Melanie's Evanescent Journey

Melanie's Evanescent Journey

by B. Truly

2 out of 5

Synopsis
New Adult, Paranormal-Romance Companion novel for The Sonar Series

True Love may cost a price, if the greater good preordains that you are the sacrifice.

There are always two sides to a story. Melanie Wilhelm's begins after she moves from Australia and starts her senior year at Cashmere High. On her first day, she bumps into a mysterious guy, and they form an instant connection. They become friends and he shares his deepest secret with her. As they grow closer, their relationship amplifies and becomes binding. Strange things occur, but instead of worrying, Melanie's feelings intensify.
The excitement of New Year's Eve approaches, and so does Jason's most devastating revelation of all. She learns his ultimate truth and is now spun into his chaotic web. The danger rises and hard choices must be made. By being with Jason, Melanie may have to sacrifice more than her heart. It may cost her life.

Melanie's Evanescent Journey ties into books one and two of The Sonar Trilogy. From spiraling twists to devastating plots, her journey will make you question fate and true love. 
Is fate something you can control? Some believe it's in the hands of what you behold.



Review
Melanie knew that life would be different when she moves with her family. After growing up in Australia, America is like another world. When she starts school, and literally bumps into the mysterious Jason, nothing will ever be the same again.

I received this book to review as part of Reading Addiction's book tour. I will admit now, that I haven't read the first book - Sonar The Crashing, so I'm marking this on its own credit. And if anyone is wondering, yes, this can be read as a standalone.

So- Melanie's story...
It felt like a whole lot of Roswell, with a dash of Twilight. Now I absolutely loved the TV show Roswell High, I watched it religiously; so the whole girl-meets-royal-alien, and all the other character dynamics felt like it had been done before. From the sibling connection, to the prince's missing partner...

The writing was ok. The plot... to be honest, I kept thinking that I would have preferred to read the story from Jason's point of view. I know, I know, that's kinda what "Sonar The Crashing" is about; and this is an accompaniment. And I think this is a major problem that a lot of this alternate viewpoints and accompanying pieces have in common - the meat of the story is in the main series/book; and even though these side pieces start off as an exciting idea of "Wow, imagine if we followed the understudy, rather than the star". It might start from one scene where you can't imagine anything better than seeing how Fred sees it.
But the truth is, unless the author creates a solid, full-grown plot revolving around Fred, the rest of the story glosses over because it doesn't have enough to fill it, or it doesn't want to echo the main book.

((In case anyone is getting confused - no, there is no Fred in this story. My imaginary friend is simply offering an example.))

I felt that "Melanie's Evanescent Journey" was a little of both. She's a side-character. For the whole of Part One, the most exciting things she does is to go to a dance (with Jason), watch movies (with Jason), and make eyes at Jason. With the exception of a few scenes with her best friend, the first half of the book was made up entirely of Jason - anything in-between was lost in the fast-forward to the next I Love Jason scene.
(I'm not even going to mention the actual I Love Jason scene, as he is clearly a god and will make every man live in shadow)

The second half of the book was a little more interesting. We follow Melanie as she makes a life for herself in New York, whilst studying theatre. And then there is actual action! I won't spoil it for you all, but there are aliens, battles and other worlds.
It was good for a while, but then slowed down again with world-building. The depth of world-building is always going to be a personal preference. I know some people, especially in the Sci-fi genre, want a very well-thought out and fully planned world, with every detail pinned down. Personally, I prefer to sacrifice some of that to keep the flow going.

As you may have guessed, I did struggle with the book, but there were a few points that made me actually sit up and appreciate it.
1) Melanie vs. Paige.
I hate when a guy cheats, and the girlfriend blames the other girl, while the guy gets to be the innocent party. But on this occasion, I have to admit that the scene at Jason's house was quite entertaining!

2) When it touches upon Melanie's insomnia and potential anorexia. Heartache mixed with the pressures of showbiz. I thought that was one of the most real components in the entire book.

3) The ending. I was so glad it ended the way it did. With the maturity of Melanie's perspective on the life she had lived.

So, all in all, an OK read. If you enjoy Twilight-esque books, you might well enjoy this. Although I would recommend reading Sonar The Crashing first, so you don't feel like you're missing out.


Goodreads Link
Amazon.co.uk

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