Halflings by Heather Burch

After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with. 
A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world



The Review:
My Ranking: 4 out of 10
Ages 16 & up


I have always enjoyed paranormal stories with unique twists and intriguing characters, so when I heard about this book I was eager to give it a try. While it was well written and had a "cool" story, I was less than impressed by this tale. Let me tell you why.

Starting out, I found it to hold my attention well and it seemed interesting enough. The characters were captivating, and the story had potential. But as it continued, and the romance developed, I soon recognized the book for what it is: A Christian Twilight.
Honestly, after I made this recognition it all pieced together. Almost every aspect of the romance in the book matched Twilight, which I have read, perfectly. The forbiddenness, the excessive "beauty" of the men(which, by the way, I just find weird and slightly creepy), and the struggle between the bad boy and the sweet guy. Of course, both are in danger of dying by loving her. The romance was very physically charged and seemed to hold little to no personality interest. It was really all about appearance and fleshy whims.

A few things that stood out to me content wise were the continuous mentions of teenagers of both genders being referred to as "hot", obvious and eerie obsessions(very much like Twilight) between Nicki and Raven and Mace, all physically charged. There's a scene in the woods where Raven is training Nicki and it is apparent that he thinks she "wants" him. Among these, the romance was, as mentioned, heavier and in my opinion weirdly obsessive. 

Overall, the story plot was interesting and I may read the next book should the opportunity come up, since it was quite a cliffhanger, but in general, this book was definitely not for me and not one I would recommend to any of my friends. But, like always, these are strictly my opinions and I am sure many would enjoy this novel. :)

I received this free book in return for an honest review from Zondervan. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.