Review: Taste by Kate Evangelista

Book Description via Goodreads:

ARC, 259 pages

April 30, 2012, Crescent Moon Press

At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.

When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

Source: Kate Evangelista (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

As soon as I immersed into the story world of Taste, I didn’t want to leave it. The old beauty of Barinkoff Academy was enough to make me stay. I could really feel the ambiance of a busy school filled with studious students. There was an air of mystery and well-kept secrets, too. Of course, Taste was filled with entertaining characters. Reckless and curious Phoenix, cold and handsome Demitri, playful and gorgeous Luka, mad scientist Dray, jealous Calixta and adorable Yana were among the cast.

Phoenix was an intelligent and curious albeit reckless and daring student. After the death of her mother and the icy gap between Phoenix and her father, she became reckless, trying to gain his attention. But when she started investigating about the Night Students of Barinkoff Academy, she wasn’t seeking attention – she was seeking answers. I liked Phoenix. She always followed her heart. She was brave enough to satiate her curiosity. She reminded me of myself because of that. I could totally relate with her decisions and her actions.

The love triangle in Taste reminded me of the one in The Iron Fey Series. Demitri was the ice cold, expressionless guy who saved Phoenix’s life. Most of the time, he was too serious. He kept several secrets from Phoenix and he preferred that she not know anything about them. After a certain incident, he shared an intense, charged connection with Phoenix. They were drawn towards each other by their own versions of gravity. They yearned to be together in every sense possible. The emotional tension and sexual tension flared all over the pages. But with Demitri being too serious and too busy with his responsibilities, Phoenix spent some of her time with Luka. With gold hair and blue eyes, Luka was the perfect image of an angel. He was also very relaxed but also playful and mischievous. He was just too adorable and too irresistible. He reminded me of Puck from The Iron Fey series. Although Phoenix and Demitri had a connection, Luka couldn’t be trusted to behave. He was quite daring and tempting in his own way. However underneath the grin, he was carrying a heavy load. I really liked Luka and my heart broke for him.

The secret underground world was a very fascinating one. I applaud Evangelista for how she built their world. They had their own caste system: Royals, Merks (merchants) and Serfs (people who served the Royals). The flesh eaters in Taste were similar to humans. They had feelings and they could be hurt but they healed fast. They were strong and fast in ways that humans can’t be. They were also social creatures. The history of their race and of their political system was very intriguing. At the end of the novel, I knew them well.

Phoenix will be involved in a risky experiment. But she would get more than that. She would be involved in heart issues and political issues, and in trouble and danger in a city filled with non-humans. I don’t want to spoil you with too many details. It’s better to find out for yourself what will happen.

With the eccentricity of Dearly, Departed, the refreshing take on the inhuman, sizzling romance that will turn your legs into jelly, and satisfying action, Taste is an addicting debut that will lure and intrigue readers. If you want something new, Taste is for you! Readers who liked Dearly, Departed and Die For Me might like this. I highly recommend this!

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