Elixir {Book Review}.

Hilary Duff has always been a person to look up to. When I first saw her in Casper Meets Wendy, I thought she was so adorable. When I saw that she was going to be in a new sitcom called Lizzie McGuire, I was so pumped, and it ended up being one of my favorite shows from childhood. Hilary Duff is one of those celebrities who never went off the deep end. She still does movies and guest stars in TV shows here and there, but now, she's living life as a mother and is a huge philanthropist. 

Hilary signing copies of her first book. How flawless is she?!
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I've had the first book of her series, Elixir, on my shelf for awhile now, and I finally had the time to dive into it. 
Favorite Character: Rayna Rayna was the best friend of the main character, Clea. While she didn't have the biggest role in the book, she was one of the most memorable. She was the life of the party and lots of fun, but she was also very understanding no matter what weird things Clea threw at her, and she stepped it up in the best friend category. She believed in true love, and I think she is a best friend that every girl would want to have.
Memorable Quotes "In dreams, and in love, there are no impossibilities."
"Dreams were the brain's way of sorting out things left unsettled in our waking lives." 
"If he was my soulmate, my soul needed to develop better taste."
Book Synopsis from Goodreads Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before.

When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures.
My Thoughts To be honest, when I bought this book, I had no idea what it was about. I just saw Hilary Duff's name on the cover and the sale sticker, and I just had to have it. I think Hilary let her imagination run wild with this book. I loved the concept of the mysterious stranger that she felt an immediate connection to from her photos. The fact that she had two best friends that she could tell about this stranger is amazing. I hate when I read a book and the person decides not to tell anyone about their problems. Things would go so much smoother if they had someone to share their confusion with. 
Let me just start by saying, I did not like Clea at all. I feel like she was your typical privileged brat. The only thing wrong with her life was that her dad was missing. She was the daughter of a politician, aka rich. I mean, she started the book on vacation in Paris with her best friend. Hard life? I think not. She was pretty whiny, and not relatable at all. She had all of these things handed to her, but for being so privileged, she complained a lot. She didn't believe in true love, and she was pretty oblivious to the world around her. She was too rational for her own good, with the emotional capacity of a toad. 
One thing that fascinated me about this book was its take on the Elixir of Life. The "mysterious stranger" noted in the description above is Sage. I think almost every girl dreams of having a Sage in her life - charming, attractive, is head over heels in love with you, and supports everything you do. Not bad. After Sage and Clea meet for the first time is when I really started getting more into the book. Everything was so fast-paced. When Clea starts unraveling details about her father's disappearance and her unfathomable connection to Sage, I couldn't stop reading. 
Honestly, I was hoping that this novel would be able to stand alone, and you could read the rest of the trilogy if you just happened to want more. Similar to The Hunger Games. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to read the next two novels to see what happens. The ending of Elixir is definitely open-ended, and left me frustrated (mostly at Clea. Really, why did you do that?!) and needing to see what happens. 

I give this book a 3.5 out of 5. Overall, the book wasn't a bad read, but it took me awhile to really get into the story. I also didn't like that Clea wasn't a very relatable main character. I am curious to see what Hilary does in the remaining two novels.