Protected by Anna Applegate

Protected by Anna Applegate 4 STARS 

Synopsis: At the start of her senior year at Kingsbrook College, a small school in Northern Michigan, Ariya Adams has a perfectly normal existence. Determined to make this her best year yet, she attends her classes and hangs out with the friends she has come to love more than life.
That is until the arrival of the sexy and mysterious transfer student James Rymer, who captivates her affections almost instantly. With her emotions on the fritz for no apparent reason, and unsure if he shares her feelings, Ariya finds herself on an emotional roller-coaster in which everything she knows and loves is questioned.
When fantasy and reality mix, Ariya's world is turned upside down and she learns that "normal" isn’t what she thought it was. Danger soon comes for her and she discovers that everyone has been keeping secrets from her. The battle between one's duty and what feels right will have to be fought and it may be a struggle for Ariya to stay alive. When Ariya's life and the lives of the people she cares for most are endangered, she learns to never underestimate the power of blood.


Overall- I really enjoyed this book! I definitely suggest this book for anyone that is interested in a trilogy that is a young adult/new adult paranormal mystery romance! This book has it all. Even though the beginning is slow, as there is a little bit of build up, once youre past the first couple of chapters, the novel really picks up, and the story line truly begins! I love that this book has such build up, the plot, the characters, the love story, everything flows magically. There is plenty of angst and romance, but also action and mystery. (and paranormal). The author also gave a real treat at the end of the book, the first chapter of book two, which really shows how Ariyas relationships have grown, and the novel really becomes more of a new adult than young adult! Which I really appreciate  its so nice to see a love that grows over TIME and not a scene! I cant wait for Book 2 



Cover: Ok but not eye catching
Overall:  Very good! 
Characters: Ariya, Caroline, James, Nick and Riley (and Emma) 
Page Turner: At Time yes
Series Cont.? Yes
Recommend If you like: Vampire books
Book Boyfriend: James. Swoon worthy
Genre: YA/NA Sci-Fi/Fantasy 
Sex Scenes: Not in this one...
Setting: Small College in Michigan

Plot- When I started this I was not ready for what was coming. I knew it would be paranormal but it was much more than I expected. This is one of those books, like many these days, where the first book is a little slow to set up the rest of the book and the series, but ends on a great high note, and theres plenty of action, mystery and love throughout the book to make it more than worth the read! 
The book starts off a little slow as we get to know the main characters and plot point within the book, and it takes a little while until the BIG explanation of what is truly going on comes out. But overall, the events leading up to those moments are worth the wait. Instead of many books these days, the love story builds over time, rather than a hot moment or a few pages. Which in and of itself is quite refreshing. Its also not a book about "made for each other, soul mates" which is also popular now. Instead this is a good old fashioned love story wrapped up into a paranormal story about the supernatural, witches, werewolves, vampires.  

I love the build up too, once the mystery starts Im wondering what will happen next and sitting on the edge of my seat at the end. I absolutely loved the ending chapters too, as much as the beginning chapters determine whether you will read the rest of a book, the ending chapter determine whether I liked the book overall and whether Ill read the next one, and I can honestly say I will be reading this next one!!! I loved the ending. Its a happy ending but leaves you wanting more. And the author has even provided a glimpse into the next book at the end, which AHHH it quite amazing. Taking the series to the next level!!! 

Characters--

Dianna Argone as Ariya 

Ariya- At first I dont like Ariya, I find her internal monologues a little juvenile and overly thoughtful. But once the initial set up is finished, her personality begins to level out and I really start liking her. She is sweet and caring, kind and selfless. She is completely relate able to any small town, naive college girl. Ariya is always looking out for other people and trying to help. Her naivety is part of her charm. I fell in love with her love story though. She is the kind of girl thats waiting for her prince, and wont settle. Ariya is also the kind of girl that can be friends with anyone, I really felt like she was down to earth, there was nothing overly powerful about her personality (in a good way) which made this book feel more real, or at least the characters! 

Her love story unfolds over time, rather than in a matter of minutes or one sexual encounter and I appreciate that the author took time to build her character (no pun intended!) it was very refreshing. 


I also like that Ariya gets stronger throughout the book too. As she begins to figure out what was going on around her, she really moves into her own. She's a force to be reckoned with. Her sweet kind demeanor begins to learn to fight for herself and for her love. I get the feeling that she will be even stronger in the next book. 

Aaron Tveit as James

James- AHHH!!! I have a love hate love relationship with him. Hehe. I LOVE him. He is very dreamy. And not just because I think he's hot. I think he is charming, sweet, protective, considerate, loving, and so much more. I could go on. The author did such a great job with this one. He is the epitome of my dream guy (except for the paranormal part, on second thought...)  Over the course of the book, we start to see James change over time, as he gets to know Ariya on a personal level, his feelings for her begin to show and over the course of the book we learn why its so hard for him to let go and just be. I love that his character unfolds over the book so naturally. In the same way we would feel or learn about someone in real life. And his secrets arent life altering betrayals that will tear them apart, but a reality of the paranormal world they live in. Its incredibly romantic and yet so sad at the same time. (this is how I felt about Stefan and Elena of TVD!)

Dustin Milligan as Nick

Caroline 

Caroline and Nick are such a great power couple. I love their strength and love. Caroline is so completely compassionate, loving, and caring and takes her friendship with Ariya to a whole new level. I love her snarkiness and her over protectiveness of Ariya as every best friend should be. It is after all their job. I also like Carolines relationship with Nick, they fit together so well, perfectly in fact and their love is sweet. Nick also seems like a good guy. We dont get to know him that well, but we get to see his interactions with Caroline and with James in front of Ariya. I like at the end the way that Caroline and Nick handle the situations, it shows how their love plays off one another, they compliment one another. 

Trevor Donovan as Riley

Riley- I liked Riley overall, but I was disappointed in him as his role played out, though I hope to see him. First I must say its not the authors fault I dont like him. She did a great job of making him the typical guy in college...I just feel so bad for Ariya! Ha. I dont like how he treated her. But as a general character I like him. I think having the guy friend in the story is good, it also helps shape Ariya and how naive she is!

Devon and Emma- (supporting characters)
What is there to say about these two!? Devon is so good at playing creepy. I think the author did a great job with creating a creepy guy into the mix. I also liked Emma, she was a great displacement character, as someone who interrupts what was happening with James and Ariya, she displaces everything that Ariya had going on and the waves are very interesting!  

Brant Daugherty as Devon