Review: Envious
Envious
Katie Keller- Nieman
Synopsis: Sandy has always had dreams that seemed more like visions. But ever since her best friend, Aurora, started dating her boyfriend, Eric, the visions have grown stronger and more persistent– and not always just when she is sleeping. They have also become centered around him. Is Sandy simply jealous of her friend’s new love, or is something more going on?
Rating: R- Sexuality, Violence, Drug Use, and Language.
Sensitivity Warning: Sexual Violence, Drug Abuse
This is the kind of review that is REALLY hard to write without spoilers, but I’m going to try my best!
Envious had me hooked from the first page. I started off REALLY not sure I liked Sandy. She seemed to be borderline sociopathic. She is in love with Eric to a point of hating Aurora for being with him. I definitely read her as being unstable. Suffice it to say, things aren’t always what they seem. Though she for sure has some issues to work out, she grew on me!
About halfway though, the plot shifted and was centered more around Sandy and her strained relationship with her cousin, Todd. It seemed slightly out of place to me at the time, but I later understood its purpose, and came to enjoy seeing their relationship grow. Given that Envious is book one of a trilogy, I would not be surprised if information from this section comes into play in a future book. (Stay tuned for those reviews. There is not way I’m NOT finishing this series!)
On a technical note, I absolutely LOVED the way Keller- Nieman incorporated Sandy’s visions in with the present. She did it in a way that is easy to follow, which if you have been following me for a while, you probably know this tends to be a pet peeve of mine. It also added an extra layer of suspense. The whole time I was reading the visions I was looking for the parallels between the visions and the present and trying to use it to gauge what was going to happen next in the present. And guys. I failed. In retrospect, I can see how certain things lined up, but I definitely did not guess it while I was reading.
There was a section towards the end that had me somewhat confused. It was during one of the vision segments, and I struggled a little bit with the order events. However, the overall message was received. The details weren’t as imperative as the end result, which was clear.
Envious is intriguing, inventive, and fast paced, with enough plot twists to keep you guessing. I can’t WAIT to read the next installment.