Thursday, August 30, 2012

Review: Painted Blind by Michelle A. Hansen

Welcome to my stop on the Painted Blind blog tour, hosted by AToMR. Check out my review and giveaway below:

Painted BlindPainted Blind

by 
Seventeen years old and agoraphobic, Psyche Middleton vows her dad will never see the risqué photos she took during a summer modeling stint abroad, but one of them ends up on a billboard in her Montana hometown. Now everyone—especially her dad—can see it. And yet, somehow, those are the mundane things in her life because she is about to fall unexpectedly, head-over-heels in love with Erik, a mysterious young man who rescues her from a crowd of admirers, and who she’s never actually seen because…he can make himself invisible.

As strange as this may seem, it’s about to get even stranger. Erik takes her to his palace in an idyllic kingdom, and she is swept into the beauty and culture of his world, but his affection has one condition: she may not see him. Overtaken, intrigued, and still not wholeheartedly believing he’s real, Psyche is going to have to decide if she can love him blindly; because if she can’t, she may lose him forever.

~My Review~

Are you willing to trust in what the eyes can't see, but allow yourself to fall intensely into a story about love and other things supernatural? Exquisitely written and undoubtedly original, Painted Blind stirs up an interesting take on belief while keeping readers entertained along the way. 

This was a very fascinating story. I got so caught up I didn't want to leave the novel for a second. It just kept getting better, heating up as it moved along. Yes, the emotions were a bit instant, but I enjoyed it regardless. I loved the world building; the mythological appeal meshed with modern attractions. The fact that Psyche got to travel and explore the unearthly as well as the realistically exotic places. Everything about the story was entertaining, addicting, lovable, and impressive. 

Psyche was a likable main character. She's not exactly from a perfect home but the bond she shares with her father was just wonderful. I admired her need to to be honest and open to him, along with her friend. But sometimes that openness made her impulsive when it came to telling the truth (too much of it). I've never read a story where the supernatural wasn't exactly kept in secret by the main character. That piqued my interest more, I think. But at the same time I had mixed feelings about Psyche sharing so much, especially with Savannah. And my oh my, that Savannah was a piece of work. I always questioned her so-called friendship with Psyche and even screamed "no!" when she decided to share such a sweet discovery with the two-faced chick. So, when Savannah met her demise I was far from shocked, more happy to be rid of her from the story (sorry for my bluntness, and possibly spoiler). She had it coming. 

Okay, enough about the girls. Let's talk about Erik, the mythical being who's hotness beamed throughout the pages. I never knew I could fall over for a guy who's face wasn't seen for most of the story. It's his mysteriousness that got everyone hooked. Something about the way his voice and overall aura was described had me mesmerized. Of course, his true identity just had to be someone of great yumminess (that's not even a word). He was just perfect.

I can't possibly conclude this review without stressing on the writing style and specific details. I felt whatever the characters felt, saw what they saw, and basically believed everything that was written. To be honest, I didn't read the description before going into the story, and from the cover I thought it was some sort of contemporary novel. But after reading it I feel like the awesomeness of the story isn't given justice through the cover, at least not enough. That minor thing aside, I saw fireworks. 

Again, I loved the message within the words; loving and trusting something you can only feel. And before the sealed gets revealed, I was enjoying every bit of the wait. But got even more anxious to see how things would turn out when love was unveiled. This was such a wonderful story and I strongly recommend that you get yourselves a copy and prepare to fall deeply in love with the modern spin on Greek Mythology and its celestial Gods and Goddesses. 


“It’s okay to believe in things you can’t see. Isn’t that what people say? The best things in life are unseen.”
I paused in front of the door. “I thought the best things in life
were free.”
“That too, I suppose. Next!”

Michelle A. HansenAbout the Author
Michelle A. Hansen was raised in southeastern Washington. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in English teaching from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and taught high school English for six years. She and her husband have four children.







8 comments:

  1. Woah, this is a Greek Mythology story! I would have never guessed. This book seems like ALL KINDS of original. This book has been on my radar for a while now, but I know for sure now that I'll have to pick it up! I can't wait to swoon over Erik--great review, Shane! :D

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  2. I thought this was a contemporary novel, too. I've been hearing good things about Painted Blind. Nice review!

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  3. I love your review Shane, you always write outstanding reviews. I was like you and didn't realize what the story was about until I got into it. You are right, the cover does not do this book justice at all, and that Savannah was definitely a piece of work. I'm glad you enjoyed this book as much as I did.

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  4. This sounds fascinating. When I saw the cover, I thought this would be a contemporary read too. I have no idea that this is a Greek mythology type of story. I'm glad your review helps to clarify. Thanks a lot for sharing :)

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  5. Thanks for the synopsis and review, I feel I have a good idea of what to expect from this book having read them. There certainly would be plenty of questions in a relationship with someone you can't even see. To me it seems to even verge on spirituality, sounds pretty cool. Thanks.

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  6. Yep! This sounds good. Wow! and I like the cover

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