Review & Promo Stop: Vala Agendas by J.F Jenkins
January 25, 2012
MY REVIEW OF VALA: AGENDAS
Title: Vala: Agendas
Author: J.F. Jenkins
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Category: Teen
Book Summary
Cheyenne Loveless was just a
boring sixteen-year-old girl. Then Denver Collins bit her and everything
changed. Her plants start talking to her, she finds out she’s a Nymph, and a
witch and the angel of death show up at her doorstep to take her away to the
prestigious Vala School and Seminary. Oh, and she has no choice in the matter.
All she wants to do is blend in
and return to being invisible, but the more time that passes, the harder that
becomes. Plus she’s a daughter of the Divine, an exclusive secret society which
rules the world of myth, and discovers she is a key ingredient to an ancient
covenant created before she was born. A covenant that will reshape the order of
the world.
Adjusting to a new school is difficult
enough, but adding on everyone else’s hidden agendas is the icing on the cake.
Cheyenne must learn to see through the lies in order to find her place — and
possibly even love — in this new world.
Cover
Beautiful cover even
though I don’t think that the models look like they are about 16 or so. A much
younger person would depict the characters so well.
Favorite Quote from the
story
"Because sometimes
people need to have something solid they can depend on.” - which is so true,
very well said.
My Thoughts
Vala: Agendas literally
left me at the crossroad or sitting on the fence by the time I was finished
reading. I wasn’t entirely impressed by its concept and characters, although
toward the end I found myself fancied the quirk, scare and mythological
elements in it. I honestly didn’t know where to put this book if I were to classify
it; bad…no, awesome…it is yet far from awesome. However, I truly admired JF
Jenkins’ effort of trying to write something outside the box instead of just
bringing in a cliché or mediocre vampire/werewolf/fallen angel story.
The story started out a
bit slow; Cheyenne Loveless is bitten by a schoolmate, Denver, during her night
out to a club. If the heroine’s name isn’t weird enough, the odd circumstance
that eventually leads her to learn of her true identity is even weirder. Bitten
by a probably rabid schoolmate who isn’t exactly a vampire sounded more than
bizarre, if not scary. This is where JF Jenkins actually baffled me. If Denver
isn’t a vampire, then who or rather what, is he? Why made a ‘biting’ character
if he isn’t a vampire? The author didn’t disclose his identity in the story, or
I had probably missed out on something. And if Denver is indeed a vampire, then
he’s no ordinary vampire. A not-very-dangerous one I reckoned though he
reminded me of Edward Cullen because he seems to be stalking Cheyenne all the time.
After her identity is revealed, that she is a nymph, Cheyenne is taken to Vala,
a school for supernaturally gifted students like her. There she meets with
Halyn, her Asian roommate, twins Anj and Ves, Jewl (who is Anj’s on-and-off
scandal) and eventually Lucien, the fallen angel who wants her.
The side characters are
indeed varied in personalities, though however I was having a hard time keeping
up with them. Some characters even seemed a bit unrealistic and lacking
explicable personality. Each probably had hidden agendas for Cheyenne as well,
which I’m looking forward to find out, if there are sequels. Other than that, Vala:
Agendas was written in quite impressive depth and stunning details which
captured my imagination. At some point, I thought I was reading a much mystical
version of X:Men, but without much action and suspense. The story itself mostly
revolved around Cheyenne’s conflicting relationship with the boys around her.
One minute she likes this guy, the next she likes the other which was rather
irritating. But Cheyenne was likable and I could relate to her every emotion in
some way or the other. So I’m guessing at the end this saga, there would be
betrayal, heartbreak and hopefully a happy-ending for Cheyenne. All in all,
what J.F Jenkins brought to the table with Vala: Agendas isn’t enough to blow
me away. The book isn’t bad either, but some parts just didn’t appeal to me.
My Thoughts in Brief
With Vala: Agendas, J.F
Jenkins offered a world of contemporary meets ancient Greek myth, blended with
a dose of romance, eccentric characters and unexpected twists. Such an
intriguing tale that will surely leave her fans hungry for more.
My Rating
4 stars out of 5!
*Thanks to Bewitching Book Tours who provided me with the review copy. Review done as part of the book tour activity. I did not receive compensation for my role as a host for this tour and as a team member for Bewitching Book Tour.
BOOK & AUTHOR PROMO
Book Blurb
Cheyenne Loveless was just a
boring sixteen-year-old girl. Then Denver Collins bit her and everything
changed. Her plants start talking to her, she finds out she’s a Nymph, and a
witch and the angel of death show up at her doorstep to take her away to the
prestigious Vala School and Seminary. Oh, and she has no choice in the matter.
All she wants to do is blend in
and return to being invisible, but the more time that passes, the harder that
becomes. Plus she’s a daughter of the Divine, an exclusive secret society which
rules the world of myth, and discovers she is a key ingredient to an ancient
covenant created before she was born. A covenant that will reshape the order of
the world.
Adjusting to a new school is difficult
enough, but adding on everyone else’s hidden agendas is the icing on the cake.
Cheyenne must learn to see through the lies in order to find her place — and
possibly even love — in this new world.
Purchase your copy at: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Astraea Press
Excerpt
“Can I help you?” she asked,
shielding herself protectively with her arms.
“Sorry, you smell good,” he
murmured, practically purring in her ear as he pulled away. He
still maintained his close proximity.
“I smell...” She frowned and was
about to sniff at her arm, but she stopped herself. “…good?”
“You smell good. Kind of like
lilies of the valley, actually. Let me guess—you use that for
your scented body wash?”
“I just use Dial.” Her entire
body tensed more as he moved in again, his face dangerously
close to her neck. “I don’t mean to be rude, and while I’m flattered
you’re so fascinated with my body, you’re also making me
uncomfortable. If you’re just trying to butter me up so I’ll go home with you,
you should stop now, because
that’s not going to happen. Back
off before I make you.”
He moved away once more with a
smug smirk. “I thought I smelled fire, too.” He extended
his hand to her for a polite and friendly handshake. “My name is
Denver. Yes, like the city in Colorado. Last name is Collins,
and I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I don’t usually
meet someone with that kind of scent. It’s strong. I knew there
was a reason I noticed you.”
Is this guy high or something?
“Apology accepted. I'ʹm Cheyenne. I'ʹve seen you around
school these past few weeks, but I don'ʹt think we'ʹve ever been
formally introduced until now. You'ʹre new, right?” Cheyenne shook his
hand nervously. He had a strong and confident shake. He seemed to
be a genuinely nice person,
outside of his odd behaviors. If
anything, it made her look good in front of her classmates to be
talking to the new cool kid, and a young, attractive male. She felt
a little less like a freak.
“I'ʹm temporary. I haven'ʹt been
formally introduced to anyone. You'ʹre the first, and
it'ʹs only because you smell so nice I can'ʹt stay away.”
“Do you use that line on
everyone? It’s unique. A little creepy, but unique.”
“No.” He sat back and proceeded
to grab a napkin off the bar and fold it in front of him
multiple times. He didn'ʹt have much of an attention span, apparently.
“I actually don’t pick up women often. I just made an exception
for the blue- eyed beauty in front of me.”
Cheyenne’s face flushed again. “I
wasn’t aware you knew the color of my eyes, seeing as
how you've been staring at my breasts the entire time.” It came
out a lot harsher than she intended. In fact, she wasn't meaning to
say it at all. “Sorry, I—”
“You’re right. I was, but I
remember you from earlier. I noticed your eyes when you were
looking across the school yard at me.”
“You do remember that.” She
shrank in her chair a little, officially wanting to hide under
a rock.
“It’s a little hard not to when
you’re so cute.” He moved closer to her, not quite as close
as before, but enough to cause butterflies in her stomach. “You
don’t like it here. I don’t like it here. And since we both don’t
like it here, maybe we should head out and find something else to
do. Maybe we can go someplace we both like.”
AUTHOR BIO
J.F. Jenkins lives in Minneapolis
Minnesota with her husband, son, and two cats. She graduated from Bethel
University in 2006 with a degree in Media Communication with minors in both
writing and film. When she is not busy writing, she spends her free time
playing games, reading, and spending time with her family.
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