Torn

Torn tackled a lot of awesome aspects that I didn't expect in a novel of this genre... politics, classes, racism, idealism, even sexism to some degree. The politics were the main source of the drama, since Sophie's brother was the head of the revolution that she honestly didn't want to have anything to do with.  There was a lot of truth hidden in this book and I was impressed by it. But the main thing I appreciated was that Sophie was in the middle of both parties; the Noble people, and the commoners, and she began to see both sides of the problem and understand it. She began to understand why the rich acted the way they did, and the responsibility they had on them. And she began to show her Noble friends a bit more of what it was like to be common, to the point where the began to agree that change was in fact necessary.  Sophie's character was interesting and well developed, and to some degree I sympathized with her, but to another degree I had zero sympathy. First of all, you don't sleep with a Duke when you know you can't marry him. Sorry girl, but your heartbreak is on you. Second, her refusal to speak her mind often got her into sticky conversations, and I get that she was trying to stay out of it, but if you don't want people to assume where you stand, you need to tell them.  I did, however, do a little happy dance when she came clean and "righted her wrongs." (I'll keep the details a secret for your benefit). As far as the plot, there were a few things I figured out sooner than I was supposed to, and I'd wished I'd gotten the shock and awe that the author intended. But all in all, I was very happy with the plot and the way everything worked out. I loved the magical aspect of it, and watching Sophie refine and hone her gifts.  The writing was simple, clever, funny, and full of emotion. The narration was by the amazing Moira Quirk and she did a phenomenal job, as always.  I'm excited for the next book and I hope it's just as exciting and hilarious as the first! Content/Recommendation: Non-detailed sex scene, no language or graphic violence. Ages 15+