ARC Review: Halflings (Halflings #1) by Heather Burch

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: January 17, 2012
Publisher: Zondervan Publishing
288 Pages

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.

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Review:

Oh, Halflings… What to say about Halflings…

To put it simply: I loathed reading this book.

I had high hopes. Many of my friends on Goodreads and in real life raved about it. I was amazed by how much I disliked it. There were so many issues with the novel for me that I didn't even get half way before skimming. Through the entire book, I questioned whether I should continue or stop before throwing my kindle across the room. My decision to keep reading made finishing the book a slow and unsteady process.

First, let me name the Good Things about this book:

*Raven, Vine and rarely, Mace.

-Raven was the hot bad boy. My favorite and my weakness.

-Vine, the sweet newbie. He's innocent and naïve.

-Mace was okay. I didn't really like him. He had a couple good lines, but he just annoyed me the rest of the time.

*The angst. There is some good angst towards the end that I actually enjoyed. I'm a sucker for angst.

*The last 15% - excluding the heroine.

Now onto the Bad Things:

*The main character, Nikki. She's just… annoying. I couldn't stand her after the first few pages, when she started talking about her recreational activities. Black belt in karate and has work in an art gallery? Please. The author was seriously trying to rush the character development.

*There are way too many metaphors and comparisons. And most of those are repeated… frequently.

*This girl, Nikki, drives a motorcycle. I don't know any girl still in high school that drives a motorcycle. Personally, my parents would've let me pierce my tongue before driving one. I'm in college and they still would throw a fit, if I tried to get a motorcycle license.

*Some words were too grown up for a seventeen year old.

-i.e. Garment instead of Dress

*The best friend. OMG, LIKE, LIKE, BOYS, LIKE, OMG, PUHLEASE, SHOPPING, BOYS, LIKE. Yeah, that's Nikki's best friend, Krissy in a nutshell. So obviously, I wanted to duct tape her mouth shut. 

*I felt like this book tried to shove religion down my throat. Maybe that's just because it's an angel book, but I think it's more the way it's written. There's so much religious talk and Nikki is almost persecuted for being a realist by the Halflings and angels. It was ridiculous.

*Love triangles. ANOTHER ONE. Oh, it's forbidden love, too. What a shocker. Nikki was so mean to both of them at first, too. Dude, if a chick was like that to me, I'd forget about her. MACE, SHE CALLED YOU A FREAK AFTER YOU SAVED HER LIFE AND KISSED THE BOY THAT YOU CALL YOUR BROTHER.

*There is someone named Suzy Carmichael in this book. Dude, this is not Rugrats. Come up with some more original names. Just because you spell the first name differently doesn't mean we won't notice. I, personally, didn't think it was cute, either.

*The names of the Halflings: Mace, Raven, Vine, Vegan, Winter, Glimmer. Really? Those are horrible and none of them make me think the character is a descendant of a fallen angel. 

Overall, I am not a fan. I most likely will not be reading the next book - I'll just scan some spoilers to find out which of the two boys she ends up with.

I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley for my honest opinion and review.