Thoughts on Chaos

Chaos
By Christine O'Neil

First published: August 2013
Series: Book 1 in the Kardia Chronicles

Read: 26 August - 2 September 2013

Review copy provided by the author

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Description
My name is Maggie Raynard. After sixteen years being just plain me, suddenly I can kill people when I lose my temper. Turns out I'm a semi-god, descended from Aphrodite. Sounds cool in theory, but when I accidentally put my ex-boyfriend in a coma, things go downhill pretty fast.

Now some new guy named Mac Finnegan has made it his mission in life to continually piss me off. I'm stuck learning how to use my new powers while also dealing with regular high school problems, and with this---annoying and super-hot---guy all up in my business, I'm about to flip out.

But it gets worse. I just learned there's this council for semis that wants me dead. They think I'm bad to the bone and when my ex suddenly dies, it's like everyone is determined to take me out. Mac might turn out to be my only salvation, but he's got secrets of his own---that may just kill us both.

My thoughts

First off I have to say I haven't read many YA books dealing with mythology, so although the theme seems to be a popular one these days, it was new to me - and I found it very interesting. I actually wouldn't have minded more info on the semis and their history, but at the same time I appreciate that there are no info dumps to slow the story down. And it is by no means a slow story - there is always something happening to move it along and it never gets boring.

In the beginning I alternated between wanting to high five Maggie and smack her across the head. She's a smart, sassy girl but like any teenager she could be a bit of a brat at times, especially towards her mother (or maybe it's just me getting old...). I would have liked a little more information on Maggie's powers earlier in the book, because I didn't understand the reasons behind some of her actions at first. But as the story progressed and I learned more about what was happening to her and why she did what she did, I understood her a lot better and really felt for her. It was great seeing how she stood up for herself and how courageous she was.

I loved the relationship between Maggie and Mac. Mac is mysterious and quite aloof; he pushes all of Maggie's buttons, and is hiding some pretty serious secrets. And he's Irish, which is never a bad thing. In fact, he ended up being my favourite character.

A few weeks ago I talked about how first person narratives aren't my favourite, but O'Neil's writing style is very entertaining and flows easily so I never had a problem with the narrative. The book is fast-paced and full of action and the last quarter was impossible to put down. I'm already looking forward to the next book so I can learn more about the mythology and see how Maggie and Mac develop further as characters.

Random thoughts:
- I don't care if he's 14 years younger than me - Mac is hot.
- Bink is so adorable and Libby is just the right amount of awesome and weird.
- I'm so glad I'm done with high school!

Bonus tip: Make sure you read the copyright notice at the beginning. It made me very curious about what was to come!

Bottom line: A fun and action-filled start to a new YA series that will appeal to fans of mythology and sassy leading ladies.

My rating:

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