Jealousy by Lili St. Crow

Before I review solely ‘Jealousy’, the third book in the Strange Angels series, I believe there is something very important to say about this series: it is excellent. It is action-packed and never boring with so many well-rounded characters. The prose is tight and concise, and once you start, you literally cannot stop reading. You are immersed in the world of Dru, Graves and Christophe- the Real World with variations of vampires, werewolves, fairies, zombies and a lot of other supernatural creatures.

One of my favourite aspects of the series is that Dru is like any other human being, who has a bladder, who has hair that frizzes and sometimes breaks out, and who needs to cough in the most inappropriate situations. Many books often skip the mundane things like showering and brushing teeth but these things are what make the characters seem human and not superhuman beings who never seem to get the urge to pee while they’re off doing romantic things/saving the world/learning how to be a witch/vampire/werewolf.

So read Strange Angels and the subsequent novels. It is unlike any other series I have ever read before.

Description

Dru Anderson might finally be safe. She’s at the largest Schola on the continent, and beginning to learn what it means to be svetocha–half vampire ...more Dru Anderson might finally be safe. She’s at the largest Schola on the continent, and beginning to learn what it means to be svetocha–half vampire, half human, and all deadly. If she survives her training, she will be able to take her place in the Order, holding back the vampires and protecting the oblivious normal people.

But a web of lies and betrayals is still closing around her, just when she thinks she can relax a little. Her mentor Christophe is missing, her almost-boyfriend is acting weird, and the bodyguards she’s been assigned seem to know much more than they should. And then there’s the vampire attacks, the strange nightly visits, and the looks everyone keeps giving her. As if she should know something.

Or as if she’s in danger.

Someone high up in the Order is a traitor. They want Dru dead–but first, they want to know what she remembers of the night her mother died. Dru doesn’t want to remember, but it looks like she might have to–especially since once Christophe returns, he’ll be on trial for his life. The only person who can save him is Dru.

The problem is, once she remembers everything, she may not want to…

-Goodreads.com

Review

Jealousy is the third novel in the series. The novels seem to improve as you progress through the series- well that was what happened with Betrayals, and Jealousy is no exception. There is more action, more intrigue, more, er, romantic liaisons. Plenty of new, interesting characters providing further entertainment- I particularly liked Benjamin and Leon, a couple of Dru’s new bodyguards, and the kinder members of the Order such as Hiro.

Characters we have met in previous books are also included in this novel- Dru, Graves and Christophe are a given, of course, but we are also able to internally say ‘Aww’ whenever Dibs appears, and enjoy Shanks’ snarky comments. Anna, the other svetocha has a very important role in this book, and becomes even more despicable than she was in that one encounter in Betrayals.

The love-triangle is further developed as well. I have to say, in Betrayals I hugely preferred Christophe over Graves. But Graves matures in Jealousy, and we are constantly reminded by his actions that he cares about Dru and really would do anything for her. Christophe is as hot and mysterious as ever but also shows a softer side in his novel. However, it is a teensy bit creepy that he used to be in love with her mother, which Dru thankfully acknowledges herself.

Dru is honestly one of my favourite YA protagonists. She is such a huge improvement over passive characters presented YA Supernatural novels, always going on and on about the hot, mysterious boy but not really caring about anything else. Dru cares a lot about the more important things at hand. She is determined, strong, brave, smart and very, very human.

Something I admired about the book was that while you did have all this drama, tense action scenes, overwhelming emotions, Lili St. Crow was able to interject humour into many scenes. For example, a particularly amusing scene is one that involves Dru and Graves shopping for clothes and Target to the horror of Benjamin, one of Dru's bodyguards. Another example is Dru belching loudly after a very horrific, very bloody battle. This just made the book more entertaining, more enjoyable to read and, well, how can you not love a protagonist who isn't afraid to burp in public?

Jealousy is, simply, an awesome addition to the Strange Angels series and the revelation at the end has made me extremely impatient to read Defiance.

Rating: 5/5

Thanks to Quercus books for sending the series for review.