Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

THOUGHTS: 

YA books about the nephilim are everywhere, but most of the time, we read about these said nephilim being the earth's protectors or whatnot. Wendy Higgins, however, not only deviates from this very much overused concept, she also spins an original take on the world of the nephilim unlike any other. In Sweet Evil, we are introduced to a world where the nephilim aren't all high and mighty - rather, they are partly responsible for spreading evil in the world... and they actually revel in it! 

Sweet Evil is a captivating read, and I believe the factor that made that so is Higgins' world-building. I've never read anything that is even remotely similar to the world she brought to life. Sure, there's the expected nephilim and his or her parent, but the fact that the parent in question represents either a vice or one of the seven deadly sins and is a duke of hell is unchartered territory. Not only that, we are also made privy to the fact that the offsprings of these dukes - the nephilim - have to work for their parents in making sure that humans engage in sins and vices!

The nephilim proved to be interesting characters, and we are introduced to quite a few. There's Kaidan, the son of the duke of lust (I bet you guys can imagine what he does when he works for his father) and Kopano, son of the duke of wrath, and of course, Anna, the daughter of the duke of substance abuse, amongst others. This is probably an unpopular opinion, but while I agree with everyone that Kaidan is indeed hott (with an extra t, to quote Anna) and that I would enjoy learning more about him in the coming books, I actually prefer Kopano. I can't pinpoint why, exactly, other than the fact that he's practically an enigma - I just know that I do, just like I know that I like Jem better than Will. ;) 

There is one thing that I didn't love about this book though, and that's Anna. Anna Anna Anna. She brings a whole new meaning to the word 'naive'. Anna is portrayed as someone who absolutely refuses to do anything that she considers bad, which is obviously a bit difficult considering that she's the daughter of one of the twelve dukes. She's also too sheltered, and she practically knows nothing about the world. Moreover, though I can comprehend that the reason why Anna isn't innately evil (or at least as prone to reckless behavior as her fellow nephilims), reading about her internal struggles mixed with her naivety got a wee bit annoying to a certain extent. She was just too naive, too perfect, and too sheltered for my taste. I did enjoy the parts of the book wherein Anna interacts with her father though - their relationship is amazing!


Overall, I enjoyed reading Sweet Evil. I just can't get enough of the world Higgins created!


Rating: 4 Stars