Hazed (The Hazed Series Book 1) by Brittany Butler – Review by Maura Harper

Hazed by Brittany Butler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A good book is supposed to evoke feelings and emotions. This book certainly did that for me. I’m not sure what rating I want to give it so I’m going to free write and see if it comes together for me.

This is a Y/A coming of age/new age story that ticked me off in a lot of ways. The decisions the female protagonist makes are infuriating. I wanted to shake my kindle so that I could shake her and tell her… Well I can’t tell you what I would tell her because then that would just ruin the story for you – wouldn’t it?

This story has a lot going for it. The characters are all meaningful in the role they play in the story. The friendships are strong, family of choice is vs family of origin is explored and parent/child relationships are complex. There is a lot going on in this story but it was all very easy to follow. This is one of those books that I COULD NOT PUT DOWN BECAUSE I HAD TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

By the time I finished, I really wanted to jump into the next book in the series, but if I didn’t get to sleep I wouldn’t be any good on Monday morning.

How am I going to rate this story? I will rate it 5 starts for a couple of reasons:

1. I finished this story at midnight last night, it’s now 6:20PM and it still owns me and my thoughts. I’m invested in the characters and want – no NEED – to find out what they do next.

2. There is an aspect of the male protagonist that I completely identify with and I like the way his character was written. Instead of being completely vilified, he is still (presumably) a successful student living his life the way he wants to.

3. The family “afterward” is explored in such a way that it felt human and real (even though it totally ticked me off).

I am grateful the next book is already written so I can jump right in.

Review by @mauraharper

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