Review by CarlyK -- Opaque by Calix Leigh-Reign
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CarlyK
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Review by CarlyK -- Opaque by Calix Leigh-Reign
[Following is a volunteer review of "Opaque" by Calix Leigh-Reign.]
Sixteen-year-old Adam has a dark side that he tries so desperately to keep from the people in his life. He is attracted to and in love with his mother; he hates his father; he has little patience for his classmates; and he has a den on the outskirts of town that no one else knows about stocked with knives, other weapons and a bed. He likes to be in control of everything in his life, and he is. That is until he meets Carly. A new arrival at his school, Carly is quick to make friends with others, but Adam initially steers clear of her, wanting to remain alone. She senses that something is different about him and he about her, making makes him angry and suspicious. Carly soon recognizes their connection; he is the same as her. Neither of them are quite human, they are so much more than that; they have powers. Once Carly approaches him and brings this phenomenon out into the open (Adam is unaware of his abilities, Carly is not), they quickly become close, so close that they can no longer live without each other. Carly helps Adam tap into and embrace his abilities and teaches him the reasons behind his feelings towards his parents. She shows him that his connection to her runs in their DNA and reaches far into their past to their ancestors. Like Carly, Adam is a Descendant.
Carly takes Adam to meet her mother and other Descendant families with the same genetic mutations and access to different super-human abilities. Adam feels at home among his new-found people; he has finally found where he belongs. His and Carly’s euphoria of this reunion is short-lived, however, when Carly’s father is kidnapped by Iksha, an alliance of scientists hell-bent on experimenting on, torturing and executing Descendants as they attempt to extract and possess their powers for themselves. Iksha’s horrific methods have kept Descendant families in hiding for centuries. Carly, Adam and the younger generation of Descendants finally decide that Iksha’s rein of terror has to end. Adam knows his place will always be at Carly’s side - he will die for her; he will kill for her. He joins Carly and the other Descendants as they wage war against Iksha.
When I first began reading Calix Leigh-Reign’s book, Opaque, I didn’t think I was going to like it, it started out not be the kind of book I expected or liked. It has a dark and potentially grizzly opening to the story - it looked like it was going to involve date rape, torture and gratuitous murder, which immediately switched me off. I almost gave up by the fourth chapter, but I am so very pleased that I persevered. Although the aforementioned undesirable plot elements were implied, they never fully materialize and the book quickly turns into an intriguing, interesting, and wonder of a story involving self-discovery, a search for ancestral roots and magic. Once it gets going, Opaque is a fast-paced, thrilling and clever story which had me not wanting to put the book down. Secrets carried by the characters kept me eagerly awaiting them to be revealed and always wondering how the other characters involved were going to react to them when they were. There are links between characters and events that draw you into complex paradoxical society of strength and magic yet fragility and fear and a lot of unexpected twists in the story that keep the pages turning.
Opaque is also a coming-of-age love story where the protagonists discover themselves and find solace and fortitude in each other’s arms. They help each other to achieve their full potential which allows them to free themselves and others from a tyrannical regime.
Calix Leigh-Reign’s absorbing book is beautifully written with enigmatic characters, thrilling scenes, events and locations described throughout. The overall theme of this book and even storyline, to some extent, reminded me of the Twilight Saga with the characters of Carly and Adam being very much alike to the characters of Edward and Bella, whereby Carly/Edward finds and falls in love with Adam/Bella and opens the door to a world of the supernatural, mystery, passion and danger. It ends, like many good books, all too soon, but answers most questions and brings enough closure to the story to satisfy the reader. It does, however, still leave some questions unanswered that could, potentially, lead to a second book (which, I have just discovered, has already been published! Opaque is the first book of the Scion Saga Series; the second in this series is Split Adam - I know what I’m going to read next!). For all this, I give Opaque 4 out of 4 stars and would highly recommend this book for teen readers and up, but advise you not to be deterred by the beginning; persevere, it is so worth it!
******
Opaque
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Sixteen-year-old Adam has a dark side that he tries so desperately to keep from the people in his life. He is attracted to and in love with his mother; he hates his father; he has little patience for his classmates; and he has a den on the outskirts of town that no one else knows about stocked with knives, other weapons and a bed. He likes to be in control of everything in his life, and he is. That is until he meets Carly. A new arrival at his school, Carly is quick to make friends with others, but Adam initially steers clear of her, wanting to remain alone. She senses that something is different about him and he about her, making makes him angry and suspicious. Carly soon recognizes their connection; he is the same as her. Neither of them are quite human, they are so much more than that; they have powers. Once Carly approaches him and brings this phenomenon out into the open (Adam is unaware of his abilities, Carly is not), they quickly become close, so close that they can no longer live without each other. Carly helps Adam tap into and embrace his abilities and teaches him the reasons behind his feelings towards his parents. She shows him that his connection to her runs in their DNA and reaches far into their past to their ancestors. Like Carly, Adam is a Descendant.
Carly takes Adam to meet her mother and other Descendant families with the same genetic mutations and access to different super-human abilities. Adam feels at home among his new-found people; he has finally found where he belongs. His and Carly’s euphoria of this reunion is short-lived, however, when Carly’s father is kidnapped by Iksha, an alliance of scientists hell-bent on experimenting on, torturing and executing Descendants as they attempt to extract and possess their powers for themselves. Iksha’s horrific methods have kept Descendant families in hiding for centuries. Carly, Adam and the younger generation of Descendants finally decide that Iksha’s rein of terror has to end. Adam knows his place will always be at Carly’s side - he will die for her; he will kill for her. He joins Carly and the other Descendants as they wage war against Iksha.
When I first began reading Calix Leigh-Reign’s book, Opaque, I didn’t think I was going to like it, it started out not be the kind of book I expected or liked. It has a dark and potentially grizzly opening to the story - it looked like it was going to involve date rape, torture and gratuitous murder, which immediately switched me off. I almost gave up by the fourth chapter, but I am so very pleased that I persevered. Although the aforementioned undesirable plot elements were implied, they never fully materialize and the book quickly turns into an intriguing, interesting, and wonder of a story involving self-discovery, a search for ancestral roots and magic. Once it gets going, Opaque is a fast-paced, thrilling and clever story which had me not wanting to put the book down. Secrets carried by the characters kept me eagerly awaiting them to be revealed and always wondering how the other characters involved were going to react to them when they were. There are links between characters and events that draw you into complex paradoxical society of strength and magic yet fragility and fear and a lot of unexpected twists in the story that keep the pages turning.
Opaque is also a coming-of-age love story where the protagonists discover themselves and find solace and fortitude in each other’s arms. They help each other to achieve their full potential which allows them to free themselves and others from a tyrannical regime.
Calix Leigh-Reign’s absorbing book is beautifully written with enigmatic characters, thrilling scenes, events and locations described throughout. The overall theme of this book and even storyline, to some extent, reminded me of the Twilight Saga with the characters of Carly and Adam being very much alike to the characters of Edward and Bella, whereby Carly/Edward finds and falls in love with Adam/Bella and opens the door to a world of the supernatural, mystery, passion and danger. It ends, like many good books, all too soon, but answers most questions and brings enough closure to the story to satisfy the reader. It does, however, still leave some questions unanswered that could, potentially, lead to a second book (which, I have just discovered, has already been published! Opaque is the first book of the Scion Saga Series; the second in this series is Split Adam - I know what I’m going to read next!). For all this, I give Opaque 4 out of 4 stars and would highly recommend this book for teen readers and up, but advise you not to be deterred by the beginning; persevere, it is so worth it!
******
Opaque
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Yesterday by Samyann
