Illuminate: A Gilded Wings Novel, Book One Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything changes when she isawarded a prestigious internship at a posh Chicago hotel under the watchful eyes of agroup of gorgeous strangers: the powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; hersecond-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff ofgls called The Outfit.As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people arenot quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers the evilagenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeedin wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able tothwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at thehotel?
Series: Gilded Wings (Book 1)
Hardcover: 528 pages
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers (March 6, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0547626142
ISBN-13: 978-0547626147
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.7 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (83 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,620,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #72 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Social & Family Issues > Family > Alternative Family #559 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Social & Family Issues > Values & Virtues #1080 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Social & Family Issues > Self Esteem & Reliance
Age Range: 12 and up
Grade Level: 7 and up
To begin talking about such an amazing story, I must tell you 1 thing that helped tip it's awesomeness over the edge. The Gorgeous Cover!Now you may be thinking " Covers with girls in dresses are overdone, let's be rid of them!" Or maybe that's just what I think off and on. But here is what really made this one work for me. SHE ACTUALLY WEARS A RED DRESS IN THE STORY! Of course I won't tell you when or why, but lets just say the description matches up well, and makes me want the dress and love the cover even more. Not only does the dress tie into the story, but also the little shadow of a wing on the cover as well! Sigh.. I love it when covers tie into stories.Now onto the rest of the amazingness that was Illuminate :Illuminate is a story that I could not finish in one sitting. Not because it was too long ( not to me anyway ) I was busy, unable to sit down for hours at a time to read. However the fact that it took me longer to read than most book recently did not detract from it's awesomeness, to me it added to it. Too often do I read a book in one sitting and instantly feel as if it ended too quick. Illuminate was a story that I took in small chunks, then let it settle in my mind overnight, it was wonderful. I enjoyed having a story that made me slow down a little bit, if I had read it much faster I think I would have missed things!Aimee Agresti has this wonderful style of writing, detailed and explanatory without being overwhelming. Mixed into the story is some wonderful Art history, architecture, photography, As well as Capon and Chicago history! As an art student I really appreciated the way she describes things, without it feeling like I am taking a class.Sigh.. How to talk about this book! I have not read very many Angel books, though I know they are everywhere. However I feel like this story shows an interesting view of angels, just how do they earn their wings?Haven's character was one that was easy for me to connect with, an outcast at school, a bit of a loner, who doesn't always feel right in her own skin. Feeling unimportant is the norm for her, so being thrust into a world where she feels admired and needed, it's something that takes some getting used to.Dante, Haven's best friend is one of those people who have a vibrancy to them, a spark that draws you in like a moth to a flame, as you hope that some of their outgoing personality will attach itself to you.Lance, Oh lance. He grew on me so perfectly. Like a new friend who you can just tell, is going to be a big part of your life.Lucian, You ever have the feeling of wanting to reach through the pages of your book so you can smack a character? That would be him. Though there is some " Insta love" an undeniable instant attraction, there is a darkness to him, always looming. You will feel right along with Haven as she is pushed and pulled in many different directions. Though I felt like smacking him in the beginning, I can say that Lucian is a very dynamic character, and he may just surprise you like he did me.Aside from Lucian there is another relationship that comes into play. No I won't tell you who, but I will tell you it was perfectly executed. It felt REAL and honest, and grew at just the right pace, and ... sigh. made me swoon a bit ;)The darkness in this story was done in such a way that it slowly creeps in and expands, infecting everything in the story and connecting it in a wonderfully twisted way. This story was everything I wanted in a book right now. It was intense and beautiful, it held my attention and my love for it grew over the nights when I let it all sink in.I seriously hope this book gets the attention it deserves.Aimee Agresti is a Debut Author who I will SERIOUSLY be keeping my eye on. Though there is no title or news out on it yet there will be a book #2- and I will be anxiously awaiting it!Who do I recommend it to ? Fans of Angels, Fantasy, love stories that feel real, horror that creeps it's way in, Artists or Art lovers. Or even if you are none of those, if you give this book a chance, you may be one by the end!Rating 5/5
The cover caught my eye right from the beginning (I just love a pretty dress with some sparkly writing). The story and descriptions used by the author are unique and beautiful and throws a great deal of context into the mix. The characterization was also good with the author making Haven stronger as the plot moves on and creating instances where she is able to grow and develop her own personality and stances.The main problem with this book was that it was just too slow. It seemed like half the book was over before any of the plot really kicked in or any action started happening. Luckily the second half made the book worth reading. The buildup of the story is needed but a little more action along the way would have moved the story along at a quicker pace and made the beginning more enjoyable to read.Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Aimee Agresti's ILLUMINATE is an enchanting, beautifully written, richly detailed and completely captivating story of good versus evil. Set in a glamorous hotel, with a dark past and an even darker present, staffed by an organization whose sinister plan is virtually impossible for anyone to resist, this story has it all - excitement, mystery, nail-biting suspense and a battle whose outcome is anything but certain.When Haven Terra and two of her classmates land an internship at the Lexington Hotel, they can't imagine a better way to spend the semester. Not only will they be leaving their mundane high school existence behind, but they'll be earning money, living in a luxurious hotel and gaining experience that will ensure a better future for themselves.Surrounded by beautiful people, guided by knowledgeable and powerful mentors, and working in a hotel that is rich with history, the opportunity sounds like a dream come true. And it is. If the dream were a nightmare.Because the Outfit isn't just there to give the hotel's guests a pleasant stay. They are there to take their souls. And they're looking for Haven, Dante and Lance's help to do so.ILLUMINATE's pace is unhurried. Its descriptions elaborate. Its mystery intriguing. Its plot enticing. Its setting both stunning and chilling. And its characters alluring, charming, likable, detestable, gruesome and terrifying.With her days spent capturing the glitz and glamour of the hotel, its staff and its patrons on camera and her nights spent uncovering its secrets, Haven must decide whether to give in to temptation and all that the Outfit has on offer, or to resist and in doing so put her life on the line.Author Aimee Agresti has created a story that sets itself apart for its wonderfully descriptive passages, its thoroughly developed plot and world-building and its intriguing take on the mythology. And at over five hundred pages, the story and writing maintain an elegant flow throughout, picking up their pace as the story's dramatic conclusion approaches, enabling readers to remain connected to this somewhat longer tale.Told from her heroine Haven Terra's point of view, readers will get a peek at the goings-on at the Lexington Hotel as Haven experiences them and keeping them in the dark until Haven discovers the truth. With only a mysterious book to guide her, and no one she is sure she can fully trust, Haven must prepare to either defeat the evil forces amassing or to join them.Dark, beguiling and opulent, ILLUMINATE is a must for anyone who enjoys a compelling story of good and evil, with a strong and determined heroine, a leisurely pace, a touch of romance and an ending that doesn't leave off on a cliff but will definitely leave them wanting more.
Illuminate: A Gilded Wings Novel, Book One Colorado Wings: A Wing and a Prayer/Wings Like Eagles/Wings of the Dawn/A Gift of Wings (Inspirational Romance Collection) Tethered Wings (Hidden Wings Series Book Three) Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols Wings of Fire Boxset, Books 1-5 (Wings of Fire) New-York Historical Society New York City in 3D In The Gilded Age: A Book Plus Stereoscopic Viewer and 50 3D Photos from the Turn of the Century Wings of Fire Book One: The Dragonet Prophecy The Gilded Age in New York, 1870-1910 Newport Fashions of the Gilded Age Paper Dolls (Dover Victorian Paper Dolls) Our Church Guests: Black Bonded Leather, Gilded Page-Edges (Bonded Leather Guest Books) The Notorious Mrs. Clem: Murder and Money in the Gilded Age American Queen: The Rise and Fall of Kate Chase Sprague--Civil War "Belle of the North" and Gilded Age Woman of Scandal Rogues and Heroes of Newport's Gilded Age Gilded Leaf: Triumph, Tragedy, and Tobacco : Three Generations of the R J Reynolds Family and Fortune The Gilded Hour Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique Talented Miramichiers in the Gilded Age: Irish Miramichiers who Made a Difference at Home, New York, Leadville and Bathurst Coxey's Crusade for Jobs: Unemployment in the Gilded Age The Gilded Cage Journey's End (Gilded Promises)
