Storm of Visions by Christina Dodd

Title: Storm of Visions
Author: Christina Dodd
Series: The Chosen Ones (book #1)
Previous in series: Storm of Shadows

My rating: 3 Stars
 

Synopsis: The Chosen are men and women destined to use their powers for either good or evil. Jacqueline Vargha has always rejected her gift but now that Caleb D'Angelo has forced his way into her life, she can no longer deny her destiny.

Review: An intelligent premise and an intricately constructed world. Nevertheless, it was difficult to get into the story and I eventually read it on my second attempt.

The beginning is very appealing and pulls you right in but the plot starts to lag once the Chosen Ones get together. It eventually picks up just past the middle and the ending is action packed. One of the most entertaining aspects is the sabotage subplot, which has enough red herrings to keep you guessing right up until the end. The paranormal elements are subtly woven into the characterization and the fact that each member of the Chosen Ones has their own unique ability is compelling.  

Where Storm of Visions falls completely flat is with the romance, perhaps due to the fact that a large portion of the book is dedicated to world building rather than developing the relationship between the leads. In any case, Jacqueline and Caleb do have chemistry but this fails to compensate for their inability to make me care about them as a couple They both come off as cold and unfeeling, and it took too long for their backstory to be revealed (I might have liked them better if it had been forthcoming earlier). Jacqueline in particular is immature and annoying, and she does a sudden and inexplicable about face in terms of her feelings for Caleb that left me completely unconvinced.

The secondary characters fare a little better, and I am particularly interested in Samuel and Isabelle’s connection and in finding out the role of the “dead man” in subsequent books.

In sum, the writing is good and the underlying themes are interesting enough for me to continue reading the series.