Ashley Stoyanoff's Review: Dolmarehn by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

★ Ashley Stoyanoff's Review ★

Dolmarehn (The Otherworld Trilogy, #2) 
by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

Title: Dolmarehn (The Otherworld Trilogy, #2)
Author: Jenna Elizabeth JohnsonNumber of Pages: 235Publication Information: Jenna Elizabeth Johnson (August 2012) Genre: YA, Paranormal, FictionShelf: Books I Bought
Rating: ★★★

Summary from Goodreads:

His voice was soft, almost pleading. I swallowed and tried hard to discern his expression in the dark. The paltry amount of light reaching this far into the small cavern glinted off his eyes, giving him the appearance of a demon trying to tempt me into doing something evil.

“Yes,” I answered, my own voice a mere whisper, “I trust you.”

“Good.”

He gave my hand a quick squeeze, and then I was pulled forward into the icy abyss that loomed before us . . .
A year ago, Meghan Elam learned that she was Faelorehn, a being of the Otherworld. Immortal. Now she must juggle her life in the mortal world with the one she has started to build in the Otherworld. However, keeping her identity secret from her friends and family while trying to avoid a wrathful Celtic goddess is no easy task.
With the help of the intriguing Cade MacRoich, Meghan will learn that not only does she come from a place full of magic and wonder but that she, too, is far more powerful than she ever thought possible.
“Yes,” I answered, my own voice a mere whisper, “I trust you.”“Good.”He gave my hand a quick squeeze, and then I was pulled forward into the icy abyss that loomed before us . . .A year ago, Meghan Elam learned that she was Faelorehn, a being of the Otherworld. Immortal. Now she must juggle her life in the mortal world with the one she has started to build in the Otherworld. However, keeping her identity secret from her friends and family while trying to avoid a wrathful Celtic goddess is no easy task.
With the help of the intriguing Cade MacRoich, Meghan will learn that not only does she come from a place full of magic and wonder but that she, too, is far more powerful than she ever thought possible.

My Review:

I’ve been sitting here starting at the computer screen for the last 30 minutes trying to figure out how to review this book.  I loved it; I like it, and in parts, it drove me absolutely crazy.  I’m just so torn.  

What I liked:  

The Dagda brought a few smiles to my face, and I’m sure he will become one of my favorite characters as the series goes on.  He has a wonderful charisma to him, and he really livened up the story when things got too serious.  

I also liked the sparks of romance between Cade and Meghan.  The only thing that kept this from theLove list was Meghan’s constant internalizing about waiting for the “right time."  She’s a teenager, but yet, there was no impulsive teenager behavior.  Nevertheless, I giggled a few times and smiled and could completely picture what Cade’s kiss would be like.  :) 

What drove me crazy:

There were three things that really had me gritting my teeth.  The first and most frustrating was all the inconsistencies in the story.  I found myself having to go back and reread full chapters trying to figure out what I had missed only to find that I didn’t miss anything.  What I thought was missing just hadn’t been written.  For example, in one scene the characters woke up a dawn, traveled two hours, and when they arrived at their destination two hours later it was sunset.  What happened to the rest of the day?  

The next was the chapter titles.  There was one chapter near the end in particular that I actually had tears in my eyes until I flipped the page and the title gave away exactly what was going to happen next.  It took away the suspense, and I found myself skimming the pages instead of absorbing to story.

The last thing was Meghan’s character.  She grew a bit from the first book, but I still really couldn’t connect with her.   She thought so much but never really acted on the thoughts until it was too late.  For a teenage girl, this seems unrealistic.  However, at the very end she came out of her shell and showed promise for the next book.  

My overall thoughts:  
Even with the draw backs, I still enjoyed the story.  I can see the potential, and the second book was definitely better than the first.  I’m looking forward to the next book in the seriesand cannot wait to see what happens.  

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