Blog Tour Review: Crushed by Eliza Crewe

Welcome to my stop on the Crushed blog tour! I'm so excited to be able to gush over this book and this series with you! To learn more about the first book, Cracked, head over to my review! 

Crushed

Author: Eliza Crewe
Series: Soul Eaters #2
Publisher: Eliza Crewe
Genre: YA Paranormal
Format: ebook
Release Date: September 22, 2014
Source: egalley received from author
Rating: 4.5 Stars
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***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.***

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Meda Melange has officially hung up her monstrous mantle and planted her feet firmly on the holy and righteous path of a Crusader-in-training. Or, at least, she’s willing to give it a shot. It helps that the Crusaders are the only thing standing between her and the demon hordes who want her dead.

The problem is, the only people less convinced than Meda of her new-found role as Good Girl are the very Crusaders she’s trying to join. So when a devilishly handsome half-demon boy offers escape, how’s a girl supposed to say “no?”

After all, everyone knows a good girl’s greatest weakness is a bad boy.

My Review:

Meda is back and snarky as ever. I missed this girl. I have to say that Meda is one of my favorite characters of all time. I love that she’s bad. I love that she’s not perfect. I love that she’s sarcastic and hilarious and doesn’t take shit from anyone. I love that Jo is the only one that can push her around, sort of. Meda is badass. But in this book, she’s also real and vulnerable. We see a whole new side to Meda. We hear a tiny voice from her screaming for acceptance and belonging. My heart broke for her several times throughout the book.

Crushed is definitely a bit more serious than its predecessor Cracked. That’s not a bad thing though. While there wasn’t quite as much humor as we got in the first book, there’s a lot more character and plot development. Meda grows so much throughout this book. It is NOT an easy journey, but it shouldn’t be because that’s not who Meda is. She’s stubborn and obstinate so of course it’s not going to be easy for her to change.

Once again, the girl who stole the show is Jo, Meda’s best friend. Gosh, I love this girl. I wish I had a friend that was half as awesome as Jo. Jo tells it like it is. She doesn’t sugarcoat things at all. She sometimes comes off as harsh and even mean, but we all know that deep down, Jo loves her friends and will do anything for them. She is definitely a favorite character in this book.

And then we have the new character. Armand. The mysterious guy. While there was zero romance in the first book, Eliza heats it up in this one with a sexy, bad boy. Did I mention he’s a demon with a French accent? No? Well he is and damn, he is hot hot HOT. Armand is everything I look for in a book boyfriend. You all know how much I love a bad boy and Armand is exactly that. You never really know if you can trust him, but you want to so bad because HOT… sorry, think I started drooling over here.

The plot moves along at a steady pace. There’s a lot of action, but there is still plenty of world-building and plot development so you don’t feel like you’re being bombarded with action scene after action scene. There are elaborate twists, some that I saw coming, some that I didn’t, and some that I wish I hadn’t. Eliza Crewe has somehow managed to create a terrifying world of demons and Crusaders, but also one that is so much fun to be in. She perfectly balances the gore with humor and she kept me turning the pages the whole time. I can’t wait to read the last one to find out how this is all going to end! Happy reading all!

P.S. Eliza is one of the Strange Chemistry authors who was, sadly, orphaned after the publishing company went out of business. She is now going the self-publishing route, so let’s support her and give her extra love by buying her books! To show my support, I’m giving away an e-book of both Cracked and Crushed! This giveaway is open to everyone! Just fill out the rafflecopter below! 

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Author Bio

Eliza Crewe always thought she’d be a lawyer, and even went so far as to complete law school. But as they say, you are what you eat, and considering the number of books Eliza has devoured since childhood, it was inevitable she’d end up in the literary world. She abandoned the lawyer-plan to instead become a librarian and now a writer.

While she’s been filling notebooks with random scenes for years, Eliza didn’t seriously commit to writing an entire novel until the spring of 2011, when she and her husband bought a house. With that house came a half-hour commute, during which Eliza decided she needed something to think about other than her road-rage. Is it any surprise she wrote a book about a blood-thirsty, people-eating monster?

Eliza has lived in Illinois, Edinburgh, and Las Vegas, and now lives in North Carolina with her husband, her hens, her angry, talking, stuffed dwarf giraffe, and a sweet, mute, pantomiming bear. She likes to partially-complete craft projects, free-range her hens, and take long walks.

Let's talk! Have you read this book/series? What are your favorite parts and who are your favorite characters?