CHAOS by Christine O'Neil

Now some new guy named Mac Finnegan has made it his mission in life to continually piss me off. I'm stuck learning how to use my new powers while also dealing with regular high school problems, and with this annoying—and super-hot—guy all up in my business, I'm about to flip out.

But it gets worse. I just learned there's this watchdog council of semis who keeps an eye out for any bad apples. They think I'm the baddest of the bunch and want to take me out before I do any more damage. My nemesis Mac might turn out to be my salvation, only he's got secrets of his own...and they may just kill us both.

REVIEW

Hell to the Yeah! 

What an exciting start to a new YA paranormal series! Featuring an engaging heroine, a sexy and mysterious hero, and a well-crafted world, CHAOS scored high across the board for me. The story is easy to follow and clips along at a perfect pace, without any of those pesky scratch-your-head/what-the-heck moments, and what's more, it's FUN! I had a blast reading it.

I really liked the author's spin on gods and goddesses - the idea that being a descendant of gods isn't all it's cracked up to be, and that in some cases (such as Maggie's) it can downright suck. Maggie handled it well, though. She's a strong heroine with just the right amount of snark and sass, and she carries the story extremely well. Her fight to hold onto her identity, stay true to herself and keep the darkness at bay earned her major respect points in my book. She was a kick-butt YA heroine and I heart her.

The romance was mmm mmm good. No instalove, thank goodness, although there is definitely attraction! The early banter between Maggie and Mac actually reminded me a bit of Daemon and Katy from Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series, and I totally ate it up. Lots of push-pull and tension up the wazoo. It's fabulous.

As awesome as the romance is (and trust me, it is AWESOME), it's only part of the story. CHAOS has real, honest-to-goodness meat and bones to it. There's no shortage of challenges for Mac and Maggie to face, and while certain things do get resolved in this book, it's clear the characters have quite a journey ahead of them.

My only complaint about this book? That it ended. Seriously, that's all I've got. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and can't wait to see what happens next. So bring it on, Christine O'Neil! I want more!

4.5 Stars ★★★★1/2