Review: The Aureate Spectacles by Eliott McKay - A beautifully written YA paranormal romance with a refreshing spin on vampires and werewolves!

Would you sacrifice your people for the man you love?

Michaela was a seemingly normal high school senior, hiding behind a pair of hideous spectacles which masked her true identity. When she’s abducted by an intriguing werewolf, she learns that her father was a powerful vampire, and she has been chosen to protect his city from her predatory kin. As the situation grows dire, the fate of the city rests in her hands, and she must choose between peace for her people or the man she's growing to love.

Series: n/a

Source: Sent by the author in exchange for an honest review
Format: ebook
Pages: 372
Genre: YA paranormal fantasy (contemporary)

Rating: 5 Stars
Publisher: Inkitt
Release Date: December 31st 2016

My Thoughts...

This book took me by complete surprise. I'm not sure what I was expecting exactly but what I got was an astounding, beautifully written book. The Aureate Spectacles is my first 5-star read of 2017 and one I will NEVER forget! 

Let's start off with my number one favorite thing about this book. 

The Writing Style!

If you follow my reviews you will know some of my favorite things about books are the pacing, characters and of course the plot. I seldom talk about or even think about the writing style. This book, however, well the author Eliott McKay blew me away with the beautiful writing within this book! Okay, let me try to do this justice as well as convey as best I can how much I loved it. The words were stunningly beautiful, magical and oh so lyrical! And I must mention, the vocabulary she uses astounded me in a much desirable way! At the turn of almost every page I came across a word I had to look up the meaning to. I loved that fact because McKay was able to bring to story to impeccable and such vivid life!

 Now let's delve into

The Plot...

I adored the plot. The way in which the story starts off, well the only way I can describe it is with a Harry Potter feel. You're probably asking yourself what I mean by that. Well, in the beginning, there's storyteller feel and the sense that something big is coming. I loved how as the story progressed so did the feel, characters & the plot thickened in a way I would have never guessed or imagined!

Michaela (or Kayla as she likes to be called) starts off as a girl who is lost in the world with a sense of abandonment and grows into a very remarkable young woman. Her

Character Development

is extraordinary! I'd really love to see another book to make this a series! 

Imagine growing up in a very ordinary town then bring whisked away to a fantastical, mind-boggling place that you never thought could exist. That's

The Setting 

for this story. 

It took me nine days to read this book. I'm not a super fast reader, but I'm not slow either. It's so intricately written that for me to process everything in the best way possible I took my time reading this one. Also, I will say that

The Pacing

kept the narrative exciting and helped keep me immersed. McKay knew just the right moments to speed up or slow down the story. The action scenes were heart-pounding, the intimate moments between the MC and Conrad were just slow enough to be meaningful with absolutely amazing dialogue. 

All-in-All:

I LOVED this story and am really hoping that it'll become a series. I'll be telling everyone I know about this one! 

You'll like this one if...

1. You like paranormal books involving supernatural creatures such as vampires, werewolves, and magic. 

2. Are ready for something new & unique. 

3. You love plots that you'll NEVER guess. 

4. If you don't believe me just check out everyone else's review on Goodreads!