Review: FLAWED by Kate Avelynn

FLAWED
by Kate Avelynn
ebook pub date 11/23/2012
paperback pub date 12/11/2012

product description from goodreads.com

Sarah O’Brien is alive because of the pact she and her brother made twelve years ago — James will protect her from their violent father if she promises to never leave him. For years, she’s watched James destroy his life to save hers. If all he asks for in return is her affection, she’ll give it freely.

Until, with a tiny kiss and a broken mind, he asks for more than she can give.

Sam Donavon has been James’ best friend — and the boy Sarah’s had a crush on — for as long as she can remember. As their forbidden relationship deepens, Sarah knows she’s in trouble. Quiet, serious Sam has decided he’s going to save her. Neither of them realizes James is far more unstable than her father ever was, or that he’s not about to let Sarah forget her half of the pact...
My Review:


FLAWED is a stunning piece of fiction, beautifully written and expertly crafted in such a way that grips you and carries you on a roller coaster ride of emotions and nerves. The three main characters, James, Sarah and Sam, each possess both good and bad characteristics, and I found myself both rooting for and cursing them constantly. 

Sarah first comes across as timid and weak, but we discover (along with Sarah) her true self through the novel's progression. Her decisions throughout had me almost yelling out loud at her they were so wrong at times, but the great thing about Avelynn's storytelling prowess is that I completely understood why she was making them. Many times I found myself asking what I would do in her situation, which is always a great thing for a story to produce in a reader.

James is seemingly the polar opposite of Sarah. He's strong, protective, unafraid of standing up for both himself and his sister. But James also harbors a darkness that eats away at him from page one. A darkness that shows itself more and more as the novel moves forward. A darkness that threatens everyone. I have to admit that my feelings toward James changed by the end of the book, but to avoid any spoilers, I won't say how. 

Sam, to me, is the light of this novel, though as I said, he isn't all good and perfect all the time (who is, right?). But Sam does represent possibility and hope, not only for James and Sarah, but also for himself. The relationships he has with both Sarah and James are severely damaged right from the start, but he has a quiet optimism inside that somehow keeps the fragility of those relationships intact.

My Rating:

I really can't express how powerful and moving this novel is. I was swept into the story from the first page, and I stayed there until the unbelievable end. I give FLAWED 5 Stars, and highly recommend (demand, really) that you all go and get a copy now and meet a cast of characters that will stay with you long after you've read the last word.