She just wanted a normal life.He had other plans for her.VEILED is a STANDALONE paranormal romance/urban fantasy (think a contemporary romance with supernatural elements, like the show Supernatural, but with hot romance and no bromance!) from the New York Times bestselling author of The Pact and Sins & Needles Death. It’s something that Ada Palomino has always known so well, having grown up … always known so well, having grown up in a house of horrors, surrounded by a family plagued by ghosts and demons and things that go bump in the night.
But after the sudden and tragic death of her mother two years ago, death has never felt so personal.
Or so close.
Now eighteen, Ada is trying to move on with her life and the last month of summer holds nothing but sunshine and promises with her first year at a Portland design school just around the bend.
That is until her increasingly violent and realistic dreams, dreams of other worlds, of portals and veils where her mother is tortured and souls bleed for mercy, start to blend into reality. Ada has to lean on her older sister, Perry, to try and make sense of it all but even then, she’s never felt more alone.
Then there’s Jay. Tall, handsome and deeply mysterious, Jay would be just another stranger, a familiar face on the bus, if it wasn’t for the fact that Ada has met him before.
Every night.
In every single dream.
And the more that Ada is drawn to him in both worlds, the more she’s in danger of losing everything.
Including her heart.
And her very soul.
QUESTIONS ABOUT VEILED:
Q: Is this YA?
A: No. The main character is 18 and there is sex, crude language and violence in the book. Readers sensitive to those components may not find the book suitable. If you are a reader who doesn’t like a lot of the “F” word, this is your warning….
Q: Is there a cliffhanger?
A: Nope! There’s also no cheating and no love triangle (think I’ve covered the bases there!)
Q: Do I need to read the series (Experiment in Terror) that Veiled is a spinoff of first?
A: Nope.
Absolutely not.
Veiled stands alone from that series.
Don’t listen to anyone say otherwise. EiT fans are very passionate about their series and want to share the love (and I love them for it) BUT Veiled was written specifically for those people who haven’t read EIT.
And furthermore…most importantly…IF you do decide after reading Veiled that you would like to read EIT, then I promise, promise, promise that your enjoyment of that series will not be spoiled or compromised. Trust me on this. EIT is too epic of a series to be spoiled.
PS if you are a passionate EIT fan, Veiled is a great starter to get people interested in this whole “world.” Also, all your favorites do appear in this story as it takes place right after Dust to Dust.
Q: Is it horror? Your other series was and I don’t handle scary very well…
A: No, it’s paranormal romance (though I promise you there are no vampires or werewolves), and while there are creepy elements to the story, it wouldn’t be classified as horror. You’ll be fine.
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I liked Veiled overall. It introduced me to a dark, paranormal world with intriguing characters. It has mystery, suspense, horror, and new-adult romance. The main storyline is filled with strange experiences, a mother in limbo, demons, and a trip to hell and back which was engaging and made the read worth it. Personally, I would recommend Veiled to readers who are already familiar with both of Ms. Halle’s existing series: Experiments In Terror and Devils. If you read the book synopsis for Veiled, Ms. Halle stresses the opposite. So if you have read it or haven’t read it, I guess you’re safe. Enjoy!
My favorite quote:
“…the past doesn’t define us. It’s what we do here and now, today, that does. This world was built on second chances.”
“You’re more beautiful than this earth can handle. You belong in the stars, not here. You’re walking stardust and I’m amazed I can hold you in my arms.”
Karina Helle wrote a phenomenal book, and you really need to read it!
I did not appreciate the insertion of “dirty words”. Immature characters.however it was an interesting story.
4 stars!
**audiobook**
Wow Karina Halle blows my mind with her diversity as an author. I’ve never read paranormal or fantasy before. Trying to push myself to try new genres this year and wow she did not disappoint. This was a nail bitter. Spooky, gripping and intense writing! and Jo Raylan gave one of the best performances I have ever listened to in an audiobook! So incredible. Ada is 18 years old and just about to start college. She has recently lost her mother to death and has been having extremely vivid nightmares they feel real. Her dreams include Jay, a mysterious ginger. So when she runs into him in the street her hackles are up and she demands to know who he is. He was protective of her and vowed to keep her safe from the creatures of the demonic world. There are some real scary moments like voices in the closets and on other floors of the house. My heart was in my throat during those scenes! The romance in this blew me away. Such intensity and passion! It was a slow build which I love. I am intrigued about this world that Karina has created. Especially Ada’s sister Perry and her husband Dex and look forward to going back to reading their story.
4.5 stars!
“You’re more beautiful than this earth can handle. You belong in the stars, not here. You’re walking stardust and I’m amazed I can hold you in my arms.”
I am a huge fan of Karina Halle’s writing/books. She has written books in multiple genres and hit them all out of the park. I don’t think there is a genre that she couldn’t write. I have read her historical post-apocolyptic zombie, suspense, contemporary romance books and now I can add UF/PNR to the list.
“You are off-limits. You are forbidden to me. And all it does is make me want you more.”
Veiled is not your typical UF/PNR book. I have read hundreds of PNR/UF books and the last year or two I had a very difficult time in finding any book in this genre that intrigued me. But the moment I started Veiled I just know it would be an awesome read. It was very refreshing and unique, nothing like what I have ever read before. The best way to explain this book is that it’s a mix of paranormal, Urban Fantasy, and horror with romance thrown into it. None of the genres overpowered the other. It was perfect!
“We’re just at the beginning. This is just the start of what we are together, who we are to each other deep inside.”
The main character Ada is eighteen years old but she was no immature new adult. She was pretty strong and independent. I really enjoyed her character a lot. The same goes for Jay, who had alpha elements to him but was also very caring and awesome. Even though this book can be read as a stand-alone, I predict that there will be more books for Ada and Jay because there story is not over yet. Karina can go so many direction with this book, and I am hoping that this is not the last we will see of them.
EIT series had been on my TBR list for a long while now, but I put off reading it because of the length of the series. But I think I will start it because I love all the characters and the the world created by the author. I recommend this book to everyone! Because even if you never read a PNR/UF book, you should at least try it once in your life, because who know maybe you’ll end up loving it!