Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in the forest alone, afraid, and unable to remember anything. Lost and confused, her life was a mystery…until she met a boy with a familiar voice.
Gabriel Archer has a voice from her past, and Scarlet’s determined to remember why. She immerses herself in his life only to discover he has a brother he’s kept hidden from her: Tristan Archer.
Upon meeting Tristan, Scarlet’s world becomes even more muddled. While she’s instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she’s impossibly drawn to Tristan–and confused out of her mind. As she tries to piece together her history Scarlet realizes her past…might just be the death of her. (Goodreads summary)
When I started Anew, I’ll admit to being in the mood for a little heart wrenching drama. A love triangle between brothers, twin brothers, at that, with loose references to the famous Arthurian romantic triangle, seemed to promise all the drama I could desire. And indeed, it did. Consider my heart completely wrenched.
As the book opens, we are introduced to Scarlet. Waking up in the woods outside of Avalon, alone, with none of her memories, Scarlet knows nothing about herself with the exception of her name and age. She’s a girl with no past – a girl who only has the present. She struggles with the depression of not knowing anything about herself. For who are we if not the sum of our experiences? Despite not knowing her origins, her likes and dislikes, who her family is, or what circumstances led to her present situation – the things that make up the what, how and why of Scarlet’s existence – she shows herself to be resilient, strong, perceptive, incredibly stubborn, yet a little lost. She’s certainly a bit more reserved than her effervescent best friend, and she doesn’t let herself be pushed around by others. However, I think the thing that I like most about her is that even though her circumstances are a bit abnormal, she’s actually relatively normal, well-adjusted and grounded.
And then she meets the brothers, and Scarlet’s life is turned upside down. Why do they seem so familiar? Why does she feel drawn to them both? And most importantly, what are they hiding?
Oh, the brothers. Where do I even start? Gabriel, I suppose.
The more glass-half-full of the two brothers, Gabriel is easy-going, optimistic, funny, a romantic, and just an all-around nice kind of guy. But he’s also a tortured soul, given his role in the aforementioned love triangle and his part in the larger picture. He sometimes errs on the side of romanticism and idealism, and he’s the kind of guy who can’t see the forest for the trees. Or perhaps the better description would be that he ignores the forest for the trees.
And then there’s Tristan. Tortured, tormented Tristan – the unwitting third member in this agonizing love triangle. Where Gabriel tends to be optimistic and idealistic, Tristan is more of a pessimist and a pragmatist. Willing to make the hard choices, willing to deny himself happiness for the best interest of others, Tristan is honorable, selfless, totally sigh-inducing and ever-so-deliciously angsty. I guess it doesn’t take to much of a mental leap to figure out who I might be rooting for in this romantic drama?
Which brings us to the romance. Love triangles. Yes. Love triangles are a hard sell to today’s avid YA reader. They’re not terribly realistic, at least at the frequency young adult literature would have you believe that they occur. In addition, it’s hard to keep the object of affection, in this case Scarlet, from looking like she’s leading two guys on intentionally and/or heartlessly. It’s just flat out hard to write a convincing, compelling love triangle. However, Anew approaches the overused plot device rather originally, I think. And she does this, ironically, by channeling some of the oldest love stories — old Arthurian legend, shades of Tristan & Isolde, and the magic and mysticism that’s entwined throughout both those stories. Like I’ve said before, I enjoy a good, angsty romance from time to time, and Anew has gut-wrenching angst as you watch each character suffer individually in this trio of lovely romantic misery.
So much of the plot is wrapped up in the mystery of Scarlet’s past, and while Fine answers just enough questions to keep the reader relatively satisfied, she also leaves us with a lot of big, big, big ones unanswered for the next book. Mostly focusing on character and relationship development, the plot of Anew is rather simple, which isn’t really a problem. Simple can be good. But, at times, the plot of Anew is also a bit lacking in momentum. However, my interest was more invested in how Fine develops the relationships between her characters, so the slower bits didn’t bother me too terribly. And really, as it got toward to end, the story does pick up speed, building until it leaves you teetering on the edge of that oh-so-beloved cliffhanger of a conclusion.
Another thing I wish in regard to the plot/world building was for the rules and circumstances of their reality to be expounded upon in greater detail, as the paranormal aspect feels a bit too simple. However, as more things come to light in the next book, my opinion on that point may change with further explanation. We shall see, won’t we?
Overall, if you’re in the mood for some good romantic drama, this book is for you. Anew is a wonderfully agonizing love story wrapped up in traces of myth and magic with an ending that’ll leave you needing to get your hands on the next book.
Author: Chelsea Fine
Title: Anew
Series: The Archers of Avalon (Book #1)
Published: December 7th 2011 by Acacia Publishing
Format: Paperback, 385 pages; Kindle; Nook
Website: www.chelseafinebooks.com
Source: Review copy provided by Acacia Publishing
My rating: 
Happy Reading!
I really enjoyed ANEW. And Chelsea is such a sweet author. I can’t wait to read the next in the series.
Me too! The end left me a little like, “WHAT?!” So, I’m very much looking forward to getting my hands on Awry.
I have a copy of this one and I need to read it. I keep meaning to, but my review pile just keeps growing. Glad you liked it!
Tell me about it. lol. Hope you get to it soon!
You write such excellent reviews, Dani!
Why thank you!
I met this author at a book convention, she was sweet and amazing. I really want to read this book. Don’t love lots of drama but I love teenage love stories so I will give it a go! thanks for the review
Ooo… lucky you! Chelsea does seem very sweet.
And you should totally give it a go! Thanks for stopping in, Linda!
I love this book but Awry is even better! Chelsea Fine is an amazing author.
I lust over Tristan daily.
LOL…[sigh] oh Tristan…
UUUGGGHHH, I started this book and stopped at page 70. I couldn’t get into it. But I know I should get back to it. It sounds good overall.
Yeah, it starts off a little slow, but then it definitely starts to pick up. Hopefully you’ll give it another chance
Thanks for stopping by, Jennifer!
I’ve read Chelsea Fine’s Sophie and Carter and LOVED it:) This one sounds like a wonderful book – especially since it combines paranormal and romance.
I studied Arthurian Romance in class and I’m curious to see how it gets a retelling here. I know lots of people hate love triangles but if there’s a reason for it, I’m a huge fan:)
Teeheehee… oh the love triangle… 😉
This book sounds kind of awesome so I’ll definitely add it to my to-read list. I have this new fascination with angsty books so I’ll definitely give this one a try. Great review!
Thanks for sharing your opinion.
lol… angsty this is. I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for dropping in!
Personally, I shy away from angsty stories particularly ones with love triangles so I’ll probably be giving this one a pass. Great review!
Even though I tend to like angst (Oh! The DRAMA!), I totally understand that… and now you know. lol 😉 Thanks, Sophia Rose!
This is the first review I’ve read on this book! How did I miss it? lol It sounds like a pretty good read. thanks for sharing.
Yeah, it’s a pretty intense, angsty read if you’re in the mood for something like that
I’m very happy you liked it! I admit the first part of the book was pretty slow for my liking and upon finishing it, there are still a lot of unanswered questions that kept bugging me. And that ending! God, that kept me pining for the second book (which I immediately read upon its release and found all the answers I’m seeking for!). All in all, loved this book. Now pining for the third!
Yes, I’m very interested in the third book and what’s gonna happen next…. :O Thanks for stopping by, Haraiah!
Although you made this book sound Ok, I if I could get my hands on it very hard to read. Not only would the fact that there’s a love triangle irritate me, the fact that its based off Arthurian mythology even if it was done so loosely would make me judge the book. I’m happy that you enjoyed it though.
If love triangles really bother you, then yeah, this might not be the book series for you. lol Thanks so much for stopping by Erica!
Why oh why do I wait so very long to read books on my Kindle? I don’t know, but this is one that is sitting on my Kindle unread, and that is just not. Cool. Ugh, issues. Anyway, thanks for the great review. I will get on this one asap. Man, I will never catch up on my TBR. It just won’t happen. I have to stop going to the library all the time.
lol. I’ve got a bunch that’ve been sitting on mine for a year, maybe more. You’re not the only one.
And the library… ok, maybe this is silly but library books creep me out. What if the person before me was reading the book while using the bathroom?! <– EWWW. lol Yes, that’s the entire reason I never get books from the library. My kids do, but I don’t. Yes, I do have issues. 😛 I hope you’re able to start getting caught up on your TBR soon!
I just came across this book today and put in for the giveaway on it. It sounds pretty good and I am interested to see how this love triangle is different from the rest. Great review! I can’t wait to read it
Hi Vyki! Well I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for commenting!
I really enjoyed reading your review. I really don’t like love triangles, even if they’re well written, it’ll just be too heart wrenching for me to read about but the characters sound interesting and I like the synopsis. Great review!
Understood
This one is pretty wrenching 😛 Thanks so much for commenting Isa!
I am looking forward to book 2.