I liked this slightly different approach to YA fantasy romance and although some may feel the standard tropes were all there bringing it down I was happy that the orphaned girl with a mystery “skill” came into town and then had chemistry with two guys….who happened to be not just brothers but twins (obviously not identical based on the story line).
Maybe a little basic on the fantasy novel genre I’m used to but this allowed for it to be a quicker read and much lighter.
It certainly left me wanting to read the next in this series even if I wasn’t completely satisfied with the end of this book

It wasn't a bad book, but it didn't impress me either.
The plot was quite predictable, and I found it difficult to connect with the main characters - especially Aiden, who, to be honest, was insufferably selfish and, thus, pretty annoying. Also, the dynamics within the trio didn't convince me at all, feeling a bit forced, unnatural.
Nonetheless, it had enough potential to be likely enjoyed by a younger public.

It wasn't an entirely bad book. I was pretty much into it for most of the time. Nevertheless, it has a lot of those tiny little issues that just took away my reading joy the more I got into this whole affair.

First of all, let's talk about our main character here. She's so typical I cannot even say it. So she lost her parents when she was a little girl, lived with grandparents (later on only with grandma) and her only other living member of the family is some strange uncle that doesn't care a lot for her. It's like she's all alone in the world that she couldn't possibly be more. I'm not entirely sure I buy into that. Other than being left to herself what was pretty annoying is that she's so good at everything. She's smart, pretty and whatever other positive traits you could find - she probably is that. For me it's just unbelievable; I don't fancy characters I'm reading about being wholly good or wholly evil. People are always something in between.

Second thing that I didn't buy into at all is the relationship Marise and Ethan are having here. It just seems to be so forced, almost unnatural. Maybe I'm just blind but honestly I didn't see this mysterious "chemistry" between those two. For me it was just there because the author thought it has to have at least some dose of romance. So why not do it this way. More to that is the fact that Marise chose Ethan over Aiden. She is good up to the point that she's not attracted to the boy who "looks like a god" and instead falls in love with the less popular and swooned-over twin. It doesn't talk to me at all. Not one bit am I into this. Plus, the most awkward thing in it: why is Aiden suddenly so jealous over Marise being with Ethan? If it's only to portray his character as this worse of two brothers it didn't really do a good job. It was really a cheap move and as a lot of these little plot twists in this utterly unbelievable.

To say something positive at last: I really liked how the tension between Aiden and Ethan was written. I'm so over every pair of twins in the books that just have this special bond and they're so drawn into each other and ever being the best of friends. It's not like that in real families. People just get mad at each other, they're fighting, sometimes they don't talk at all and do things that hurt others. It's just the way it is. So here we have twins that are scared over what's happening to them and not really getting along with each other. They fight, they don't have their backs all the time. I have to say I appreciated that at least this one relationship was written in some interesting way.

Maybe I'm just a grumpy old lady giving a bad review to a book that isn't really targeting my age. Or maybe this book just lacks at some points. Try and see for yourselves.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Balance in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't what I expected when I picked it up and that's what kept me reading until the end but I'm still not sure if its because I was compelled to figure out where it was going or because its a genuinely good read. I didn't really care for the MC or either of the twins and I think making them more dynamic characters could have really evaluated this and made it feel less stilted.

The Balance is a YA story about a girl named Marise who attends a private school and the two brothers she meets there. Marise is a strong and smart character and you end up really rooting for her. The brothers are complicated and I can't say a whole lot more without ruining the main surprise. I preferred Ethan over the self-absorbed Aiden. The surprise is interesting and I found it pretty unique in the terms of YA plots. The only issue I had with the story was at times it really skipped over things and/or did not explain them well.

Wow! This book was not what I was expecting. Especially from the cover. I feel like the cover could definitely be a lot better but it was a wonderful surprise that I could not put this book down.

After the first few chapters, I was hooked! It seriously took me less than 24 hours to read. There needs to be a sequel to this book because I need more of this YA paranormal good vs evil book.

Aiden was an extremely frustrating character that was so toxic. It wasn't a surprise that he was so easily influenced. Even though this aspect of the book was predictable, there were still so many plot twists that made this story enjoyable to read.

One thing the book lacks is diversity. It is apparent that the students come from affluent households but other than the roommate and best friend, there didn't seem to be any BIPOC characters in the book.

The Balance is the first installment of The Balance series and was my first introduction to the author. I did like that the author chose to use alternating points of view between the main characters as this gave deeper insight into their thoughts and feelings.

The beginning of the book is light and a little slow for my speed as it introduces the characters attending St. James boarding school. Within days of enrolling at the boarding school, Marise, who is a strong female character forms a friendship with two troubled twin brothers, Aiden and Ethan. And her new roommate Sara seems to good to be true. Quickly the events happening at the boarding school start to put students in danger. Who can Marise really trust?

As the story progresses the pace and action picks up. The author’s writing style continued to hold my attention, in fact once the storyline picked up I was intrigued as the suspense and action picked up. One minute I was reading about normal teen life and then the next how to banish demons and learning about the war between heaven and hell.

The characters are likable but I just didn't feel a connection to them. I’m reading the words on the page and will soon forget the characters exist shortly after reading. The characters aren't ones that'll stick with me but the storyline was well crafted and very interesting.

It took me a few sittings to complete the 323 pages and honestly I can't really pin point why I didn't love the book. The storyline does give answers so there is closure to many questions that readers may have while reading. The cover of the book is beautiful and the title does fit the book's concept. Recommend for YA/Teen that enjoy reading an interesting and well plotted paranormal or supernatural series.

Thank you for letting me read an advanced copy!

If you love Supernatural and Vampire Diaries, then you will love this book , probably 5 starts! My main issues were I felt it was a little predictable and more importantly a huge lack of diversity in characters. I'm glad the one best friend went from a stereotype culture to a more developed character by the end, but that was it as far as diversity. I still enjoyed the story and will check the 2nd book out once it hits the local library.