Review: Sovereign Hope by Frankie Rose

Sovereign Hope (Hope #1)
by Frankie Rose
Published: July 1, 2012



Everyone has a soul

Some are just worth more than others

Farley Hope was seventeen when her mother disappeared. In the last six months not much has changed, except that her eighteenth birthday came and went and still no sign of Moira. Her life is just as complicated as it always was. Since her father died in a car crash before she was even born, she’s officially parentless, and to top it all off she’s still suffering from the hallucinations. Mind-splitting, vivid hallucinations- the kind prone to induce night terrors and leave you whimpering under your covers like a baby.

The last thing on her mind is boys. Farley is on break from St. Judes’ when she meets Daniel. It’s not some casual run in at a party, or even a blind date with friends, though. Daniel is the guy following her in his 1970′s Dodge Charger; the guy standing at her window in the LA lunch hour traffic, trying to persuade her to leave everything behind and follow him. And he's hot as all hell.

The moment Farley lays eyes on Daniel, everything changes. He is cold and withdrawn, but there are cracks in his harsh veneer- cracks that betray the secrets he is trying so hard to hide. Farley is drawn into a world that will shake apart everything she thought she ever knew. There are truths out there that she must learn: that a person’s soul is their only real currency, and there are people who would do anything to take hers; that loving someone can hurt so much more than hating them; but, most importantly, when your future is predestined, there is little you can do to change it.

Farley Hope is prophesied.

Her coming has been awaited for hundreds of years.

She is destined to end the tyranny of the Soul Reavers.

To do so she must die.

I immediately knew, from the time I read the first parts of the book that I am going to like Sovereign Hope. It's action packed and fast-paced - you can tell right after you read Chapter 1. And I love the characters! That's pretty much what I root for when I'm looking for a good book.

Farley, 17 year-old, parentless and has been living on her own when your typical jerk, Daniel, happens to save Farley's life when mysterious guys appear to be chasing and endangering her and also who knows a lot more about her true identity and with a lot of convincing, takes her away to protect her from things she's never known before. She's introduced to another life underground - a society of Soul Reavers - where she is caught in the middle of a hundred year old prophecy and learns about the secret of her true past.

I know what you're thinking. They're falling for each other but they shouldn't blah, blah, blah. They're in a situation you'd think is cliche, but no. It actually came out differently than I'd expected with how the characters played it out. That is exactly what I liked about this. I easily liked Farley. She's funny and brave and I agree with the decision she's made in the book. Like how she respects what the others (who knows better) decides for her own safety and how she understands the situation that she does not go about and make reckless decisions that would end up hurting someone. But when push comes to shove, she won't hesitate and offer her life in exchange for those she love. In short, she knows how to use her mind and her heart. The same goes for Daniel, with his dark past, his willingness to do what is right and he does not let his emotions overcome his intuition. I really love them both especially when they're together. Not just the two of them but the other characters as well.

I was a bit bothered by the fact that it has no backstory. With every chapter I start I try to remember if it was stated and I just missed it. I was confused at first because I want to know the why's and the how's regarding the existence of the Soul Reavers. There's very little explanation that left me with unanswered questions but it was not that big of an issue that I'm willing to overlook it for now. Maybe I'll find it in the second book.

All in all, a very great read! Love the characters and the unique world-building. I can't wait to read more!

Words!

The assailant didn’t look very much like an assailant, however. It was him- the driver of the Dodge Charger- wearing nothing but a slightly torn black t-shirt and a pair of grey boxer shorts. Still smolderingly angry, still pale and intense. By her guess, he couldn’t have been any more than eighteen or nineteen. And he was chewing. Not gum, either, but properly chewing, like he was eating something.

It was then that Farley spotted the huge half-eaten sandwich he brandished in his right hand. Okay. He’d broken into her house to slit her throat in her sleep, but had found time to fix up a snack first. And taken off his pants. The nerve! 

She eyed him up and down again. He swallowed and took another bite without saying a word, meeting her gaze with a shadowed look of amusement on his face.

“Who the hell are you? What are you doing in my house?”

He continued chewing with raised eyebrows, obviously enjoying her irritation. Of course he was enjoying it. That’s what happened when a trembling girl threatened a big, strong guy with the tiniest knife in the world. She gasped and threw down the vegetable knife in order to snatch up the meat cleaver. Much better.

__________________________

“Okay. So what do you want to do?”

He took a deep breath, looking up and down the street. He seemed to be attempting to pull himself together. “I want to do something I haven’t done in a long, long time.”

“Laugh? Take a bath? Tell the truth?” 

_________________________

“You look lovely. I knew that color would suit you.”

“That’s funny. Daniel told me I looked stupid.”

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