Review: Existence

Existence by Abbi Glines

(Kindle Location, 1303) "You're the one thing I want the most in the world yet the one thing I cannot have. Because to have you completely would be impossible."




SYNOPSIS:


Pagan has maintained normalcy in her life by ignoring the wandering souls she has seen since she was young. With her cold rebuff, they leave her alone. But Dank is different. Not only can he speak, but she finds herself unable to deny the passion between them. Who is this mysterious soul and what does he protect her from?

REVIEW:


I'm not sure my review can be too descriptive without some spoilers so I will avoid that. Honestly, I'm tired of weak female protagonists that simply lose their minds over the loss/disappearance/rebuff from a boy. Is this what teenage girls are supposed to connect with - where is the girl power from the 90s? Life can be much tougher people. 


Pagan is a very one dimensional character - not in that she is shy or has "geeky" hobbies, but the truth of the matter is that in order for the author to have her solely interacting with Dank, she has a very absentee mother and a friend who simply disappears once she resumes dating her old boyfriend. What are Pagan's hobbies? What was her past boyfriend like? What does she find funny? What are her dislikes? We never know. 


Towards the end the book seems very rushed. One minute Pagan sees other people die, then she volunteers at a hospital, then she's in the hospital and then she almost dies again...and so on. Also, we never find out - why does Dank appear so young? Can he change bodies? Faces? Why does he pretend to like the popular girl? Why are some souls chosen to transport people? What's the difference between transporting and being claimed by Death? 


Then the last line of the book comes as a shock but in a really underdeveloped way. It's as if all of a sudden Top Model ended with Tyra Banks turning to the camera and declaring she's a vampire - when we've seen absolutely ZERO evidence of that. This is how it is with one of the characters. 


Bottom Line: I won't be reading the next book in the series. Perhaps if Pagan's character was more developed and likable it would save the weakness of the plot but the combination is just not worth it. 


Rating: ♥ = eh, not so good