Olivia's sad, solitary life in Seattle comes dangerously close to ending one fateful night, if not for a neighbor saving her in the nick of time. Curious about her mysterious rescuer, she seeks him out in hope of getting some answers, but instead finds something she never thought she'd have again.
Emerald City
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More About the Author
I always knew I wanted to be a writer, ever since Career Day in first grade when I walked around carrying a notebook and pencil. Twenty-some odd years later, after a short stint in high school where I dreamed of being an actress, a whirlwind Internet romance including a blind proposal that led to a fairytale wedding and two pretty-near perfect kids, my lifelong dream came to fruition with my first novel, Emerald City. I live with my small brood in my beloved hometown of Pasco, which is located in the only part of Washington state that isn't green. When I'm not writing, I can be found decorating novelty cakes and taking naps--my other two passions.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
My Review: I am not sure what it was about the synopsis of Emerald City that caught my attention. Yes, I am a sucker for romance and "mysterious" heroes, so maybe it was that aspect of the summary that made me click the "request" button on netgalley. I definitely don't regret it, even though this debut novel by Alicia K. Leppert turned out to be quite different then what I expected it to be.
As the synopsis states, the story opens with a harrowing scene of attempted suicide. Olivia is a 20 year old shell of a young woman, broken down by losing everyone that has meant something to her. Abandoned by even her best friend, Olivia has attempted to eke out her own life by working and owning her own apartment. But she lives like a robot, going through the motions without truly seeing or feeling, barely eating or full-filling other social or physical needs. After a particularly bad day at work, swallowing a bottle of anxiety pills becomes her answer to her problems. One minute Olivia feels nothing and is greeted by white light, the next she is waking up in the hospital, told she has been saved by her mysterious neighbor named Jude. And so Olivia's journey begins, her fight back to mental and physical wellness, finding something worth living for... Sounds like a pretty straight forward, contemporary novel, right?
I battled back and forth on how much I should reveal about Emerald City in my review. But after some careful thinking and seeing that other reviewers have talked about what I wanted to reveal, I decided to go for it. If you haven't figured it out already, Emerald City is actually a paranormal romance and our mysterious hero, Jude, is an...angel! Now hold that thought.
Here is what I liked about the novel. I think the author did a great job with capturing the realistic nature of depression and suicide. I completely disagree with another reviewer in regards to how long it takes to heal after suffering a great loss. In the book, Olivia's mother killed herself a year before. Another reviewer felt that her depression lasting a year over the death of her mother felt unrealistic. They felt that after a couple of months, Olivia should have been able to start healing from her loss. Seriously?? Who puts a limit on the grieving process? Everyone deals with loss differently, so I thought the author dealt with the subject conscientiously.
Emerald City is filled with great characterization. The author really takes her time to build the relationships between her characters. While some other reviewers felt it may have taken too long for the relationship between Olivia and Jude to begin to really blossom, I thought it was a nice change from some of the typical "instant love" romances out there. I also like the fact that the author didn't bog the story down with tons of secondary characters. Not that I have issues with secondary characters, but Alicia K. Leppert does a great job making the characters she has three dimensional. One of my favorites is Hal, the mysterious homeless man that Jude always goes to when he needs to borrow materialistic things, like a truck, money, etc. I know, sounds weird, right? How can a homeless man have those kinds of connections? Read to find out :)
Even though the paranormal element wasn't really evident until about halfway through the book, I liked the angel mythology that was introduced. In Alicia K. Leppert's world, her angels don't have any wings. Heaven is not located in the sky, but is hidden in some sort of alternate dimension. Spirits are kept separate from angels. There are also many different kinds of angels, like ones that comfort you before you pass on, those that guard you, etc.
Now to my issues with Emerald City. A few are minor and are just thoughts/questions I had while reading. Olivia owns her own apartment in Seattle, but only works at a cafe shop. Is that realistic? Olivia swallows a whole bottle of pills but somehow Jude convinces the hospital it was an "accident". Really?? Apparently he did not use any of his "heavenly" influences to convince the hospital staff that it was an accident. It doesn't sound plausible.
When Olivia is at one of her therapy sessions, she thinks to herself that she doesn't want to reveal that Jude is the one that saved her. She tells Dr. Robinson that she has been spending time with a guy and that he is her neighbor. Then later in the conversation, she mentions that her savior the night she tried killing herself was her neighbor. Wait, didn't she just give it away??? I think it was one of those unconscious errors the author made and the editor didn't catch it. A little proof reading and rewording would have solved that mistake.
Also, without giving away too much, there is a part where Olivia is able to "meet" Jude's mother on the other side. I thought this was a bit odd since I would have thought that if the author was going to go in that direction with the story, it would be Olivia's mother that she would be able to see. Considering the fact that she has regrets about her mother's death and wishing she had the chance to talk with her one last time, I'm not sure what purpose was gained by making it be Jude's mother whom she meets. Again, maybe it slipped the author's mind, but I thought adding Jude's mom to the mix was a bit of an odd angle.
Lastly-- and this is my biggest issues and sadly, I don't think this is the author's fault-- I think Emerald City was completely marketed wrong. Back to my earlier comment, I first went into this novel thinking it was going to be a contemporary YA novel. Then I started reading it, and with Olivia's age being revealed at 20 and the serious/grimness of the depression and suicide attempt, I thought wow, maybe this is more of an adult novel. Then the angel concept was intertwined and I came to the conclusion that this is a YA paranormal romance for older teens. On top of the genre confusion, throw in a completely ambiguous cover art and book title, and you have yourself a hot mess of confusion. Now, I have talked to enough authors to know cover art is usually completely out of their hands. But I am still stuck on the title. Sometimes authors have a say, sometimes they don't. Other then Jude's green eyes which are mentioned quite a bit throughout the novel, I can't figure out what "Emerald City" means. And it absolutely does not help market the book at all.
Emerald City was not a bad read. I think the author captures the realistic and ugly stages of grief, depression, and suicide. I liked that the paranormal elements were introduced a bit later in the book. It was a nice change to see the relationship between two characters take its time to develop rather then using the instant love formula that we see so much in YA novels. Great characterization, interesting angel mythology held the story together. But a few plot holes such as poor editing, combined with the terrible marketing of this book is why it only gets a 3 out of 5 star rating. I think paranormal romance fans will miss out on Emerald City because they won't know about it. Thank God I am open minded! Someone who picks up this novel thinking its a contemporary romance may leave a worse review simply because they felt misled.
Reviewed by: Mia at The Muses Circle (Like my review? Come check out more on my blog! Just do a google search for The Muses Circle!)
As the synopsis states, the story opens with a harrowing scene of attempted suicide. Olivia is a 20 year old shell of a young woman, broken down by losing everyone that has meant something to her. Abandoned by even her best friend, Olivia has attempted to eke out her own life by working and owning her own apartment. But she lives like a robot, going through the motions without truly seeing or feeling, barely eating or full-filling other social or physical needs. After a particularly bad day at work, swallowing a bottle of anxiety pills becomes her answer to her problems. One minute Olivia feels nothing and is greeted by white light, the next she is waking up in the hospital, told she has been saved by her mysterious neighbor named Jude. And so Olivia's journey begins, her fight back to mental and physical wellness, finding something worth living for... Sounds like a pretty straight forward, contemporary novel, right?
I battled back and forth on how much I should reveal about Emerald City in my review. But after some careful thinking and seeing that other reviewers have talked about what I wanted to reveal, I decided to go for it. If you haven't figured it out already, Emerald City is actually a paranormal romance and our mysterious hero, Jude, is an...angel! Now hold that thought.
Here is what I liked about the novel. I think the author did a great job with capturing the realistic nature of depression and suicide. I completely disagree with another reviewer in regards to how long it takes to heal after suffering a great loss. In the book, Olivia's mother killed herself a year before. Another reviewer felt that her depression lasting a year over the death of her mother felt unrealistic. They felt that after a couple of months, Olivia should have been able to start healing from her loss. Seriously?? Who puts a limit on the grieving process? Everyone deals with loss differently, so I thought the author dealt with the subject conscientiously.
Emerald City is filled with great characterization. The author really takes her time to build the relationships between her characters. While some other reviewers felt it may have taken too long for the relationship between Olivia and Jude to begin to really blossom, I thought it was a nice change from some of the typical "instant love" romances out there. I also like the fact that the author didn't bog the story down with tons of secondary characters. Not that I have issues with secondary characters, but Alicia K. Leppert does a great job making the characters she has three dimensional. One of my favorites is Hal, the mysterious homeless man that Jude always goes to when he needs to borrow materialistic things, like a truck, money, etc. I know, sounds weird, right? How can a homeless man have those kinds of connections? Read to find out :)
Even though the paranormal element wasn't really evident until about halfway through the book, I liked the angel mythology that was introduced. In Alicia K. Leppert's world, her angels don't have any wings. Heaven is not located in the sky, but is hidden in some sort of alternate dimension. Spirits are kept separate from angels. There are also many different kinds of angels, like ones that comfort you before you pass on, those that guard you, etc.
Now to my issues with Emerald City. A few are minor and are just thoughts/questions I had while reading. Olivia owns her own apartment in Seattle, but only works at a cafe shop. Is that realistic? Olivia swallows a whole bottle of pills but somehow Jude convinces the hospital it was an "accident". Really?? Apparently he did not use any of his "heavenly" influences to convince the hospital staff that it was an accident. It doesn't sound plausible.
When Olivia is at one of her therapy sessions, she thinks to herself that she doesn't want to reveal that Jude is the one that saved her. She tells Dr. Robinson that she has been spending time with a guy and that he is her neighbor. Then later in the conversation, she mentions that her savior the night she tried killing herself was her neighbor. Wait, didn't she just give it away??? I think it was one of those unconscious errors the author made and the editor didn't catch it. A little proof reading and rewording would have solved that mistake.
Also, without giving away too much, there is a part where Olivia is able to "meet" Jude's mother on the other side. I thought this was a bit odd since I would have thought that if the author was going to go in that direction with the story, it would be Olivia's mother that she would be able to see. Considering the fact that she has regrets about her mother's death and wishing she had the chance to talk with her one last time, I'm not sure what purpose was gained by making it be Jude's mother whom she meets. Again, maybe it slipped the author's mind, but I thought adding Jude's mom to the mix was a bit of an odd angle.
Lastly-- and this is my biggest issues and sadly, I don't think this is the author's fault-- I think Emerald City was completely marketed wrong. Back to my earlier comment, I first went into this novel thinking it was going to be a contemporary YA novel. Then I started reading it, and with Olivia's age being revealed at 20 and the serious/grimness of the depression and suicide attempt, I thought wow, maybe this is more of an adult novel. Then the angel concept was intertwined and I came to the conclusion that this is a YA paranormal romance for older teens. On top of the genre confusion, throw in a completely ambiguous cover art and book title, and you have yourself a hot mess of confusion. Now, I have talked to enough authors to know cover art is usually completely out of their hands. But I am still stuck on the title. Sometimes authors have a say, sometimes they don't. Other then Jude's green eyes which are mentioned quite a bit throughout the novel, I can't figure out what "Emerald City" means. And it absolutely does not help market the book at all.
Emerald City was not a bad read. I think the author captures the realistic and ugly stages of grief, depression, and suicide. I liked that the paranormal elements were introduced a bit later in the book. It was a nice change to see the relationship between two characters take its time to develop rather then using the instant love formula that we see so much in YA novels. Great characterization, interesting angel mythology held the story together. But a few plot holes such as poor editing, combined with the terrible marketing of this book is why it only gets a 3 out of 5 star rating. I think paranormal romance fans will miss out on Emerald City because they won't know about it. Thank God I am open minded! Someone who picks up this novel thinking its a contemporary romance may leave a worse review simply because they felt misled.
Reviewed by: Mia at The Muses Circle (Like my review? Come check out more on my blog! Just do a google search for The Muses Circle!)
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is one of those books where you really don't know what to expect. The synopsis doesn't give much away. Presuming this was possibly a contemporary romance I entered into Olivia's world at the worst possible moment. For her there is nothing left. Her father left her, her mother left her. Now she's alone and trying to cope having pushed her best friend away in the process. In her darkest hour she's saved by the mysterious Jude. Handsome, patient but quiet, Olivia is drawn to her saviour but it isn't all good. How did he get intop her apartment that night to save her? How did her know her name as he screamed it in her last moments? The truth is more complicated than Olivia could have imagined and now she's falling for him in a big way.
Let me first say that the cover does this book no justice. This is a Paranormal romance that doesn't shout about it. The cover has no Angels with big unfurled fluffy wings. There's no magical element to the cover at all so in its unassuming sense the story took me by surprise.
The story is great, however you do get dropped in right at the bad part and while the first part of the book takes you through Olivia's healing process it is a very dark subject that some readers might not take to. The big reveal is one I expected. The clues had given it away so I was happy I was right! The romance is wonderful. I wish everyone could have a 'Jude' to stand by their side. His character was the reason I kept reading.
The only issue I had was with the story and the premise of it. Olivia is 20 years old. She suffers a loss that you can't compare until you've been through it. I have so I could relate. But Olivia dragged herself through a year of hell. In reality after two or three months you begin to heal and after a year you can start making new decisions based on rationality and not hurt or anger. In this respect I just felt that Olivia's pain was a little far fetched.
However for Alicia to write about such despair and make it seem so real shows the true quality of her writing and I for one will gladly read anything else she publishes.
Let me first say that the cover does this book no justice. This is a Paranormal romance that doesn't shout about it. The cover has no Angels with big unfurled fluffy wings. There's no magical element to the cover at all so in its unassuming sense the story took me by surprise.
The story is great, however you do get dropped in right at the bad part and while the first part of the book takes you through Olivia's healing process it is a very dark subject that some readers might not take to. The big reveal is one I expected. The clues had given it away so I was happy I was right! The romance is wonderful. I wish everyone could have a 'Jude' to stand by their side. His character was the reason I kept reading.
The only issue I had was with the story and the premise of it. Olivia is 20 years old. She suffers a loss that you can't compare until you've been through it. I have so I could relate. But Olivia dragged herself through a year of hell. In reality after two or three months you begin to heal and after a year you can start making new decisions based on rationality and not hurt or anger. In this respect I just felt that Olivia's pain was a little far fetched.
However for Alicia to write about such despair and make it seem so real shows the true quality of her writing and I for one will gladly read anything else she publishes.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a book that I think will do well in its genre. It's exactly what fans of paranormal romance would expect it to be, and will probably be a crowd-pleaser. I rated it three-stars because I felt a bit let down by its predictability. In a genre that is so popular it's starting to become formulaic, I kept waiting for Leppert to pull out a trick I'd never seen before. It never happened, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
In a lot of ways, Emerald City plays to the tropes of the paranormal romance genre -- a supernatural guy is unfathomably good looking, a perfect gentleman, and looks gorgeous when tortured by some inner turmoil. Olivia is very much the damsel in distress, burdened by depression after a life of hardships and abandonment. She's in a fragile state for most of the novel, but her relationship with Jude buoys her. They very much reminded me of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, particularly after Jude goes out of the way to alter himself so that a relationship with Olivia can be sustained.
The book angles quite sharply into the paranormal. Approximately half the book is set in everyday Seattle, and then Olivia makes an abrupt "discovery" of who and what Jude really is. I'm hesitant to call it a true discovery because Olivia arrives at her bizarre, paranormal conclusion with very little prompting and barely acknowledges that it is at first an assumption. Within a page of saying that it's all just speculation, Olivia acts as if her beliefs are proven facts. The transition is a bit out of joint, because by the time Olivia's assumptions are confirmed by a third party, she's already making plans about how to incorporate this new reality into her everyday life.
Jude and Olivia's romance is touching and the book ends on a sweet note. These are characters that are easy to like, even though they're not easily distinguished from a lot of other paranormal romance couples. They play to the expectations of the genre and gender roles -- it's predictable, but it's also what a lot of people happen to like about the books they read.
There were aspects of Emerald City that just weren't for me. That said, it isn't a bad book. Lovers of paranormal romance are sure to enjoy it.
In a lot of ways, Emerald City plays to the tropes of the paranormal romance genre -- a supernatural guy is unfathomably good looking, a perfect gentleman, and looks gorgeous when tortured by some inner turmoil. Olivia is very much the damsel in distress, burdened by depression after a life of hardships and abandonment. She's in a fragile state for most of the novel, but her relationship with Jude buoys her. They very much reminded me of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, particularly after Jude goes out of the way to alter himself so that a relationship with Olivia can be sustained.
The book angles quite sharply into the paranormal. Approximately half the book is set in everyday Seattle, and then Olivia makes an abrupt "discovery" of who and what Jude really is. I'm hesitant to call it a true discovery because Olivia arrives at her bizarre, paranormal conclusion with very little prompting and barely acknowledges that it is at first an assumption. Within a page of saying that it's all just speculation, Olivia acts as if her beliefs are proven facts. The transition is a bit out of joint, because by the time Olivia's assumptions are confirmed by a third party, she's already making plans about how to incorporate this new reality into her everyday life.
Jude and Olivia's romance is touching and the book ends on a sweet note. These are characters that are easy to like, even though they're not easily distinguished from a lot of other paranormal romance couples. They play to the expectations of the genre and gender roles -- it's predictable, but it's also what a lot of people happen to like about the books they read.
There were aspects of Emerald City that just weren't for me. That said, it isn't a bad book. Lovers of paranormal romance are sure to enjoy it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Desperate Heart...
This book moved me. The despair that was expressed and feelings of nothingness touched me. It also touches on the subject of suicide. Read more
Published 11 days ago by Tara Lynn Hepworth
4.0 out of 5 stars
Olivia is a genuine character
I received this book via Netgalley. I had been drawn to the phrase on it's cover: "They say it's darkest just before dawn". That phrase reflects a big deal of emotion. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Jessy's Bookends
1.0 out of 5 stars
Depressing, whiny character
This book fell flat for me. Olivia is just whiny. Nothing in her life was bad enough for her to react the way she did about everything. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Fall Into Books
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Book Written by a Fabulous Author!
Just the front cover got my attention, especially when I saw the beautiful Seattle skyline. Then I read the synopsis, and I was automatically drawn to the book. Read more
Published 11 months ago by beachgoers
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Emerald City"
This was a really good book!! Fast paced and a very good story line. One of those at always keeps you guessing and anxious to see what's going to happen. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Karen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply brilliant!!!
Note: I received this book from Netgalley.
Speechless. That's how I feel after finishing this brilliant work of prose. Read more
Speechless. That's how I feel after finishing this brilliant work of prose. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Vanya Petkova
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dark and Intriguing
Olivia is in a dark place. Having been abandoned by everyone she loved, Olivia has reached the end. She can no longer deal with her life. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Lisa
3.0 out of 5 stars
Book Whales: It's a fast read wherein you can relate to the main...
Olivia Tate is broken. After the tragic death of her mother, her whole life quickly falls apart, leaving her nothing but an empty shell. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Book Whales
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Debut
3.5 Stars
Emerald City was a haunting and engrossing story with a paranormal twist.
Twenty-year old Olivia is struggling with depression. Read more
Emerald City was a haunting and engrossing story with a paranormal twist.
Twenty-year old Olivia is struggling with depression. Read more
Published 13 months ago by R. Lane
5.0 out of 5 stars
Emerald City
I really enjoyed this book, I found it well written with depth of character and a heart felt message about hope. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Bryan
