ARC Review--The Lovely and the Lost by Page Morgan

TRUST NO ONE.

Ingrid and Gabby Waverly moved to France expecting a quiet reprieve from London gossip, but the truth they face in their new home has a sharper--and deadlier--sting.

Paris is plagued by an underworld of demons and gargoyles who all seem to want something from the Waverly girls. Saving Ingrid's twin, Grayson, from the fallen angel Axia nearly killed them. And they're still being hunted--only this time, demons aren't their only predators.

Ingrid's blood is special: it bestows the power to command gargoyles. It's an ability no other human has, and in the wrong hands, it could be used to send her cursed guardian, Luc, and his fellow Dispossessed to extinction. There are those who will do anything to get Ingrid's blood--and they see no value in human life.

The Alliance has vowed to protect the Waverlys, and a new gargoyle has been assigned to guard their abbey home alongside Luc. But no one can watch over Ingrid, Gabby, and Grayson all the time--which means the three must learn to fight for themselves.

Because darkness now follows the Waverlys. And sometimes darkness comes in the form you trust the most.

I received this ARC while attending the Less than Three Conference in October 2013, I was in no way compensated for this review.


When I saw Page Morgan's The Lovely and the Lost at the Less than Three Conference, for authors against bullying, I was quite happy! And I must say that Page really does pick the story up quite well, more than I expected. For in the first book, there was a lot of discovery going on for the Waverly siblings. Where those discoveries would take them was anyone's guess. But here, we get the answers! And then, of course, more questions!

It's been a month or so since we last saw our characters, not much has changed, but a lot is about to happen. Gabby is learning how to use the sword Nolan gave her, Grayson is dealing with being a hellhound some of the time and Ingrid is learning how to control her own powers and also deal with her never ending love triangle of Luc versus Vander.

The siblings are more than surprised however when their father makes an unexpected visit. Having tried to contact him when Grayson was missing, everyone is surprised when he actually shows up afterward. What I find surprising in this series is that Ingrid's mother does spend a little more time with her children. Granted, she's not there all the time, but she's there a lot more than other YA books' parents are. And let's just say that daddy dearest, isn't all that dear either.

Then there's the new gargoyle on the block who is sent to aid Luc is protecting the Waverly family. Luc isn't pleased with Dimitrie, but there really isn't much he can do about it. There are also a few new enemies popping up. I won't name names there, but it was quite surprising to see a whole cast of new characters coming in.

I mentioned in my review of The Beautiful and the Cursed, that I was more intrigued with Gabby and her story and that remains a bit true! I love Gabby and her feisty attitude! She is so willing to be apart of the Alliance and join them in battling evil, but sadly there is no warm welcome for her from the adults of the Alliance who make their return to Paris. It was saddening. Nolan does his best to comfort her and I admit, he did do a decent job of it! Still love him and his Scottish brogue!

Ingrid and her love problem, continues to be a problem it seems. She admits to herself to loving Luc and basically wanting to be with him, despite it being against the rules, and yet, she still allows herself "moments" with Vander. I don't get it. Hence the reason why I tend to loathe love triangles!

One of the new problems happens to be another child who was "gifted" with demon blood. He bears the powers of a spider demon and is causing a bit of havoc in Paris. The prologue gives us a little insight to him before we only get to know him more through Ingrid's POV segments.

As with the first novel, it's told in third person point of view through Ingrid, Gabby, Grayson and Luc. Always enjoyable to switch perspectives, especially Gabby, because yeah, a little gaa gaa over Nolan. But I enjoyed all their perspectives.

There was quite a bit of action in this one, as there were so very many problems to be dealt with. Each character has their own little problem going on and then there's always the greater issue that needs to be dealt with by all of them. With so much going on, there's never a dull moment!

The ending was quite shocking! Like the evil cliffhanger variety and now here I am stuck waiting til 2015 for the next one! The main problems are all resolved, but there is quite the onset of new problems starting with each character again. It's going to be amazing to see what happens next and I am eager with anticipation for a book that I don't even know the title of!

Overall, The Lovely and the Lost was the perfect read! Such exciting action, melting romance and the beautifully woven-in humor makes this a stunning read! And did I forget to mention the gargoyles? Because truly gargoyles rule!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars


The Lovely and the Lost releases May 13, 2014