Devoted by Hilary Duff

Title: Devoted (Elixir #2)

Author: Hilary Duff

Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR

Release Date: October 11, 2011

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Clea Raymond found her soulmate in mysterious and handsome Sage, and discovered they have loved each other through many past lives, all of which ended tragically. Clea wants nothing more than to prevent history from repeating itself and to be with her true love. But there are dark forces in the world: people who want to destroy Sage and the elixir that makes him immortal.

Sage has been taken, yet Clea is certain he is still alive and will stop at nothing to find him. She turns to her friend Ben, and they enter into an uneasy alliance with Cursed Vengeance, an ancient faction that has information that can lead them to Sage. Clea must get to Sage before Cursed Vengeance does, or risk his death at their hands. But Ben's role in Sage's kidnapping--and in their past lives--leaves Clea questioning whether Ben can be counted on. Just when they get closest to their goal, the events around her make Clea wonder if she's really saving Sage...or if she's leading them to repeat their disastrous pasts all over again.

When I finished reading Elixir, I was more than happy to have a copy of Devoted on hand to start reading right away. It turned out to be just as good and just as addicting as the first book. It was definitely a highly enjoyable read.

Clea is back home but she can't stop feeling bad about how she lost Sage in Japan. And she can't help but blame Ben for everything that happened. Her only comfort is that she knows Sage is still alive because he still appears in the background of her pictures. But that's not much help when it comes to finding and saving Sage from The Saviours of Eternal Life. That is until Clea first meets Amelia and her family and starts having hope of finding Sage again. Especially when a mysterious message appears on her computer screen, telling her to go to the Cursed Vengeance. Except it doesn't exactly lead to Sage, it led to an alliance with the enemy. But that doesn't stop Clea from continuing her search for Sage, especially now that she is having dreams of his location. The only problem is, Clea may just be running out of time if she has any hope of finding the Sage she lost.

If I'm being completely honest, I think I liked the story in Devoted better than the one in Elixir. I especially liked the addition of Amelia and her family to the story to provide background on the Elixir of Life. I loved finding out more about how the Elixir came to be, how it works exactly and the effects it can have in the long term. What I really enjoyed was the dual points of view, changing between Clea and Amelia. It was nice to have a new perspective, especially since Amelia's point of view was so different from Clea's. And once again, the ending was absolutely heartbreaking, except this time around, I didn't have the next book on hand to start reading right away.

I was kind of annoyed with Clea for the first part of the book, mostly because it felt like she was just sitting there pining for Sage. So I was really happy when she finally decided to do something and actively search for a way to find and save Sage. Basically, when she wasn't moping around, I liked Clea. I loved the change in Ben though. He felt like a completely different character and I personally thought it was an improvement, especially since he wasn't always trying to make Clea see the feelings he had for her. Mostly his new behaviour just amused me. In this book, Rayna was more present and I liked finding out more about her. Her relationships with boys are just the funniest thing. That leaves Amelia and her family and they were nothing if not interesting. Though Amelia and her mother were more present than the rest, it was still just interesting to see the dynamics in a family that has been around for a couple thousand years.

Overall, Devoted was a fantastic sequel. Hilary Duff and Elise Allen once again surprised me to say the very least. I can't wait for the book to find about what happens next to Clea, Sage and Ben.