BOOK REVIEW - TASTE by KATE EVANGELISTA - CRESCENT MOON PRESS

By: Kate Evangelista

Published By: Crescent Moon Press

Released: Available Now

Details: Paperback, 272 Pages

RATING: 3.5 DEMITRI & LUKA STARS!!

Blurb: Goodreads

At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans. When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn't realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle :

I want to start by saying I LOVE the cover of this book.

I had been very excited to read Taste ever since I read the original three chapters on Kate’s page waaaayyy back when it was a vampire themed book, if my memory serves me correctly, and Kate had these cute animated drawings of all the characters. At the time, I admit Vampire Knight ( Japanese anime tv show) entered my mind with the day students, night students and the guys and the Academy.

But, now Kate has changed her original idea and they are now Zhamvy, get it, zombie but with a lovely original name and a lovely original take on them. They were flesh eaters but law has ruled for several centuries that human flesh will no longer be on the menu. Now Yusha, a synthetic version of human flesh, is what they devour with the odd bit of pig delights. And they are on the Pill, lol!! I LOVED that . Well , their version.

Demitri and Luka, I love their characters. Demitri is the serious dark haired boy and Luka is the more casual, blonde haired boy, both meet Phoenix when she has broken the rules of Barinkoff Academy and has found herself in a predicament. Luka will tug at your heart.

Phoenix McKay, is a character I had a lot of trouble getting to know. I didn’t ‘feel’ her character. I had trouble with her out bursts of emotional dialogue that appeared unwarranted. I want my female protagonist to be likeable and for me to understand why two guys are in love with her. Sadly I did not ‘feel’ this with Phoenix’s character. I felt like Phoenix was all over the place, which had me getting a bit confused and wondering why she behaved the way she just did. Bit drama queenie. I just didn’t connect with Phoenix, and I almost never say that about a female protagonist.

Dray is the mad scientist character who I really like, but I wanted some more depth from him. I know what his mission is, and for the life of me I still can’t figure out why Phoenix donning a track suit and lifting weights was going to solve the mission that was very important to the story. LOL!

I did have a WT moment there.

I am trying not to sound harsh as the whole idea of the plot I loved, but I wanted it to have the depth that it deserved. The end has made me feel that this is a stand alone book as it had an ending that can only assume this.

I feel a little frustrated as Kate visually had me seeing the Zhamvy Kingdom beautifully and the boys had the potential to rock this book and the story is original and aaahhhh!! I liked Calixta the mean girl and I so wanted more bad boy Eli. He pops up every now and then and acts all menacing. Calixta and Eli could have really rocked . 

Poor Preya. If I was Phoenix's best friend, and I was given that excuse by Phoenix , I would have not been convinced. I would have been trying to find out the 'why' that my friend disappeared for weeks. 

I would have liked Phoenix’s dad brought into it more and the pain she felt there. The last few pages with Phoenix talking to her father on the phone, I got a wonderful glimpse of the Phoenix I wanted in the rest of the book. 

Again, these are just my personal thoughts. How I felt.

Demitri is a wonderful character who I didn’t get a lot of depth from. I got more depth from Luka’s character as I saw his fun side, his sad side and a serious side to him. But, in saying that , there were some wonderful Demitri snogging moments that were simply,  WOW!

I really wanted to get taken in by Luka and Demitri and to feel conflicted, but there was no time.

I have sat and had a long think about why I felt the way I did with Taste as I truly wanted to love this book. I have waited for it to be published as I knew from the three chapters I read waaay back when ,that it had great potential. This is of course just my one personal opinion.

Maybe it is me:S ?

The story itself had this feel where it had bursts that would take me somewhere else. I think that is how I came to the possible idea that the story should have been spread out over more than one book to give the reader the time to learn the characters and the why of the plot. The characters were like a speed date.

It was like a join the dots picture where you needed more dots to get a better picture. The fewer dots , left me with not as clear a picture.

I still see so much potential with Kate’s story. I think what the problem for me liking it, at it’s true potential, in my minds eye only, was it felt rushed. This is only a 272 page book and I think it should have been at least two books or one much , much bigger book.

I don’t think I had enough time to let Luka and Demitri soak in and their personalities. I am carefully not letting any spoilers out.

I wanted to know Luka more and see more about what made him tick and the history he had.

I wanted Phoenix to know these guys more so that I felt their connection and why they were wanting her. I understand a certain thing but that doesn’t explain Luka. 

Yana, is a character that I would have loved more in the book. She was fun. The whole visual of a Zhamvy that looked twelve years old in six inch heels, ha!
What I loved about this book was Kate’s visual she gave me of the Kingdom her Zhamvy lived in and where they lived in proximity to Barinkoff Academy. I loved the market place, the overall idea of what was driving Dray. I would have liked Phoenix to have been used there better with helping Dray bringing more urgency and intensity to the story.

Again, maybe it is just me:S ?

Sorry, I did want to love this story L

I feel bad that I didn't.

Michelle