Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Review: Dragonfly by Leigh T. Moore

Dragonfly
Author: Leigh T. Moore
Publication Date: June 6, 2013

~Synopsis~
Anna Sanders expected an anonymous (and uneventful) senior year until she crossed paths with rich-and-sexy Jack Kyser and his twin sister Lucy.

Pulling Anna into their extravagant lifestyle on the Gulf Coast, Lucy pushed Anna outside her comfort zone, and Jack showed her feelings she’d never experienced... Until he mysteriously withdrew.

Anna turned to her internship at the city paper and to her old attraction for Julian, a handsome local artist and rising star, for distraction. But both led to her discovery of a decades-old secret closely guarded by the twins’ distant, single father. 

A secret that could permanently change all their lives.



~Prelude~
I received an Arc for Undertow to participate in the release day launch in July. When I realized it was the second book in a series, I decided I should read the first book before starting it. Yeah, I’m one of those people that requests second books and then buys the first afterwards to quickly read beforehand. This is not the first time and probably won’t be the last. Anyways, here’s what I thought about Dragonfly.

~Review~
Dragonfly was an interesting read and not really what I was expecting. I enjoyed reading it and was able to finish quickly but there were a few things that got to me a little. More specifically, I couldn’t find a real connection with the MC.

Anna is starting her senior year without her best friend Gigi, who has moved away. Anna has always hidden behind Gigi so now she is forced to come out of her shell and find her own voice. She instantly befriends the new girl, Lucy and is attracted to her twin brother, Jack. At the same time, one of the hottest guys in school, Julian is also showing interest in her. There is something about Julian that pulls her towards him but she can’t help her feelings and attraction to Jack. As she struggles to decide which guy is for her while trying to find herself, she uncovers secrets that are shocking and no one wants revealed.

Anna was not a very likable character for me and I couldn’t really connect with her. I found her to be a bit whiny and self-admonishing. She lacked confidence and her constant negativity really brought me down. It also drove me insane that the right guys was always right in front of her, pouring his heart out to her and all she did was choose the wrong guy who always made her cry. I suppose it’s so much easier to choose when you are on the outside looking in but the way she handled each situation with the guys just frustrated me. I felt like she tried to grow as a character and become stronger but she always regressed backwards.

“Why couldn’t I believe it? Why did I go running every time he crooked his finger my way only to be tossed aside again because I was too young or required too much effort or he didn’t have time.”


Jack was a major tool and I did not like him at all. He seemed like a really good guy in the beginning but the way he played with Anna’s emotions pissed me off. He pushed her away only to drag her right back in, never really letting her move on. He was also the spoiled rich kid with daddy issues and possessiveness that wasn’t his to have. Jack claimed that he could really fall for Anna but that it could never work. He messed with her emotions and I think that is part of the reason she couldn’t get over him. Julian on the other hand was incredible. He saw Anna for who she really was and he liked her that way. He was never shy about his feelings for her or the fact that he wanted her. I just wish he would have fought harder and proved to her that he was the right choice. I felt like he backed off too easy and pushed her right into Jack’s arms. He did such sweet things to show her he cared but he let her go to easily.

“Julian looked out at the water several minutes then he glanced down and bent his knees to squat beside me on the sand. As always, his presence soothed me, almost making the bad stuff disappear. Almost bringing me all the way back to happy. It felt so close with him here.”

I am one of those people who have a love/hate relationship with love triangles. I hate them for the emotional torture that they cause me but I love the drama that ensues. However, I didn’t care much for the love triangle in Dragonfly because it was so obvious who she should pick. I hated that she let Jack get to her and that she was so clingy to him despite the way he treated her. I wanted her to be stronger and to allow herself to open up to Julian. She loved him, she said so herself but she refused to let go of Jack and let herself be with Julian. I liked her ambition and she was really smart but I felt like she handled the situation she got into with Julian’s mom in the wrong way. She came off too pushy and could have handled it a lot smoother.

“I was nearly overwhelmed by my desire to kiss him again, but I had to face the truth. Jack still lurked in the background of my heart.”

Overall, I was entertained and definitely left wanting more Julian. He was the character of the book for me and if Anna can open her eyes and wise up, I will be extremely happy. Despite my many issues with Anna, the plot was interesting enough and the writing was really well done. I have heard good things about Undertow so I am excited to see how the story progresses and will definitely be reading more of Leigh’s books.



~IPOD Picks~
“People Like Us” by Kelly Clarkson
“Love the Way You Lie” by Skyler Grey
“Falling Slowly” by Kris Allen

4 comments:

  1. Soooo. No worries about the being the one who requests second books in series without reading the first. Because I've done that a few times lately. Ok, more than a few times. I agree- Need. More. Julian. Yeah, I didn't care for the love triangle either. Because come on. JULIAN! :D Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks! So glad to know I'm not the only one that does that! :-) Yeah, it was no contest for me. Damn Anna!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I hate when I can't connect with the MC, it makes reading the book a bit of a pain. Who enjoys spending time in the head of someone you dislike?!
    I like the sound of Julian though :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Julian is great! It is hard though when the MC makes you want to pull out your hair :-)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment, you have truly made my day! I love reading and discussing other's thoughts and ideas. Leave a link to your blog and I would love to stop by!