Review--Predestined by Abbi Glines

You would think after helping save her boyfriend from an eternity in Hell that things would go back to normal. Well, as normal as life can be when you can see souls and your boyfriend is Death. But for Pagan Moore, things are just getting weirder. 

The high school quarterback and reigning heartthrob, Leif Montgomery, is missing. While the town is in a frenzy of worry, Pagan is a nervous wreck for other reasons. Apparently good ‘ol Leif isn’t your average teenage boy. He isn’t even human. According to Death, Leif doesn’t have a soul. The quarterback may have skipped town but he’s still showing up in Pagan’s dreams... uninvited. 

Dank has known from the beginning Leif wasn’t human. But he hadn’t worried about a simple soulless creature. Now, he realizes he made a grave mistake. Pagan’s soul has been marked since birth as a restitution, to a spirit so dark not even Death walks near it. Dank knows saving Pagan’s soul won’t be easy but Pagan is his. And he’s already proven he’ll defy Heaven to keep her. If Hell wants a piece of him too, then bring it on.


Abbi Glines' Predestined takes the trilogy into a new turn! The last words we knew were that Leif wasn't human. And when someone says that about anyone, questions are bound to leap off lips! Pretty quickly we learn that Leif is the prince of the dead in the Voodoo religion. His father is the king and Pagan's soul was promised to him so very long ago.    

Turns out Pagan was supposed to die when she was young child but her mother, desperate, took her to a Voodoo priestess and begged her to do whatever possible to save her. What Pagan's mom didn't know was that Pagan's soul was being promised to the Voodoo king's son, Leif. Leif then made several appearances in Pagan's life over the years that she didn't remember until she started having dreams and the memories returned.  

 Leif is just down right creepy to me in this one. Knowing what he is, his actions are just so possessive and wrong. And kind of icky too, because he doesn't think he's doing anything wrong. He believes that Pagan should love him completely, and would have to if it weren't for Dank being in her life. Leif basically stalks her throughout this one, trying to get her to agree to come with him, to go home, where she belongs with him and his father. Yeah, like that's not creepy or anything!    

There were some intense surprises in this one, one that totally shocked me to my core because I didn't see it coming at all. Neither did Pagan and it's that result that leads her to do Leif's bidding, which of course sets Dank on a rampage to get her back. Because really, who wants Death to be pissed at them?    

The pacing to this one was better than the first I think. I guess because we know more of what's going on in Pagan and Dank's lives. A nice surprise to this one was that both Pagan and Dank are telling the story. It was definitely interesting and intense to be reading from Dank's point of view. He is pretty intense himself and his feelings for Pagan always blow me away. But sometimes I feel like his feelings are a little over the top. I think it's because I am over analyzing things, looking for there to be things that I don't like. But still, I think the romantic feelings between Pagan and Dank are a little over the top.

I guess the easiest way to describe this read was that it was intense. Lots of things happened that I can't go into that were just mind-blowing! Which again brings out my pessimist side and wondering if maybe things were too mind-blowing just for the sake of mind-blowing, but I tend to ignore her after she makes those kinds of comments. This series is a struggle for me to either like or hate, I guess because I read mixed reviews and I am feeling influenced by them.    

Overall this one was very enjoyable! I still enjoy the romance between Pagan and Dank because it is kind of sweet, intense, but sweet. Abbi ends this one on yet another cliffhanger, so luckily I have the next one to read as well, but first I must read the novella Leif, that one has got to be interesting after how things ended, although the resolution of the main conflict did feel a little abrupt. Based on the description of the next book, I am led to believe it's done and over, so yeah, that felt a little too perfect for the situation. Although, a teeny tiny mentioning in this one proves to be the bulk of the next one and it may just drive Pagan and Dank apart!  

 Predestined was an overall intriguing read with a few flaws here and there, but still worth a read if it seems to catch your interest. These books are rather quick reads too and I am enjoying them fairly well so far!    

Overall Rating 4/5 stars