Christina

***Possible Spoilers



Whew, where to begin with this one. I guess I'll start with Sin. Sexy, Sexy, Sexy! I don't have enough words to describe how incredibly HOT he is. Here's what Boyd sees when he first encounters Sin: over six feet tall, jet black hair, think long black eyelashes, vivid green eyes, sculptured full lips, high cheekbones, caramel-tinted tan complexion, thin body crafted entirely into muscle, moves like a predator. And this isn't even the half of it.

Ok, ok, onto the story.

Evenfall takes place in a dystopian future after WWIII. Hsin Liu Vega (Sin) is one of the top agents working in a secret division of the government that deals with anti-war/government groups. Sin was trained by his father at the age of eight to become an assassin. He is the best at what he does, however he is also mentally unstable and kills at the drop of a hat. Because of this he is labeled "The Monster". Well, it's no wonder since he was trained to become a killer from the time he was a young boy. Then there are the many other disturbing facts that come out about his childhood and all the cruel and sadistic "punishments" inflicted repeatedly on him by The Agency for his disobedience. They isolate him and mentally and physically torment him. They keep him in a locked box knowing he's claustrophobic and in order to control him, they use a neck collar which emits electric shocks when activated. My poor Sin :(

Anyway, Sin is needed on an extremely important mission but needs a partner to keep him under control. Of course it's difficult to find someone since Sin doesn't get along with anyone and has played a role in the death of his last 4 partners. Now, here comes Boyd!

Boyd Beaulieu, is the introverted son of one of the top officials in The Agency and is recommended for the job. Boyd is the first person not to judge Sin and wants to genuinely work with him. However, Boyd also comes with his own set of emotional baggage. They both begin to realize that they are more alike than they think. They slowly break down each other's walls and begin to trust each ane other. They are also incredibly attracted to one another. The build-up is slow but their chemistry together is crazy good and when they finally do get together, Holy Hell it's scorching! I had a hard time breathing when these two got together.

This book has a lot going on. There's the government missions and intrigue, Sin and Boyd's internal battles, their growing relationship, their past relationships, their relationships with family and colleagues and all this comes together in an amazing story. Without realizing it, Sin and Boyd open up new sides to each other which neither of them knew existed.

What prevented this from being a 5-star is how wordy and repetitive it is. This drags down the book tremendously. Not only was the content repetitive but I also noticed the same phrases used several times. Boyd's over-analytical and endless inner monologue's were extremely difficult to get through. It just went on and on and sometimes over ridicules things, like how Boyd was going to work an oven. I mean, we really didn't need him analyzing the in and outs of an oven. But I guess that's Boyd. Besides this, I also found myself questioning some of the logic of the decisions that Sin and Boyd made on missions.
There were also scenes that were very unrealistic. I love Sin but it's a bit unbelievable that he can take on a room of 30 armed men and come out of it alive.

One of the most memorable lines that touched me was when Sin was looking at the painting called Atonement. It was a depiction of a boy standing alone in a bombed out city after the war. He was in uniform, covered in dirt and blood and had an empty stare. Sin saw himself. He says the boy, the soldier needed to atone for his actions in the war, for the lives he took and possibly look for a way to make up for what he's done. What I loved was the artist's interpretation. She stated: "Perhaps it is not him who is in need of atonement. Maybe it is....the world. The world, the powers that be....they created a generation of soldiers like him. Boy fighters, child killers, ones who did not have the chance to live before the world armed them and so, they had no idea how to live when the fighting was no longer needed."
Sin indentified with the boy and I guess it was this moment that Sin's pain became so overwhelming to me.

Despite the issues I mentioned above, I loved this book. Sin and Boyd make it all worth it. I loved the plot, the action kept me on the edge of my seat and I can't wait for more.