The Ward was one of my most anticipated reads for 2013. Boy, did I want to read this one.From the very first page, I knew that there was something different about The Ward. Starting with its lush world, I though that The Ward would be a book that I wanted to curl up with and never let go. And at first, I did. But in the back of my mind, there was something off. Something that I was having a hard time putting my finger on. What it was exactly, I could not say. However, as the book continued, that nagging feeling that something wasn't right started to become more and more apparent.Despite how much I really had wanted to read and love The Ward, in a lot of ways, The Ward was divided read for me. The world. Some of the characters. The Blight. I loved all of that. But the descriptions and even some plot elements were off.To start off, Ren was a great character. I loved her drive and commitment to her sister (not biological) throughout the story. The Blight has effected Ren in a number of ways, she she keeps on fighting, keeping on surviving. Plus, she is a woman trying to make it in the man's world of drag racing. What was not to love. But her love life was another story. Personally, part of me wishes that there was not a romance at all. Or at least wish it could have been another character. I am not going to go into full details since it would ruin some key plot details, but let's just say, I wasn't a big fan.Final Verdict:There is a lot I really would love to go into detail about with this read, but for spoilers sake, I will just be vague. The overall concept for The Ward was great. The idea of the world being overrun by the Blight and all that it entails was really interesting. The romance and some details, especially concerning the drag racing, was a bit over my head. I didn't hate the romance per say, however, I didn't really care for it either. All in all, The Ward was a middle ground read for me. Parts I really liked. Parts that I wish either could have been done better, or changed a bit.Will I read the next installment?A firm maybe.
