Book Review: Elixir by Hilary Duff

With her new book Devoted just out people may be wondering if this actress has any talent.  Well, welcome to the lab table.  I have Elixir on the dissecting table so gather round and watch as we examine this book.

Just to give you an idea of the story, here is a synopsis.
Clea Raymond, daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, is a photographer who travels around the world.  But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before. 
With a close friend, she goes off to find out about her father’s disappearance, and discovers a centuries old truth that ties her to the mysterious man in her pictures.  There's more but for times sake lets move on.  

The pros of this book:
For a first novel it's not bad.  You get romance, travel, suspense, adventure, supernatural and the promise of soul mates.  What more could you ask for?  The chapters are lengthy though there are only thirteen chapters (just over 300 pages) it's fast pace and a page turner.  Clea is close to her friends Ben and Rayna, she spends time with them and has trust in them.  The places she goes to are described in such detail that you can almost imagine really being there.  You can relate to the characters, their emotions and actions.  What starts off as a normal world of a young girl becomes a supernatural fantasy that takes her from the beaches of Brazil to the busy streets of Japan.  The relationship between Sage and Clea is breathtakingly beautiful, best of all we get a love triangle!  This book is perfect for those 16+, for the hopeless romantics and for those who believe in soul mates.

Now on to the cons.
I will try my best to keep the spoilers out so bare with me.
Elixir is co written by Hilary Duff and Elise Allen.  So what's the problem?  It's obvious in the book that two people wrote it.  The first half of the book is written with a slow feeling yet has promising pose.  The characters are presented well yet by the second half of the book you start to wonder what happened.  The story picks up and the pose is all over the place.  The characters never develop, their actions are borderline ridiculous, and the number one thing that is the biggest con is something of a spoiler.  I can't reveal it but I'll tell you this;  the story starts out with a goal in mind and that goal is never met.  It is the leading reason for the events but the issue is never solved.

My final verdict.

I read this book over two months ago and my feelings for it have settled so that I may give an honest and logical response to it.  My verdict; do not read this book.  If you couldn't guess my opinion from the cons then you shouldn't, absolutely, read this book.  I have read books that I've considered bad (The Twilight series) but never has there ever been a book that I've regretted buying.  After reading this book I actually wanted to read Twilight again.  Okay, why is it bad?  The plot is lost;  looking for her father is shadowed by Clea's feelings for this mystery guy named Sage.  The 'love triangle' is old.  Best guy friend and the mysterious cold guy she just met.  I wonder if the YA publishers think readers are this stupid that we don't care about plot, character development or structure.  Clea is annoying and naive (i.e. the fact that she blames all the problems she is having on her friend Ben and listens to her friend Rayna when she should have listened to her head).  Sage is just a bad boy, with the same arrogant, self centered attitude that is flooded in YA books these days.  Rayna is the typical over-sexed nitwit friend who gives Clea the worst answers when she can't think for herself.  Ben is probable the only character that I found redeeming.  I wish Ben was given more focus (a chapter or two of his own?) and honestly I felt bad for him.  He is a believable character who was pushed off to the side.   
All in all, avoid it.  If you can't, and you must read it, consider this your warning:  It's predictable and has a WTF ending.  What's a WTF ending?  Some say it's a cliff hanger but if it leaves you saying "WTF?" then it's a bad ending.  An ending that I pray no reader should ever go through again.  Oh, the humanity!
P.s.  The pro part of this blog was written with sarcasm, seriously I almost vomited all over my keyboard.

Signed, The Carnivorous Rabbit .......(who has a stomach ache from this review)

P.p.s.  Reading this was like getting smashed in the face with a shovel.  Honestly, I'd rather shoot myself in the foot then read this again.