Review: Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Invincible

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Series: Chronicles of Nick, Book Two
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Format: Hardcover, 420 pages
Release Date: March 22, 2011
Source: Mid-Columbia Libraries
Purchase Book
Goodreads 

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Nick Gautier’s day just keeps getting better and better. Yeah, he survived the zombie attacks, only to wake up and find himself enslaved to a world of shapeshifters and demons out to claim his soul.

His new principal thinks he’s even more of a hoodlum than the last one, his coach is trying to recruit him to things he can’t even mention and the girl he’s not seeing, but is, has secrets that terrify him.
                                   
But more than that, he’s being groomed by the darkest of powers and if he doesn’t learn how to raise the dead by the end of the week, he will become one of them...

My Review:

I loved this book. So much. Five stars. Hands down. No questions asked. Sherrilyn Kenyon is an absolute genius. Her writing is flawless. Easy to read, action-packed, riveting, descriptive, seamless. I could go on with the awesome adjectives, but you guys probably want to know why I liked the book huh?

I love the world that has been created in this series. To me it’s like The Mortal Instruments meets The Caster Chronicles (Beautiful Creatures). We get all the awesome demons/vampires/werewolves from The Mortal Instruments mixed with the southern paranormal element present in The Caster Chronicles. I love that these books are set in New Orleans, the heart of all things paranormal. The setting adds such a rich flavor to the book and to the characters.

Nick is such a fun character. He is sarcastic and a huge pain-in-the-ass, but I love him. He finds out who he really is in this book and begins what’s sure to be a long fight against turning evil. He clings to his humanity in this book which really isn’t too hard for him since he is a genuinely kind and caring person. In the first book, his world was pretty small with only a couple of people in his life that he cared about. But now his world has expanded. He has made a lot of new friends that he appreciates and wants to protect. His fierce devotion to his mom is endearing and the epitome of a good southern boy.

Nick begins to learn how to use his powers in this book. It’s kind of slow going for him, but he begins to catch on by the end and we are given a small glimpse of what he will one day be capable of. He’s going to be a freaking badass, guys. I’m so excited.

Caleb was a major character in this book. He’s Nick’s demon friend that is sworn to protect him. I loved Caleb’s character, though I’m not sure I fully trust him. Side note: That’s the other thing I love about these books. You can never figure out who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. Sherrilyn Kenyon keeps you constantly guessing. Okay, back to Caleb. He has a short temper, but would never actually harm Nick (I hope). He becomes a loyal friend who saves his life on multiple occasions. He was an enjoyable character and even though his demon form is pretty gross looking, his human form is hot!

We also learn a little more about Nekoda in this book, although she is still pretty mysterious. I believe that her character is good. (My personal opinion only. Who knows with this book? I feel like any character could go either way.) She helps Nick use his powers and is there for him when he needs her. But she also keeps her distance at times which is what makes her so mysterious to me.

This book basically focuses on Nick starting to develop his powers and taking down the mysterious new football coach that just got hired at his high school. He must use his powers to figure out who the coach is and what he plans to do before it’s too late. All while battling the usual woes of high school and adolescence. I love how Sherrilyn Kenyon weaves Nick’s everyday “human” problems in with all the crazy fantasy stuff. It makes his character relatable to the reader.

Some complaints. Not dislikes. Just complaints. Not enough Simi. I talked about Simi in my review of Infinity, the first book in this series. She was my favorite character because of her strange way of talking. She cracked me up in the first book so I was bummed when she barely made an appearance in this one. It didn’t make the book bad, I just missed her. Not enough Kyrian. I want to know more about Kyrian, who he is, why he’s interested in Nick. Is he good or bad? I don’t know. I do know that he is super attractive, hence, wanting to know more about him. And lastly not enough Acheron (Ash). He’s this super ancient, terrifying demon that seems like he may be good, but also may be bad. See, I told you I have no clue who is good or bad. But I really like his character and he was also in the book for only a few tiny snippets.

But seriously guys, other than missing those three characters, this book was awesome. If you like City of Bones by Cassandra Clare or Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, then I promise you will like these books. The writing is amazing, the plot will suck you in, and the characters will make you love them. I highly recommend this series to all fantasy lovers out there and can’t wait to start reading the next book in the series, Infamous. Happy reading all!