Publication Date: October 7, 2014
Book Description:
Forced to obey her master.
Compelled to help her enemy.
Determined to free herself.
Nalia is a jinni of tremendous ancient power, the only survivor of a coup that killed nearly everyone she loved. Stuffed into a bottle and sold by a slave trader, she’s now in hiding on the dark caravan, the lucrative jinni slave trade between Arjinna and Earth, where jinn are forced to grant wishes and obey their human masters’ every command. She’d give almost anything to be free of the golden shackles that bind her to Malek, her handsome, cruel master, and his lavish Hollywood lifestyle.
Enter Raif, the enigmatic leader of Arjinna’s revolution and Nalia’s sworn enemy. He promises to free Nalia from her master so that she can return to her ravaged homeland and free her imprisoned brother—all for an unbearably high price. Nalia’s not sure she can trust him, but Raif’s her only hope of escape. With her enemies on the hunt, Earth has become more perilous than ever for Nalia. There’s just one catch: for Raif’s unbinding magic to work, Nalia must gain possession of her bottle…and convince the dangerously persuasive Malek that she truly loves him. Battling a dark past and harboring a terrible secret, Nalia soon realizes her freedom may come at a price too terrible to pay: but how far is she willing to go for it?
Inspired by Arabian Nights, EXQUISITE CAPTIVE brings to life a deliciously seductive world where a wish can be a curse and shadows are sometimes safer than the light.
My Thoughts:
Compelled to help her enemy.
Determined to free herself.
Nalia is a jinni of tremendous ancient power, the only survivor of a coup that killed nearly everyone she loved. Stuffed into a bottle and sold by a slave trader, she’s now in hiding on the dark caravan, the lucrative jinni slave trade between Arjinna and Earth, where jinn are forced to grant wishes and obey their human masters’ every command. She’d give almost anything to be free of the golden shackles that bind her to Malek, her handsome, cruel master, and his lavish Hollywood lifestyle.
Enter Raif, the enigmatic leader of Arjinna’s revolution and Nalia’s sworn enemy. He promises to free Nalia from her master so that she can return to her ravaged homeland and free her imprisoned brother—all for an unbearably high price. Nalia’s not sure she can trust him, but Raif’s her only hope of escape. With her enemies on the hunt, Earth has become more perilous than ever for Nalia. There’s just one catch: for Raif’s unbinding magic to work, Nalia must gain possession of her bottle…and convince the dangerously persuasive Malek that she truly loves him. Battling a dark past and harboring a terrible secret, Nalia soon realizes her freedom may come at a price too terrible to pay: but how far is she willing to go for it?
Inspired by Arabian Nights, EXQUISITE CAPTIVE brings to life a deliciously seductive world where a wish can be a curse and shadows are sometimes safer than the light.
Just about everything about this book was amazing. The idea of it all was imaginative, thrilling, and unique. I absolutely loved the idea of a story inspired by Arabian Nights. I loved the who grander of the very expressive, detailed, world building in this story. I loved the fact that it's diverse. It was truly a thrilling and captivating story.
The image that came to my mind as the main character Nalia was the actress Aishwarya Rai that I won't even try to pronounce. But with the descriptions. She was what came to mind. This Bollywood actress has to be (in my opinion) one of the most beautiful women on the earth! The stunning eyes that contrast everything else is amazing and for the character, she is what I visioned. As a character Nalia never lost her spirit, she never lost any of her spunk and her identity. I loved that about her. She never lost sight of who she was and where she came from and that she was meant for greatness, regardless of past mistakes. She was also flawed and human which made her relatable. Overall I really enjoyed her character.
I enjoyed the love triangle (which is rare) between Malek and Raif. Because with this one you actually feel bad for "the bad guy," because you're not really sure if you could completely blame him for all his actions. Am I rooting for this main bad guy? No. But as you learn more about Malek and why he is the way he is, you kind of feel bad for him but in no way do I excuse his actions. Nope, absolutely not. However the author did a good job and making you feel for his character to some
degree.
The attraction between Raif and Nalia was a bit too fast for me that I would've liked but not so fast that I couldn't completely enjoy it. I liked Raif's character overall and look forward to what the author will do with him.
I really liked the the back story of where Jinni's come from, the world building about their world and society. It was all fascinating and completely enthralling. I enjoyed the mystical creature and was added to the story. I truly look forward to this story and what is has to offer.
The one thing I struggled with, was the fact that this is a YA but the characters really and truly are not. Because of that Nalia has to seduce Malek and sleep with him in order to gain her freedom. And the fact that somehow these people/race don't age, especially Malek, so they are stuck in a younger body but with the mind that is older. And the sexual theme part of the story, I think is more for older audiences.
Overall I loved the whole story of the Jinni's and their war and world and look forward to more of what this author has to bring.
Sexual Content: moderate (PG-13 some heavy kissing/ make out, seduction, nothing too graphic)
Violence: moderate (PG-13 creature and it's killing, war/fighting segments, understanding of abuse)
Language: moderate (for an almost 500 page book there were about 5 F words, and a few other choice words)
Drugs/Alcohol: mild (some social drinking)
*A HUGE thank you to Balzer + Bray and the author for this book, which I got in exchange for an honest review*
 |
| Yes, he is from India |
degree.
The attraction between Raif and Nalia was a bit too fast for me that I would've liked but not so fast that I couldn't completely enjoy it. I liked Raif's character overall and look forward to what the author will do with him.
I really liked the the back story of where Jinni's come from, the world building about their world and society. It was all fascinating and completely enthralling. I enjoyed the mystical creature and was added to the story. I truly look forward to this story and what is has to offer.
The one thing I struggled with, was the fact that this is a YA but the characters really and truly are not. Because of that Nalia has to seduce Malek and sleep with him in order to gain her freedom. And the fact that somehow these people/race don't age, especially Malek, so they are stuck in a younger body but with the mind that is older. And the sexual theme part of the story, I think is more for older audiences.
Overall I loved the whole story of the Jinni's and their war and world and look forward to more of what this author has to bring.
Sexual Content: moderate (PG-13 some heavy kissing/ make out, seduction, nothing too graphic)
Violence: moderate (PG-13 creature and it's killing, war/fighting segments, understanding of abuse)
Language: moderate (for an almost 500 page book there were about 5 F words, and a few other choice words)
Drugs/Alcohol: mild (some social drinking)
Meet the Author
When she's not traipsing around the world or spending time in imaginary places, Heather Demetrios lives with her husband in New York City. Originally from Los Angeles, she now calls the East Coast home. Heather is a recipient of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award for her debut novel, Something Real, which Publisher's Weekly calls “[An] addictive yet thoughtful debut” about reality TV stardom. She is the author of the upcoming EXQUISITE CAPTIVE, a smoldering fantasy about jinn in Los Angeles and what Kirkus called in its starred review "an intoxicating, richly realized realm of magic, politics, spirituality and history" (#1 in the DARK CARAVAN CYCLE). She is also the author of the upcoming I’ll Meet You There (Winter 2015). I’ll Meet You There is a love story about a young combat veteran and a girl trapped in their small town, both struggling to escape the war at home. Heather is the founder of Live Your What, an organization dedicated to fostering passion in people of all ages and creating writing opportunities for youth of limited economic means. She is proud to have an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. You can always find her on Twitter (@HDemetrios), ogling the military dogs she wants to adopt (but can’t because her NYC apartment is way too small). Find out more about Heather and her other books at wwww.heatherdemetrios.com and www.darkcaravancycle.com.
Nice review, this book really sounds interesting adding to my ever growing TBR list and haha :D my name is also Aishwarya...Do you like him I mean Hritik Roshan? :)
ReplyDelete