the pack and they each know their place in the pack by having a staring contest and the first one to look down is the less dominant. Aurora is a dominant female and she finds her place in the pack right away. There are more twists and turns to the story when Aurora finds what she is capable of, but being the Matefinder come at a price.
Apparently the vampires want her for nefarious purposes of their own and they want to use her to help wipe out the werewolf race and take humans as blood slaves. Werewolves protect humans, so the Vampires are evil in this story. There is also a Shaman and a few witches in the mix to liven things up. I really enjoyed the storylines, though I wish the romance was hotter. I am not sure if it will be different in the next book, since Aurora and Kai will be having their mating ceremony.
This book was definitely worth reading though if you like a good story with lots of action and supernatural characters and abilities. I enjoyed it quite a bit and it went really fast. I will give this 4 out of 5 ⭐️’s for story and 1 out of 5 🔥’s for heat.
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January 28, 2016
No real development of characters. No in depth description and sometimes difficult to keep up because of these things. Very fast paced. The story line was interesting but it could have been written so much better. I believe it would have been better if Stone actually took the time to have developed the story and characters better. Instead she just smacks you with the plot one after another.
April 6, 2019
This book has so much potential but it was so badly portrayed it annoys me. The plot is so cool but it was rushed.
Aurora the main character reminds me of this nursery rhyme.
🎵Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,🎵
Spoilers ahead
Aurora had an accident on Monday,
Was turned into a werewolf on Monday,
Became Beta on Tuesday,
Found her soul mate on Tuesday,
Discovered she has a rare power on Tuesday,
Discovered she was also a witch on Tuesday,
Was hunted by Vampires on Tuesday,
Fought for dominion on Wednesday,
Was captured by hunters on Wednesday,
And it goes on and on, she was so okay with everything, just before you come to terms with what is going on, the author would throw something else in the mixed.
Do not even get me started on the insta love, it was so badly depicted. The writing didn't even help, super cringy.
Aurora the main character reminds me of this nursery rhyme.
🎵Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,🎵
Spoilers ahead
Aurora had an accident on Monday,
Was turned into a werewolf on Monday,
Became Beta on Tuesday,
Found her soul mate on Tuesday,
Discovered she has a rare power on Tuesday,
Discovered she was also a witch on Tuesday,
Was hunted by Vampires on Tuesday,
Fought for dominion on Wednesday,
Was captured by hunters on Wednesday,
And it goes on and on, she was so okay with everything, just before you come to terms with what is going on, the author would throw something else in the mixed.
Do not even get me started on the insta love, it was so badly depicted. The writing didn't even help, super cringy.
April 10, 2017
Wow wow wow.
This book was amazing, I loved it. I started it last night about quarter to 8pm and got more than 85% through before I needed to go to bed. This morning I woke up and finished the book. I was hooked by page one. It starts off with Aurora having a bad accident and Kai changing her into a werewolf. Each changed werewolf has a gift and they won't know what her's is until her first shift. Also werewolves mate for life, and in this book, the werewolf pairs are the opposite looking wolf in fur color and markings. It's really cool and interesting. After Aurora is changed there is a series of events that just happen bam bam bam. Lots of information lots of mythology to go into this book. I loved it. It was fast paced, engaging, and wonderful. Earlier in reading the book I compared it to the likes of Chicagoland Vampires, it has that sort of feel to it for me. I just loved it and can't wait to read the next book.*
Definitely a must read!!
* The author has provided me with a copy of her book in exchange for a review, all opinions in this review are mine and mine alone. Thank you to the author for such a wonderfully amazing book to read.
This book was amazing, I loved it. I started it last night about quarter to 8pm and got more than 85% through before I needed to go to bed. This morning I woke up and finished the book. I was hooked by page one. It starts off with Aurora having a bad accident and Kai changing her into a werewolf. Each changed werewolf has a gift and they won't know what her's is until her first shift. Also werewolves mate for life, and in this book, the werewolf pairs are the opposite looking wolf in fur color and markings. It's really cool and interesting. After Aurora is changed there is a series of events that just happen bam bam bam. Lots of information lots of mythology to go into this book. I loved it. It was fast paced, engaging, and wonderful. Earlier in reading the book I compared it to the likes of Chicagoland Vampires, it has that sort of feel to it for me. I just loved it and can't wait to read the next book.*
Definitely a must read!!
* The author has provided me with a copy of her book in exchange for a review, all opinions in this review are mine and mine alone. Thank you to the author for such a wonderfully amazing book to read.
October 13, 2019
⚡ Read for the KU Shitathon 2018 Challenge™ over at the MacHalos ⚡
#2. Devi ★
#3. Balance ★
••• The Book summed up in a picture: •••
Was it a quick read? Yeap.
Was it so quick it made you nauseous? *gagging sounds* Yeap.
Was it giving me a case of the hates? Yes, yes it did. *hate intensifies*
Was this horrible? Yes, yes it was.
Not gona waste time, space or magic spirit finger powers on an analysis for this. Just know that it was very badly written, speed of sound fast, blurry and the heroine needs to be dead yesterday.
You don't believe me? *shrugs* Your funeral..
Hmm fine. Your scepticism amuses me, so here, have a few snippets along with a few thoughts of mine on said snippets (in bold).
◼ Book: #8 -- Week: 09/09 - 22/09 ◼
#2. Devi ★
#3. Balance ★
••• The Book summed up in a picture: •••
Was it a quick read? Yeap.
Was it so quick it made you nauseous? *gagging sounds* Yeap.
Was it giving me a case of the hates? Yes, yes it did. *hate intensifies*
Was this horrible? Yes, yes it was.
Not gona waste time, space or magic spirit finger powers on an analysis for this. Just know that it was very badly written, speed of sound fast, blurry and the heroine needs to be dead yesterday.
You don't believe me? *shrugs* Your funeral..
Hmm fine. Your scepticism amuses me, so here, have a few snippets along with a few thoughts of mine on said snippets (in bold).
◼ Book: #8 -- Week: 09/09 - 22/09 ◼
October 27, 2019
There’s a lot of really terrible reviews for this book so I truly was expecting the worse when I started reading it. Turns out, I actually thoroughly enjoyed it! It was a quick, fun read and I’m always a fan of anything that combines witches, werewolves AND vampires! Some parts of the werewolf customs were a tad bit cheesy but aside from that I thought this was a great read.
July 13, 2015
This read had a good mix of paranormal beings and a lot of potential but there were several aspects that kept me from really liking it. here they are:
* insta-love
* no sex or romance in my opinion-they meet, know they are mates, say they love each other and that's it. No depth or chemistry
* the heroine was portrayed as too much of a badass - she was changed which hardly ever happens,she turns out to be the most powerful with ever, she's a matefinder, she discovers a new gift every few chapters.....It was just way too much
* it ends on a cliffhanger - no closure.
overall I think this could be a decent series and perhaps more enjoyable to readers more interested in YA reads versus more mature paranormal reads. It won't be a series I personally continue.
* insta-love
* no sex or romance in my opinion-they meet, know they are mates, say they love each other and that's it. No depth or chemistry
* the heroine was portrayed as too much of a badass - she was changed which hardly ever happens,she turns out to be the most powerful with ever, she's a matefinder, she discovers a new gift every few chapters.....It was just way too much
* it ends on a cliffhanger - no closure.
overall I think this could be a decent series and perhaps more enjoyable to readers more interested in YA reads versus more mature paranormal reads. It won't be a series I personally continue.
May 6, 2021
The idea of the book I loved. The Matefinder is such an interesting take on a PNR. Unfortunately, other areas of the read were just not very strong.
Kai (MC) was weak in my opinion. Not very dominate. Got beat up pretty regularly. I mean he won his battles but got is arse whopped in the process. Seemed as if he would rather run from instead of running to a conflict. Kinda blah to me.
Aurora (FMC) has an interesting lineage which I got excited about. However, as powers became unlocked she just poof started doing them with zero trying or even a conversation with someone with those gifts. It felt hurried and not laid out well for me.
Will probably pick up book 2 at some point in hopes of redemption.
Happy reading,
DD 💕
Kai (MC) was weak in my opinion. Not very dominate. Got beat up pretty regularly. I mean he won his battles but got is arse whopped in the process. Seemed as if he would rather run from instead of running to a conflict. Kinda blah to me.
Aurora (FMC) has an interesting lineage which I got excited about. However, as powers became unlocked she just poof started doing them with zero trying or even a conversation with someone with those gifts. It felt hurried and not laid out well for me.
Will probably pick up book 2 at some point in hopes of redemption.
Happy reading,
DD 💕
dnf
June 5, 2016So, sometimes there is a reason a book is free.
Good lord. What I read of that, was BAD.
Good lord. What I read of that, was BAD.
February 6, 2024
I picked this up just so I could decide if I wanted to get the Arcane Society special edition lol
Right away, I thought this was promising. The world building was robust (werewolves, witches, vampires), the pack dynamics were intriguing, and there's an interesting conflict! The first few dozen pages made me realize how much I missed reading shifter romances.
For example: the first interaction the FMC has with the pack as a newly changed wolf? She has to hold eye contact with each pack member to see who is the more dominant of the two in order to determine her place in the pack! It's just things like that that bring me joy.
But I can’t get over the writing. It’s very straightforward and a touch immature. If you told me this was YA, I’d believe you.
I wish the romance was more developed as well., There's no smut, just stuff like making out or “after we showered together” which I honestly don't mind all too much as long as the relationship is compelling. But alas, it was not and there's no relationship development. The FMC and the Alpha of the pack? They’re mates and that’s all that’s needed for love, apparently haha.
I'm going to continue reading the series just because I'm intrigued enough, and want to see if this installment is a one-off fluke, but in case you were wondering, I'm skipping my Arcane renewal.
Right away, I thought this was promising. The world building was robust (werewolves, witches, vampires), the pack dynamics were intriguing, and there's an interesting conflict! The first few dozen pages made me realize how much I missed reading shifter romances.
For example: the first interaction the FMC has with the pack as a newly changed wolf? She has to hold eye contact with each pack member to see who is the more dominant of the two in order to determine her place in the pack! It's just things like that that bring me joy.
But I can’t get over the writing. It’s very straightforward and a touch immature. If you told me this was YA, I’d believe you.
I wish the romance was more developed as well., There's no smut, just stuff like making out or “after we showered together” which I honestly don't mind all too much as long as the relationship is compelling. But alas, it was not and there's no relationship development. The FMC and the Alpha of the pack? They’re mates and that’s all that’s needed for love, apparently haha.
I'm going to continue reading the series just because I'm intrigued enough, and want to see if this installment is a one-off fluke, but in case you were wondering, I'm skipping my Arcane renewal.
June 30, 2018
1.5 / 5 stars
I picked this up on a whim after seeing it in the kindle unlimited section, and I was a little hesitant. From the blurb, there was a risk that this would run incredibly cliche. Unsurprisingly, this was cliche from the very beginning, and only got worse from there.
College student Aurora(which is the first major cliche part, the names just give me flashbacks to my wattpad days where all the female characters were 'Aurora' and the guys 'Ryder') drives her car off a mountain while trying to swerve an animal. Werewolf Alpha Kai finds the human girl with fatal injuries and bites her, in the hopes she'll make it through the transformation.
When Aurora wakes up, everyone's shocked to discover she is an incredibly dominant wolf who rises up the ranks. She then finds out that she is the Alpha's true mate and that she's also the "Matefinder", a werewolf legend that would save their dying race.
It only goes down hill from there. The whole werewolf race (with their Alpha conventions and government) get into a war against the pure evil vampires, who of course, just want Aurora's magic blood.
I was just cringing so hard at this point. It was a sad mix of every cliche and familiar run trope ever written, and the writing in itself was sub-par at best. The dialog made me feel nothing, it was cold and strangely done. I was so disappointed with this book, the fact that the kindle addition had
in the blurb leads people to believe that it's a well done book. I have no problems with a little cliche, in fact, it often makes me enjoy the book more. But a mismatch of every popular were-romance with not a single ingenious or original point, falls short on every level.
I picked this up on a whim after seeing it in the kindle unlimited section, and I was a little hesitant. From the blurb, there was a risk that this would run incredibly cliche. Unsurprisingly, this was cliche from the very beginning, and only got worse from there.
College student Aurora
When Aurora wakes up, everyone's shocked to discover she is an incredibly dominant wolf who rises up the ranks. She then finds out that she is the Alpha's true mate and that she's also the "Matefinder", a werewolf legend that would save their dying race.
It only goes down hill from there. The whole werewolf race (with their Alpha conventions and government) get into a war against the pure evil vampires, who of course, just want Aurora's magic blood.
I was just cringing so hard at this point. It was a sad mix of every cliche and familiar run trope ever written, and the writing in itself was sub-par at best. The dialog made me feel nothing, it was cold and strangely done. I was so disappointed with this book, the fact that the kindle addition had
*The Matefinder series has been optioned for film. (Stay tuned.)
in the blurb leads people to believe that it's a well done book. I have no problems with a little cliche, in fact, it often makes me enjoy the book more. But a mismatch of every popular were-romance with not a single ingenious or original point, falls short on every level.
September 15, 2015
As far as stories go, Matefinder wasn't a bad one. In fact, it was uniquely interesting and well thought out, but it was very poorly written.
Not in the typical fashion you see in some electronic books out there with the grammatical errors and elementary concepts, but rather in the lack of substance, transition, and flow over all.
As a surface, shallow attempt at storytelling, Matefinder would get five stars, but for a GOOD READ? It falls far short.
Not in the typical fashion you see in some electronic books out there with the grammatical errors and elementary concepts, but rather in the lack of substance, transition, and flow over all.
As a surface, shallow attempt at storytelling, Matefinder would get five stars, but for a GOOD READ? It falls far short.
September 17, 2018
“Tragic past, check.
Inhumanly beautiful, check.
Special snowflake syndrome, check.
Coveted by most people, check.
Savior of every single problem in the book, check.
Perfect balance of kind but courageous badass, check.
Talented, check.
Cool and completely suave in any situation, check.
Chosen one, check.”
The doctor looks up from his clip board to the book lying in the bed before him. His eyes are full of sympathy as he says, “Matefinder, I am so sorry to bring you bad news, but you have a terrible case of Mary Sue.”
The book shudders, too full of weak and underdeveloped side characters to answer. So slowly, that the doctor almost misses it, the book beckons him closer with it’s pretty cover so that it may force out a few pieces of dull dialogue, unnecessary hero worship and pansy characters before the dreaded case of Mary Sue completely kills it.
The doctor sighs. Up close, the book appears as pure wish fulfillment. There is little he can do to help it, but he will try. This will be a miracle if it works.
“I can help lessen the pain of your terrible plot with this remedy,” he says, already pulling a bottle of flaws for the main character out his pocket, “it’ll just consist of a dose of reality, actual bad points and annoyances for your lead and it should get rid of the bad case of Gary Stu love interest that you’ve developed. The rest I’ll have to see to by ripping out your innards and rearranging them into an actual plot.”
However, before he can attach the needle to the drip, Matefinder stops him, somehow managing to gurgle out a stubborn “no.” Now that he looks properly at the sad excuse of a book, he recognizes the stubborn glint in its pages. The book would rather wallow in these awful diseases than be helped, but what can the doctor do? His laws forbid him from helping a patient unless they want to be helped.
Very well then. The doctor steps away and watches the book slowly suffocate to death from self entitled bratty main characters. A nurse comes in and covers the dead carcass before it causes a scene and wheels it down to where they keep all their other ‘Bella Swan’ look a likes. It’ll look stunning next to 50 Shades and Twilight.
He can’t wait for the day that they finally vaccinate authors against wish fulfillment and Mary Sue. May that cure come quickly
Inhumanly beautiful, check.
Special snowflake syndrome, check.
Coveted by most people, check.
Savior of every single problem in the book, check.
Perfect balance of kind but courageous badass, check.
Talented, check.
Cool and completely suave in any situation, check.
Chosen one, check.”
The doctor looks up from his clip board to the book lying in the bed before him. His eyes are full of sympathy as he says, “Matefinder, I am so sorry to bring you bad news, but you have a terrible case of Mary Sue.”
The book shudders, too full of weak and underdeveloped side characters to answer. So slowly, that the doctor almost misses it, the book beckons him closer with it’s pretty cover so that it may force out a few pieces of dull dialogue, unnecessary hero worship and pansy characters before the dreaded case of Mary Sue completely kills it.
The doctor sighs. Up close, the book appears as pure wish fulfillment. There is little he can do to help it, but he will try. This will be a miracle if it works.
“I can help lessen the pain of your terrible plot with this remedy,” he says, already pulling a bottle of flaws for the main character out his pocket, “it’ll just consist of a dose of reality, actual bad points and annoyances for your lead and it should get rid of the bad case of Gary Stu love interest that you’ve developed. The rest I’ll have to see to by ripping out your innards and rearranging them into an actual plot.”
However, before he can attach the needle to the drip, Matefinder stops him, somehow managing to gurgle out a stubborn “no.” Now that he looks properly at the sad excuse of a book, he recognizes the stubborn glint in its pages. The book would rather wallow in these awful diseases than be helped, but what can the doctor do? His laws forbid him from helping a patient unless they want to be helped.
Very well then. The doctor steps away and watches the book slowly suffocate to death from self entitled bratty main characters. A nurse comes in and covers the dead carcass before it causes a scene and wheels it down to where they keep all their other ‘Bella Swan’ look a likes. It’ll look stunning next to 50 Shades and Twilight.
He can’t wait for the day that they finally vaccinate authors against wish fulfillment and Mary Sue. May that cure come quickly
August 13, 2019
As other reviewers have said the pacing of this book was weird. Aurora (whose name I just had to look for because I had forgotten even though I finished this book about ten minutes ago) was too perfect. She was the most rarest luckiest person ever, got saved from death, turns out to be the second in command to a wolf pack, readily accepts wolves, witches and vampires not to mention her powers were so convenient . She was making allies left right and center and somehow knew how the hierarchy in the werewolf community worked. It was just too perfect it set my teeth on edge.
September 11, 2020
You think you know and hate insta-love?
Read THIS book and insta-love will mean something TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
Shame because I am a fan of Leia Stone but this book fell EXTREMELY flat for me. Fated mates are fine, but this one takes the 'mates' tooooooo far. Made a very boring and predictable romance.
DNF @ about chapter 7.
Read THIS book and insta-love will mean something TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
Shame because I am a fan of Leia Stone but this book fell EXTREMELY flat for me. Fated mates are fine, but this one takes the 'mates' tooooooo far. Made a very boring and predictable romance.
DNF @ about chapter 7.
Read
February 16, 2017*2 or 1 or why bother rating*
DID NOT FINISH
...for the following reasons:
1. The instalove was terrible...even the wolves mate for life thing wasn't appealing enough to make me like the romance.
2. I like a kickass powerful heroine who is jaded any day...but this was nuts. She had an abusive father....she survives the “change” and becomes a werewolf and that too a super dominant one and gets promoted to beta wolf and she is super special(apparently a one only matefinder). She has 2 unique gifts. She is the only hybrid. She is a witch too. Of course that too superpowerful.
3. She is soo annoying. Evrything bout everyone erked me.
4. The story telling a BIG FAT NO.
I like all of leia stones work collaborated with Jaymin eve. But this I COULD NOT STAND .
To sum it up...
DID NOT FINISH
...for the following reasons:
1. The instalove was terrible...even the wolves mate for life thing wasn't appealing enough to make me like the romance.
2. I like a kickass powerful heroine who is jaded any day...but this was nuts. She had an abusive father....she survives the “change” and becomes a werewolf and that too a super dominant one and gets promoted to beta wolf and she is super special(apparently a one only matefinder). She has 2 unique gifts. She is the only hybrid. She is a witch too. Of course that too superpowerful.
3. She is soo annoying. Evrything bout everyone erked me.
4. The story telling a BIG FAT NO.
I like all of leia stones work collaborated with Jaymin eve. But this I COULD NOT STAND .
To sum it up...
March 5, 2015
*****3.5 stars*****
I will admit, there is a big part of me that loves the idea of destined 'mates', and stories that are built around the idea of souls connecting the instant they meet have always been a guilty pleasure read for me. So I was excited to dive into a werewolf story entirely built upon the concept, and Leia Stone has created an intriguing world with her supernatural beings and their newly found matefinder. Aurora has been turned at her death bed, alpha Kai seeing her bleeding out and feeling the pull to save her life by making her a werewolf. I liked the dynamic here of Aurora having to work through waking up a werewolf, and how she was introduced to the pack while dealing with Kai's alpha connection. I didn't like how it felt like we're tossed in at a point in the story where we've missed the beginning, though, because the whole setup for what was going on seemed rushed through as if we didn't need to know details. The pack was great, there are supporting characters here that I really enjoyed, and Kai was definitely worthy of the alpha hottie title. What disappointed me here was the lack of any real sexual tension or deep connection forming between Kai and Aurora. Honestly, that's the best part of these types of stories for me, and to have the story concentrate on the supernatural and push the romance factor way off to the back burner made the MCs come across as drab in my eyes. Sure, they were attracted to each other, but it was minimalized too much for me. This story was similar at it's core to Shelly Crane's Significance series, only without all of the fire and the intense draw between the characters that made Shelly's such an addicting series. Overall, though, there were a lot of twists and action that kept me reading, and I did enjoy it.
I will admit, there is a big part of me that loves the idea of destined 'mates', and stories that are built around the idea of souls connecting the instant they meet have always been a guilty pleasure read for me. So I was excited to dive into a werewolf story entirely built upon the concept, and Leia Stone has created an intriguing world with her supernatural beings and their newly found matefinder. Aurora has been turned at her death bed, alpha Kai seeing her bleeding out and feeling the pull to save her life by making her a werewolf. I liked the dynamic here of Aurora having to work through waking up a werewolf, and how she was introduced to the pack while dealing with Kai's alpha connection. I didn't like how it felt like we're tossed in at a point in the story where we've missed the beginning, though, because the whole setup for what was going on seemed rushed through as if we didn't need to know details. The pack was great, there are supporting characters here that I really enjoyed, and Kai was definitely worthy of the alpha hottie title. What disappointed me here was the lack of any real sexual tension or deep connection forming between Kai and Aurora. Honestly, that's the best part of these types of stories for me, and to have the story concentrate on the supernatural and push the romance factor way off to the back burner made the MCs come across as drab in my eyes. Sure, they were attracted to each other, but it was minimalized too much for me. This story was similar at it's core to Shelly Crane's Significance series, only without all of the fire and the intense draw between the characters that made Shelly's such an addicting series. Overall, though, there were a lot of twists and action that kept me reading, and I did enjoy it.
March 2, 2016
Enjoyed this so much that I almost finished it in a day! Matefinder is a fast paced/never boring werewolf paranormal romance. I found the main character Aurora refreshing. -Smart/brave/upfront with her feelings. Not whiny!!! -Love that she didn’t loose her mind and jump into everything with the love interest right away.
Kai is swoonworthy. His Indian heritage added a lot of interest to his character. I also enjoyed the secondary characters and world building. –Can’t wait for the next book!!! Glad that I found an adult PNR series that the plot doesn’t evolve around the main characters having sex.
Kai is swoonworthy. His Indian heritage added a lot of interest to his character. I also enjoyed the secondary characters and world building. –Can’t wait for the next book!!! Glad that I found an adult PNR series that the plot doesn’t evolve around the main characters having sex.
August 21, 2016
God, that was pretty horrible... why did I do that to myself... I could have just ran away at full speed but I got obsessed with getting it out of my kindleunlimited queue.... There was a TON of potential but it was just all squandered away...
completely unrelated note: this Captured by the Cyborg has the same model on the cover...
completely unrelated note: this Captured by the Cyborg has the same model on the cover...
February 19, 2015
Obviously I think it's fab! =)
September 19, 2015
Loved it. I've put a fair few books down recently but not this one. An awesome read!
May 9, 2018
i want a kai
self note: reread 5/8/18
self note: reread 5/8/18
July 22, 2019
Recensione a cura di Persefone per Feel the Book
Voto 4,5
Licantropi, streghe e vampiri popolano questa nuova interessantissima uscita targata Hope edizioni e con i primi come protagonisti principali, Leia Stone costruisce un intreccio in cui tutte le razze trovano la loro giusta collocazione nel mondo naturale.
I licantropi e i vampiri si scontrano: i primi come difensori, i secondi come nemici della razza umana mentre le streghe cercano di mantenere un ruolo neutrale nella battaglia.
Il branco di Kai si trova a giocare in ruolo particolarmente importante, al suo interno si trova Aurora. Trasformata da Kai per salvarla da morte certa, i due scopriranno di essere compagni e Aurora si ritroverà a manifestare poteri particolari e decisivi per l’equilibrio tra le razze.
Alla giovane verranno svelate le sue vere origini che, unite al suo potere, la metteranno in una situazione pericolosa.
Su questo non dico altro anche perché si tratta di una serie che già comunque in questo primo volume ha un gran numero di colpi si scena essenziali per le storie future.
La Stone è bravissima nel dosare le rivelazioni tenendo il lettore sempre in uno stato di allerta tale e quale a quello dei due protagonisti che non riescono a vivere la loro storia in tranquillità.
L’evoluzione di Aurora, la scoperta del suo lupo interiore, del suo amalgamarsi con la magia della natura e dello Spirito sono descritti in maniera attenta e particolareggiata; la vediamo attraversare una iniziale fase di rifiuto ma la velocità con cui gli eventi rischiano di sopraffarla la obbligano a mettere da parte il panico e a fidarsi di quel meraviglioso uomo che è al suo fianco.
Kai è uno splendido personaggio. Una personalità da vero Alfa, esercita il suo potere sul branco non attraverso il timore ma attraverso il rispetto che si deve ad un capofamiglia generoso e comprensivo. Kai protegge, tutela gli altri a rischio della propria vita e non accetta violenze all’interno del branco. Aurora si ritroverà ad avere cieca fiducia in lui che come compagno resterà sempre al suo fianco.
Un’unione, quella tra i protagonisti di questo libro, basata su sentimenti, fiducia, lealtà e un legame che diventa indissolubile in poco tempo.
Attraverso il passato di Aurora, segnato dalle violenze familiari l’autrice tocca anche argomenti delicati sempre in modo non invasivo rendendo la lettura di questo libro adatta anche ad un pubblico giovane.
Personalmente mi sono appassionata tantissimo alla storia e ai personaggi e resto in attesa del seguito perché ne vale davvero la pena.
Editing a cura di Liz per Feel the Book
Voto 4,5
Licantropi, streghe e vampiri popolano questa nuova interessantissima uscita targata Hope edizioni e con i primi come protagonisti principali, Leia Stone costruisce un intreccio in cui tutte le razze trovano la loro giusta collocazione nel mondo naturale.
I licantropi e i vampiri si scontrano: i primi come difensori, i secondi come nemici della razza umana mentre le streghe cercano di mantenere un ruolo neutrale nella battaglia.
Il branco di Kai si trova a giocare in ruolo particolarmente importante, al suo interno si trova Aurora. Trasformata da Kai per salvarla da morte certa, i due scopriranno di essere compagni e Aurora si ritroverà a manifestare poteri particolari e decisivi per l’equilibrio tra le razze.
Alla giovane verranno svelate le sue vere origini che, unite al suo potere, la metteranno in una situazione pericolosa.
Su questo non dico altro anche perché si tratta di una serie che già comunque in questo primo volume ha un gran numero di colpi si scena essenziali per le storie future.
La Stone è bravissima nel dosare le rivelazioni tenendo il lettore sempre in uno stato di allerta tale e quale a quello dei due protagonisti che non riescono a vivere la loro storia in tranquillità.
L’evoluzione di Aurora, la scoperta del suo lupo interiore, del suo amalgamarsi con la magia della natura e dello Spirito sono descritti in maniera attenta e particolareggiata; la vediamo attraversare una iniziale fase di rifiuto ma la velocità con cui gli eventi rischiano di sopraffarla la obbligano a mettere da parte il panico e a fidarsi di quel meraviglioso uomo che è al suo fianco.
Kai è uno splendido personaggio. Una personalità da vero Alfa, esercita il suo potere sul branco non attraverso il timore ma attraverso il rispetto che si deve ad un capofamiglia generoso e comprensivo. Kai protegge, tutela gli altri a rischio della propria vita e non accetta violenze all’interno del branco. Aurora si ritroverà ad avere cieca fiducia in lui che come compagno resterà sempre al suo fianco.
Un’unione, quella tra i protagonisti di questo libro, basata su sentimenti, fiducia, lealtà e un legame che diventa indissolubile in poco tempo.
Attraverso il passato di Aurora, segnato dalle violenze familiari l’autrice tocca anche argomenti delicati sempre in modo non invasivo rendendo la lettura di questo libro adatta anche ad un pubblico giovane.
Personalmente mi sono appassionata tantissimo alla storia e ai personaggi e resto in attesa del seguito perché ne vale davvero la pena.
Editing a cura di Liz per Feel the Book
January 4, 2020
RECENSIONE QUI: https://thereadingslove.blogspot.com/...
3.5 stelle
Ho letto "Matefinder" senza aspettative, senza aspettarmi nulla di più da quello che l’autrice ha voluto raccontare nella serie. La storia è raccontata in modo semplice e fluido, un po' troppo veloce per i miei gusti. L’autrice tende ad evidenziare maggiormente la parte paranormale rispetto a quella romance - che, a mio parere, viene messa in secondo piano, -, dandoci una visione completa del mondo soprannaturale e perfezionando a modo suo qualche dettaglio riguardante i licantropi e la loro fertilità. Incontriamo e conosciamo Aurora, una protagonista forte, determinata e indipendente, con un passato davvero doloroso, la cui vita cambia irrimediabilmente dopo un incidente mortale. Le sue azioni e i suoi pensieri non risultano assolutamente forzati ma autentici; l’autrice infatti ce la mostra come un’eroina che non si lascia abbattere da nulla e che combatte fino alla fine. Il rapporto con Kai, il licantropo che la trasforma, nasce troppo in fretta, non si ha la percezione di un legame che cresce lentamente e che si rafforza, ma di un sentimento che sboccia troppo velocemente e che diventa subito troppo sdolcinato. Finalmente incontriamo un protagonista maschile che non vuole avere il controllo su tutto, che non si dimostra arrogante e presuntuoso, ma è esattamente l’opposto: è dolce, premuroso e cerca di proteggerla dai pericoli. I protagonisti secondari, come Emma e Devon e tutti gli altri che incontriamo, hanno la loro influenza sulla storia e la arricchiscono ancora di più con la loro personalità e il loro contributo ad aiutare i protagonisti. Ho adorato leggere le storie dei nativi americani, che da sempre mi affascinano, assistere ai combattimenti tra i branchi e quei piccoli particolari sulle trasformazioni e sull'essere licantropi che rendono particolare e a modo suo originale la storia. Sicuramente avrei desiderato leggere più azione, più pericoli, più connessione e tensione sessuale tra i due protagonisti ma mi limito a valutare la storia così com'è, senza fare paragoni con altre storie poiché ogni romanzo è particolare a modo suo ed è frutto della passione e lavoro di un autore...
CONTINUA SUL NOSTRO BLOG. VENITE A TROVARCI
https://thereadingslove.blogspot.com/
3.5 stelle
Ho letto "Matefinder" senza aspettative, senza aspettarmi nulla di più da quello che l’autrice ha voluto raccontare nella serie. La storia è raccontata in modo semplice e fluido, un po' troppo veloce per i miei gusti. L’autrice tende ad evidenziare maggiormente la parte paranormale rispetto a quella romance - che, a mio parere, viene messa in secondo piano, -, dandoci una visione completa del mondo soprannaturale e perfezionando a modo suo qualche dettaglio riguardante i licantropi e la loro fertilità. Incontriamo e conosciamo Aurora, una protagonista forte, determinata e indipendente, con un passato davvero doloroso, la cui vita cambia irrimediabilmente dopo un incidente mortale. Le sue azioni e i suoi pensieri non risultano assolutamente forzati ma autentici; l’autrice infatti ce la mostra come un’eroina che non si lascia abbattere da nulla e che combatte fino alla fine. Il rapporto con Kai, il licantropo che la trasforma, nasce troppo in fretta, non si ha la percezione di un legame che cresce lentamente e che si rafforza, ma di un sentimento che sboccia troppo velocemente e che diventa subito troppo sdolcinato. Finalmente incontriamo un protagonista maschile che non vuole avere il controllo su tutto, che non si dimostra arrogante e presuntuoso, ma è esattamente l’opposto: è dolce, premuroso e cerca di proteggerla dai pericoli. I protagonisti secondari, come Emma e Devon e tutti gli altri che incontriamo, hanno la loro influenza sulla storia e la arricchiscono ancora di più con la loro personalità e il loro contributo ad aiutare i protagonisti. Ho adorato leggere le storie dei nativi americani, che da sempre mi affascinano, assistere ai combattimenti tra i branchi e quei piccoli particolari sulle trasformazioni e sull'essere licantropi che rendono particolare e a modo suo originale la storia. Sicuramente avrei desiderato leggere più azione, più pericoli, più connessione e tensione sessuale tra i due protagonisti ma mi limito a valutare la storia così com'è, senza fare paragoni con altre storie poiché ogni romanzo è particolare a modo suo ed è frutto della passione e lavoro di un autore...
CONTINUA SUL NOSTRO BLOG. VENITE A TROVARCI
https://thereadingslove.blogspot.com/
September 28, 2015
DNF at 72%. The writing seemed more geared towards children and the lack of conflict drives me nuts. There is "conflict" but no actual danger from it. We fight... oh, look. A paragraph later, we win. The h is a Mary Sue and the H never argues with her, even if she does stuff that he doesn't like. It's annoying.
Good plot idea, but just not written well.
Good plot idea, but just not written well.
March 7, 2015
2.5 stars.
CLIFFHANGER.
I appear to have gotten sucked into Young Adult novel.
Only recommended as filler.
CLIFFHANGER.
I appear to have gotten sucked into Young Adult novel.
Only recommended as filler.
February 6, 2024
I picked this one up because of an upcoming special edition through one of the subscription boxes I'm waitlisted for... This story was pretty good.
It's a relatively standard shifter setup, with a few new views on witches, vampires, and humans. I liked where it was heading at the end and found myself looking for the next book to continue the storyline. I enjoy Leia's writing; this is the second series I've jumped into. I'll plan to continue this one at a later time.
It's a relatively standard shifter setup, with a few new views on witches, vampires, and humans. I liked where it was heading at the end and found myself looking for the next book to continue the storyline. I enjoy Leia's writing; this is the second series I've jumped into. I'll plan to continue this one at a later time.
November 5, 2018
Strong female
Aurora is a strong female character pushed into an amazing world. She has had a difficult life with an abusive father and the loss of her brother. I think this trauma is the reason why she is so strong and makes such a dominant wolf. I enjoyed her struggles with her feelings for Kai and the push and pull relationship at the beginning. I especially respect their ability to abstain from mating until the ceremony.
Aurora is a strong female character pushed into an amazing world. She has had a difficult life with an abusive father and the loss of her brother. I think this trauma is the reason why she is so strong and makes such a dominant wolf. I enjoyed her struggles with her feelings for Kai and the push and pull relationship at the beginning. I especially respect their ability to abstain from mating until the ceremony.
December 18, 2015
Matefinder was an okay read. Shrug-worthy really.
I genuinely liked the main character, Aurora, who grew up a victim of abuse, and now works to help other women and children escape abusive relationships. When she gets into a particularly nasty car accident, Kai, a super smexy eight-pack-abs kind of guy, decides to try to turn her. Oh yeah, Kai's a werewolf and an alpha. And obviously, our main character survives the change...even though it's rare...because she's special. And not only that, Aurora's strong enough to become Kai's second by...wait for it...challenging each member of Kai's pack to a staring contest.
I'm going to keep this one short and just tick off what really kept me from connecting with this story, despite my initial interest in the main character:
The identity of Kai's mate. Everyone saw that one coming.
Aurora is the prophesied "matefinder." *gasps* But here's what I don't get...Werewolf mates have opposite markings. (Kai is a black wolf with a white star and socks; his mate is a white wolf with a black star and socks) So, why hasn't anyone started a wolves dating site or shared the markings of their wolves with other packs? Kai's own sister winds up mating a male in Kai's pack. How does he not recognize the inverse of his sister's markings?!
Aurora's uniqueness only grows more pronounced as the story progresses. We learn she's much more than just a werewolf and the matefinder...enter a handful of other overused supernatural creatures that are all interested in Aurora. Ho hum. I just found myself losing interest in her. I can't recall a single weakness. Werewolves can't tolerate silver...Aurora can. Werewolves are susceptible to a vampire's compulsion...not Aurora. Oh, and with absolutely zero training, she can access never-seen-before power/magic through her witchy side.
Due to the aforementioned gifts Aurora has suddenly been blessed with, every potential conflict felt like minor inconveniences. Kai is gravely wounded? That's okay, Aurora can heal him! The bad vamps are poisoning the water supply with silver? That's okay, it was just Aurora receiving a vision, and we can prevent it from happening! There wasn't even any real tension between Aurora and Kai. If she doesn't want to do something, he doesn't force her or really even argue. If she wants to do something, she does it. Vamps have taken a pack member, oh no! Obviously the matefinder (who we already know is wanted by the vamps) should tag along, because that can't possibly be a trap...
The bad guys seem to exist for no other reason than to be bad. All vamps are bad, okay!
I also didn't care for the writing style, which was (IMO) passive, choppy, and rife with filters.
I genuinely liked the main character, Aurora, who grew up a victim of abuse, and now works to help other women and children escape abusive relationships. When she gets into a particularly nasty car accident, Kai, a super smexy eight-pack-abs kind of guy, decides to try to turn her. Oh yeah, Kai's a werewolf and an alpha. And obviously, our main character survives the change...even though it's rare...because she's special. And not only that, Aurora's strong enough to become Kai's second by...wait for it...challenging each member of Kai's pack to a staring contest.
I'm going to keep this one short and just tick off what really kept me from connecting with this story, despite my initial interest in the main character:
The identity of Kai's mate. Everyone saw that one coming.
Aurora is the prophesied "matefinder." *gasps* But here's what I don't get...Werewolf mates have opposite markings. (Kai is a black wolf with a white star and socks; his mate is a white wolf with a black star and socks) So, why hasn't anyone started a wolves dating site or shared the markings of their wolves with other packs? Kai's own sister winds up mating a male in Kai's pack. How does he not recognize the inverse of his sister's markings?!
Aurora's uniqueness only grows more pronounced as the story progresses. We learn she's much more than just a werewolf and the matefinder...enter a handful of other overused supernatural creatures that are all interested in Aurora. Ho hum. I just found myself losing interest in her. I can't recall a single weakness. Werewolves can't tolerate silver...Aurora can. Werewolves are susceptible to a vampire's compulsion...not Aurora. Oh, and with absolutely zero training, she can access never-seen-before power/magic through her witchy side.
Due to the aforementioned gifts Aurora has suddenly been blessed with, every potential conflict felt like minor inconveniences. Kai is gravely wounded? That's okay, Aurora can heal him! The bad vamps are poisoning the water supply with silver? That's okay, it was just Aurora receiving a vision, and we can prevent it from happening! There wasn't even any real tension between Aurora and Kai. If she doesn't want to do something, he doesn't force her or really even argue. If she wants to do something, she does it. Vamps have taken a pack member, oh no! Obviously the matefinder (who we already know is wanted by the vamps) should tag along, because that can't possibly be a trap...
The bad guys seem to exist for no other reason than to be bad. All vamps are bad, okay!
I also didn't care for the writing style, which was (IMO) passive, choppy, and rife with filters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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