Sweet Evil

Sweet Evil
By Wendy Higgins

Sweet Evil is the book I wish I had written. 

I cannot say enough good things about this book, so I will begin with the two drawbacks: the cover and the title. Both are very misleading and I almost didn’t read this book because of them. Don’t let them stop you from reading this teen romance! And it looks like the next two will be "sweet" as well - Sweet Peril and Sweet Reckoning.

What I liked about this book is that it was about angels yet was believable. I could really get into and agree with her viewpoint of angels and humans. I also very much liked her understanding of temptation. I have wanted to write my own book about angels and I hope Higgins hasn’t taken all the best ideas!

Anna Whitt is a sweet Southern girl, raised by a single mom, who has dreams of a normal life: college, marriage, kids. However, she soon learns that who she is and the world she lives in is not normal. She should have known in some respects because she has been able to read other people’s emotions through their auras -- a place of changing color located right above the heart. She does not have many friends because of her “ability” -- she is rather a loner. One of her best friends, Jay, is a boy who writes rock songs. When he invites her to hear an up and coming local band, Anna meets Kaidan Rowe, a drummer who seems perfect until he opens his mouth. His questions and his manner seem rude and out of place. What is his problem?

Turns out that Anna is adopted and there are some major secrets to her parentage. She also has more talents that she has worked to suppress. Kaidan is the ultimate bad boy in more ways than one as he tries to keep from leading Anna into major temptation. Their relationship is one that will not work if Anna wants to preserve her good nature and who she really is. The book ends with somewhat of a cliffhanger and lot of questions about what is going to happen next.

What did this book have to do with my faith? This book had lots of theological discussions but what really struck me was the thoughts around the concept of temptation. Is it possible that the devil can influence our behavior? Are we that susceptible to evil thoughts? Is there less free will when it comes to choosing the wrong path? If it is easier to sin, why do we even need someone or something to nudge us in that direction? How can God really protect us from evil? Do we each have a guardian angel? How big of a chance to we have when we are genetically predispositioned for evil choices like addictive behavior? Obviously, temptation is a huge issue for us as Christians because we pray about it every Sunday - “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” This book really made me think about temptation!

I highly recommend this "sweet" book! 

Happy reading -- 

Amelia