Review: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1) by Wendy Higgins

Release Date: May 1, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 453
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased by Reviewer
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Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels. Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?


I actually read this book over the summer but I've been sitting on the review since. That should in no way be interpreted as a lack of enthusiasm, because I adored Sweet Evil. Rather, I think it had more to do with the fact that I knew this series was going to be a fast fave and I didn't want the agonizing wait for Sweet Reckoning, the final installment in the trilogy, to be too terribly long. I didn't even let myself buy the second book immediately (I lasted a whole month before I broke!). Somehow, leaving little breadcrumbs (reading Sweet Peril, actually writing the reviews) made the wait seem less daunting in my head. It kinda worked, I guess...

Sweet Evil has absolutely become one of my favorite books. Anna's story is a unique take on the Nephilim mythology, full of intrigue and the moral variability from the original mythology that's been lost in the genre recently. The Dukes and the sins they represent make the story stand out from any like it that I've read; the relationship they have with their children, the Neph, even more so. I loved the fact that even within the Nephilim, there's no clear cut good and evil. They all have to "work" and feelings about that range from hate to love, with everything in between represented.

As a character, Anna is likable and fiercely loyal. Adopted as an infant, she spends a lot of the book learning about her past and why she's always been different. Her journey is spurred by a night out with her best friend to see a concert. While there, she notices there's something different about the drummer, Kaidan Rowe. And Kaidan seems to know and understand how different she is.

Speaking of Kaidan... Oh. My. God. He shot to the top tier of my Book Boyfriend list so fast it was ridiculous. He's the son of Pharzuph, the Duke of Lust, and basically corners the market on sexy. He's gorgeous, a bad boy, in a band, funny, and capable of making you melt (or, at the very least, squeal enthusiastically) with ease. Think I'm kidding?

     "A vulnerable tenderness flashed across his face, more painful to see than the coldness. It took every ounce of strength I had not to beg for one last kiss. As fast as his expression had softened, it was back to stone again. 

     “What do you want from me, Kai?”      
     'For starters?' His voice lowered to sexy, dangerous depths. 'I want to introduce myself to every freckle on your body.'"

Come on. That's not even fair... He's swoony, beautiful, funny and has an English accent. That's my Kryptonite right there. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone. I could gush about him for entirely too long, so I'll stop stop for now.

If you haven't read Sweet Evil yet, you should do so. Immediately. This book is really something special. Wendy Higgins has crafted a world that's full of intrigue and romance that you won't ever want to leave. She has definitely become one of my favorite authors.

I also found out she'll be doing a signing with Victoria Scott in Dallas in January at the Barnes and Noble I went to growing up! I'm ridiculously excited and will most definitely be there with books ready.

About the Author

After earning a bachelors in Creative Writing from George Mason University and a masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, Wendy taught high school English until becoming a mommy. Writing Young Adult (YA) stories gives her the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal, daunting, and exciting years before adulthood.

She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, daughter, and son. Sweet Evil is her debut novel.