{"id":11023,"date":"2016-08-14T08:28:58","date_gmt":"2016-08-14T12:28:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=11023"},"modified":"2017-03-08T15:53:51","modified_gmt":"2017-03-08T20:53:51","slug":"arc-review-veiled-ada-palomino-1-by-karina-halle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=11023","title":{"rendered":"ARC Review: Veiled (Ada Palomino, #1) by Karina Halle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook\u00a0 <\/a>| Paperback<\/a> <\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\r\n <\/div><\/div>\n
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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

4 scary, sexy, supernatural stars<\/b><\/p>\n

As a die-hard fan of the Experiment in Terror<\/i> series, I have been so excited to get my hands on this book! Ada was a wonderful side character as the younger sister of EIT heroine, Perry, a 15 year old with wit, sass and courageousness, and I knew she would shine as the heroine of her own story, and she totally did!<\/p>\n

A quick note – this book is not a direct follow on from EIT. It\u2019s set in the same world of course, taking place about two years after the end of the final book in the series, and there\u2019s a lot of reference made to events from the EIT books but technically this book can be read as a standalone. I think readers would appreciate this one more if they had read EIT first, but there\u2019s a lot of explanation given to the supernatural world and everything that\u2019s happening, and it\u2019s certainly an enjoyable read on its own (but if you are planning on reading EIT at some point in the future, just be aware that there are huge spoilers in this book for that series). And though Dex and Perry do appear in this story, the focus has very much shifted away from them and the feel of this book is very different, and I was really impressed with the way that Karina was able to create a unique story that is wholly Ada\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Fifteen\u201d has grown up and is now an 18 year old who is enjoying her summer break before she begins studying fashion design at College. But like her sister and her grandmother before her, she knows that she is not normal. She knows about the supernatural world \u2013 about ghosts, demons and other terrifying things, and she knows how dangerously real they are. But when her gruesome and violent dreams start to blur with reality and her mother\u2019s torment becomes all too real, she knows she\u2019s in trouble.<\/p>\n

After all I\u2019ve been through, I know nothing is impossible. And even though on the surface I have a pretty average life for an eighteen-year-old, beneath the surface I\u2019m anything but average.
\nLuckily, very few people scratch beneath the surface. If they did, they\u2019d either run screaming or have me committed.
\nSometimes I think the latter might be preferable. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And then there\u2019s the man. The man in her dreams who it seems is actually very real. A man named Jay who has just moved in next door and who is tied to Ada in ways she never imagined, and who is about to guide her through experiences that are the stuff of nightmares.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even really know who you are.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m the one who has your back,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve been watching you for a very, very long time.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I can\u2019t really go into detail without giving too much away, but OMG, this is a heart-pounding read! Karina\u2019s writing is vividly descriptive as she drags us into Ada\u2019s personal hell as she comes to realise the reality that is now her life. Demons, creepy-crawlies, ghosts and shadows, it\u2019s all terrifyingly freaky, and the added suspense just adds to the intensity.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a fight ahead of you, one that goes far beyond what you\u2019ve seen in your dreams.\u201d
\nWell fucking hell. \u201cPlease tell me some good news,\u201d I whisper to him, my nails digging into my palm. \u201cYour bedside manner sucks.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m your good news.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And then there\u2019s Jay. Just, damn. The man is fiercely protective of his charge, and his good looks and broody intensity add to his appeal. Ada is smitten, and it soon becomes clear that the attraction goes both ways, and the sexual tension simmers along beautifully. But a relationship between them is strictly forbidden\u2026 and we all know what that means!<\/p>\n

\u201cI may be immortal but I am still a man with blood pumping in my veins.\u201d He moves an inch closer. My skin heats up. Every nerve is burning. \u201cYou are off-limits. You are forbidden to me. And all it does is make me want you more.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yep, there\u2019s some pretty sensational steamy time! And all of that intensity blends with Ada\u2019s mission to saved her loved one and literally face down the demons that are tormenting her. It\u2019s a wildly exciting ride that is gruesome, horrifying and disturbingly creepy, but it\u2019s also freakishly addicting \u2013 just read this book with the lights on!<\/p>\n

The normal I\u2019ve always wanted to be will now never be reached. It was always in my grasp\u2026but it\u2019s just smoke in my hand.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I love Ada. She\u2019s only 18 but with all that she\u2019s been through she\u2019s wise beyond her years. She is strong and determined, though understandably struggles with the grief, confusion and fear over everything that she\u2019s going through, but her sass and wicked sense of humour win through time and time again, and she\u2019s just sensational.<\/p>\n

\u201cI should have known what I was getting into with you.\u201d
\n\u201cOh please,\u201d I tell him. \u201cI am a motherfucking delight.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And enigmatic Jay is a wonderfully complex character. He\u2019s got an intriguing backstory and has his own struggles to go through, but he was wonderful with Ada – the perfect combination of sweet and tender, and downright dirty, and I absolutely loved him!<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re destined for something great, Ada, I know this. And it\u2019s an honor to help see you through it.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And together they make a fantastic team. Not just because of the sizzling chemistry, and slow burning, banter-filled relationship that is developing between them, but everything that they have to face together. It creates a great dynamic, and though this book ends at a good place, the stage is set for more adventures to come, and I hope we get to see more of Ada and Jay in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe past doesn\u2019t define us. It\u2019s what we do here and now, today, that does. This world was built on second chances.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I loved it \u2013 4 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

Quotes used in this review were taken from the ARC version of the book and may differ from final version.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ada Palomino series<\/strong><\/h4>\n

An Experiment in Terror<\/a> series spin-off<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Veiled\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Veiled (#1)<\/strong>
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0\u00a0Amazon\u00a0 <\/a>|\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Song for the Dead (#2)<\/strong>
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: \u00a0Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Demon Dust (#3)<\/strong>
\nTo be released 6 March 2023
\nPre-order:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Check out our Karina Halle Author Spotlight <\/a>for more books by this author.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook\u00a0 | Paperback Review 4 scary, sexy, supernatural stars As a die-hard fan of the Experiment in Terror series, I have been so excited to get my hands on this book! Ada was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[95,10,9,29],"tags":[450,59,38,48],"class_list":["post-11023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mystery","category-paranormal","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-ada-palomino","tag-arc","tag-karina-halle","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Veiled.jpg?fit=150%2C224&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-2RN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11023\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}