Review: Betrayal by Mayandree Michel

BookDescription via Goodreads:

Paperback, 662 pages

March 26, 2011, Mayandree Michel

Where there is love and power, there is always... betrayal.

At seventeen, Cordelia is an ordinary teen with an extraordinary and frightening secret. A secret that induces vivid dreams which she not only experiences true love, but crippling fear while barely escaping with her life each night.

After a life altering event, Cordelia has an unexpected encounter with Evan, the mysterious boy from her dreams, who reveals who and what she is – a descendant of the Greek gods. At that moment everything she knows of her world is a lie, and she must leave the present and go into the past to assume the role she was put on this earth for – safeguarding her ancient empire amidst evil forces that toil hastily to destroy it.

In a race against time, Cordelia must decide if she is truly a part of this dangerous world, or risk defying the gods, and ultimately lose the boy who has put a claim on her heart.

Source: Mayandree Michel (Thank you!) For Betrayal Blog Tour

 

My Thoughts: 

Betrayal started out like most paranormal romance novels: a teenage girl wanted nothing but to get away from her boring birthplace – Nickel City. The following events surprised me. These twists and turns spiced up the novel and were one of the things that I liked about the novel.

Cordelia found out that she was one of the direct descendants of the Greek gods and that she was betrothed to the gorgeous Evan – the mysterious boy from her dreams. The only problem was that she did not remember her life as a descendant. She experienced a troubling and crucial stage in her life. A great responsibility was placed on her shoulders that no one else can ever carry. What was worse was that they expected her to have her memory back an hour after she returned to the place where she supposedly belonged. Cordelia was faced with a surreal reality that was very difficult for her to accept. Without her memory, she had no powers. Vulnerable, she depended on Evan and the people, whom she was forced to accept as family, from Viktor and his minions and the Apolluon vampires. The only thing that I did not like about her was some redundancy of her thoughts.

The empire of the Ischeros was composed of several families. Each family possessed inherited gifts from their direct Olympian ancestor. There was a hierarchy in the empire and a marriage system. The children were matched with each other depending on their family rank. Cordelia’s match was Evan. Even without her memory, she felt a strong attraction to him and even a little sense of familiarity. Evan was protective, sweet, thoughtful and gentle. But in the trying time that they were in, this wonderful side was overshadowed by his brooding side. Cordelia was overwhelmed with his love for her – something she could not reciprocate. But Evan was not the only one who received her love in the past. His rival was Gerald, a human. He was amazingly and patiently in love with Cordelia. He was the kind of person who does not give up easily. I was torn. Gerald seemed too good and too sweet to give up. He was fragile and normal and he had the ability to make her feel as if no danger and no worries existed in the world. But Evan was her soulmate, the one who shared her worries, protected her and adored her. He was her partner-to-be in running the empire.

I enjoyed Cordelia’s lovelife, her curious adventures, the constant threat of Viktor and the vampires, the betrayal, the untold secrets and the unexpected twists. Two characters really stood out for me: Viktor and Winston. Although half the time I wanted Viktor to be banished or to be dead. I found his words haunting. He was blinded by his rage and his greed for power. Winston was Gerald’s dead older brother. He was privy to important information. He would become one of the persons to help Cordelia. The ending was awesome. Michel had me smiling and aching at the same time. Every drama, every doubt, every suspicion and every ounce of power and emotion led to this dilemma-charged ending.

The writing was quite flowery and beautiful. Although there were editing mistakes, this book had potential. This would be better if the writing would be polished. Despite the fact that the story was long, it had a certain appeal that made me read on. Betrayal is an enjoyable paranormal romance with fresh concepts. The originality and the promising love triangle (the said love triangle is one of the reasons why I WANT the sequel) will entertain readers and seekers of unpredictable reads. I recommend this to paranormal romance readers who are patient since the book is quite long.

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