Vain: Book One of The Seven Deadly Series Paperback – February 7, 2013

Seriously one of the best books I've read in a while!This book took me on a beautiful journey. It moved me, took my breath away and kept me up all night. It was a well-written, powerful, and deeply moving YA story that absolutely broke the mold and was unlike anything I'd ever read. It blew me away! READ IT!This is not your typical romance novel where girl meets boy and they just fall in love. Yes, this book has a beautiful love story, but its also about so. much. more.Its about learning the true value of life, about the price of ignorance, the weight of a self-less action, and the beauty of love.This was one of those wonderful books that came to my attention very suddenly about 2 weeks ago. Literally, my inbox was full of glowing recommendations for it and I just knew that I had to drop everything and read it. Best decision I ever made!! Something about the idea of it just made my heart race. I swear I had butterflies even before I started reading.It literally kept me up reading until 5:00 AM. I kept telling myself I was going to put it down and finish it the next day but I could. not. stop. turning. the. pages.Hmmm, so what's it about? Its about Sophie Price.Sophie Price is vain. She is spoiled, filthy rich, with work obsessed parents who care only about the `appearance' of a healthy family. She is hurt and angry on the inside. She uses, manipulates and discards friends, boys, everyone. She takes drugs, parties hard, and finds that she just can't break out of the mold."Freedom is just that. Absolutely no restrictions. I abandoned myself to every whim I felt. Every want I fulfilled and every disire was quenched. I wanted for nothing.Except attention."But everything changes the night her party is crashed by cops and, being on her second drug offence, her father arranges to have her sentenced to six months volunteer work at an orphanage in Uganda.Scared out of her mind, thrown into a completely opposite life from anything she's ever known, she is faced with a whole new world that will change her for ever.The whole book is told through Sophie's eyes and despite my love for alternating POVs, I found that this worked perfectly for the story. She was a very intriguing character who, despite her flaws and behavior, was not a ditz or shallow or stupid. She had simply taken several of the wrong turns in life and also, despite the wealth and opulence she grew up around, was deeply affected by the lack of familial love in her life. She wasn't abused or anything. But this book really shows the damage that comes from a simple lack of care and love. It brought a whole new meaning to her vanity. Her looks meant everything to her because it brought her adoration from everyone, which was the closest thing she had ever come to love."I stood in front of the mirror and took a good hard look. I was as bare as I could make myself, no make up with wet, stringy hair. I hated to look at myself in this state. I didn't feel real. I felt too exposed and that made me exceedingly nervous, but I made myself look that morning. I memorized that girl. That girl was the real me. Frightened. Worthless. A terrible friend. Terrible daughter. Well educated but so limited in ideas worth having. Beautiful yet repulsive... And finally honest."Fisher Amelie did a phenomenal job of instantly transporting you into Sophie's life. I was right there with her every page of the book. I smiled, laughed, cried a little, fell in love, and felt her growth every step of the way.I did love the book from the start, but the story is told in such a way that the more I read, the more strongly I connected to the story. My feelings just grew and grew till it just felt like my heart was going to burst.Oh, and the guy? Right. Yes, the guy. Ian - or `Dingane' as the kids called him. I literally loved him from his first line. Their first meeting was just SO powerful. I. FELT. It."It was like my body knew instantly that he was mine and that I was his."He was take-your-breath-away gorgeous. Blunt. Honest. And saw right through her. And the more we learned about his back story too, the more I loved him.... oh, and he cleared the bugs for her!! When you read the scene, I promise it'll melt your heart a littleAbout Uganda and the orphanage. *deep breath*. Ok. I am mostly aware what is happening in the world. I read the news. I see the headlines and the pictures. But this was different. So. So. Different. This brought the horrors of what was going on to light in a way I can't even tell you. My heart broke into a million pieces for those kids. The word "horrors" seems too gentle for what I mean. I don't think there is a word strong enoughMy heart bled for those beautiful innocent children who had everything but their lives and their spirit so cruelly and heartlessly stolen from them and yet still sang songs every morning, smiled and found the beauty in life."And what is there to be joyful about?"... Another burst of silent tears streamed down."Life, Sophie. They still live. They breathe, they love each other, they find joy in the world around them for no other reason than because they are children. They are resiliant. They will always rise above. Always."I loved watching how Sophie, who had never known real love, grew, changed, and opened every part of heart to these kids and to their cause.I loved watching her and Ian/Dingane fall in love. Ohhh their chemistry was palatable. It wasn't a head-over-heels-at-first-sight thing, but it sizzled. I've said this before, but I. Felt. It."It'll be all right," Ian assured me."How do you know?" I asked when he revved the engine."I don't," he said, "but I'll protect you."Their first kiss was seriously one of the best I've ever read. I squeed out loud!!!!! The gun lesson *fans self*... and that second last scene! *shivers* Yeah, I loved him. Completely.I kept alternating between smiling and being near tears. Every part of the story wormed its way into my heart.In the interest of full openness, I'll say there were a few typos here and there, one or two moments of plot or dialogue that gave me squinty eyes, and despite there being an epilogue, I maybe might have wanted just a wee bit more at the end. But truly, it made no difference. The story was incredible so it didn't affect my enjoyment of it.This is a completely YA story - by that I mean the characters are younger than 20 and there is no sex in the book. But its the kind of beautifully written YA that makes even something as simple and subtle as just a shared glance give you epic butterflies, take your breath away and make your heart just race.The story was heart breaking, exciting, beautiful, powerful, and thrilling. There were no dull or slow moments. Ever. There was always something new. Something happening. I was drawn completely into every part of the story. And its one that I won't forget.This book took me on a beautiful journey.Guys, this is a must-read!!

Vain was an outstanding story that touched my heart, made me think about the less fortunate that we should be helping, because we have the ability to do so, but are so comfortable in our own little bubble, that most of us do not take enough interest in what's happening outside of our country. This story had so much depth to it, that it made me look at myself, contemplate and question my worldview. I think the book cover fits this story perfectly. At the beginning of the story, all that Sophie price cared about was her appearance, power, and her image. She looked in the mirror constantly, and had to make sure that not one hair was out of place. The broken glass in the cover image, represents her seeing herself for who she is, instead of just staring at the image, that she uses to portrays to the world. I could not stand Sophie Price at the beginning of the story. She was shallow, arrogant, petty, mean, vengeful, and had no morals. She did what ever she wanted, and didn't let anything stand in her way! This story stood out to me, because I empathized with the characters, the life lessons, and my heart was touched so deeply by the story.The characters in Vain were amazing! They were well-developed, and Sophie made a huge amount of character growth as a result of her life experiences. At the beginning of the story, Sophie started out as a narcissist! She was completely selfish, and self-involved. As the story went out, events that took place changed her little by little. She evolved into a completely different person, who put others before herself, and she showed caring, compassion, self-sacrifice, loyalty, and love. Sophie learned how to love herself, and be proud of who she was by being responsible, and accountable for her actions. Ian was an amazing man. He was caring, hard-working, persevered, and a beautiful person inside and out. He was essential to Sophie's growth. There were certain surprises about Ian that were unexpected, and gave me a well-rounded portrayal of who he was, his past, and how he came to be the person that he was. I became attached to some of the secondary characters as well. My favorite's were Pembrooke, who was Sophie's father's lawyer. Since Sophie had two cold parents who ignored her, Pembrooke became like a surrogate father for Sophie. He would stop by and check in on her, he would call her, put her in her place, but really did love and support her. When she made bad decisions, he would be disappointed as a father would be in their child, but at the same time, he wanted to help her to change for the better. Karina and Charles, were a married couple, that I loved and admired, as I read the story. They both lead by example, really came to care about Sophie, and everyone around them, and were so full of love, caring, and compassion, that it rubbed off on everyone around them. These character's all became a part of Sophie's "family," and helped guide, and teach her what was important in life, and that she needed to make a change.There were many life lessons in this story! What stuck out as most important was to appreciate what we have. Image, designer labels, and competing with others is not important. People are important, and there are people all over the world that are dealing with extreme poverty, illness, and violence, among other things. Vain focused on Africa, and specifically Uganda, where there are an unbelievable amount of orphans, who's parents have been murdered, siblings abducted, and these orphans live in extreme poverty with a bleak future ahead of them. Another life lesson was that a person can change, and we all deserve a second chance. Sophie may have been a vain, selfish, self-centered person at the beginning of the story, but without her second chance, she wouldn't have helped so many people, nor would she have changed into a better person.I connected to this story, and felt so many emotions as I read, Vain. I felt anger and disgust, at the person Sophie was at the beginning of the story. I also felt anger towards Kony and his army of evil followers. It bothered me that as a strong, and powerful nation, we didn't help more. I felt sadness for the children in Africa that had suffered at the hands of Kony, and his army. Children had missing limbs, disfigurement, were orphaned, and had lost their siblings, and parents at the hands of this corrupt, and evil man! These kids didn't have enough to eat, clothing and shoes, toys, or even electricity. They were just trying to survive, and not be abducted, and forced to kill in Kony's army, among other horrible things. These orphan children from Uganda may have lived in a horrible state of poverty, fear, and constantly contracted illnesses, yet they still had hope, happiness to be alive, and enjoyed the simple things in their lives. They appreciated every little thing given to them. They treasured their education, every meal, bit of clothing or shoes. I felt hope for a brighter future for these children, and Sophie and Ian. I also felt the love that Sophie, Ian, the children, Karina, Charles, (along with others that worked at the orphanage), all had for one another, as well as the family they had built.Vain was such a captivating story with depth, compassion, change, love, and hope for a brighter future. It showed us that while it may not be typical for people to change, it is possible. It also showed me how our life events, and people within out lives, can be a vehicle for that change. This was an outstanding story, the made me think about the less fortunate, violence going on in the world around me, and how I can help. This story overwhelmed me with emotion, and Ms. Amelie used the written word, as a powerful tool to educate us, and make us think outside of ourselves. If I could, I would give Vain 10 Stars!I highly recommend Vain, by Fisher Amelie, if you are looking for an outstanding story with depth, that will tug at your heartstrings, include astounding character growth, romance, major swooning, chemistry, and love between the main characters, this is the story for you! Vain is a must read! It has a little of everything, which will appeal to a large audience with eclectic tastes. This book has been added to my favorite's shelf, and I for one cannot wait to continue this series. It will be interesting to see what Fisher Amelie comes up with for the remainder of the seven deadly sins series. I give Vain, an unconditional, selfless, loving, transformative, brightly lit 5 Stars!!!!For more book reviews, visit A Bookish Escape

Vain definitivamente não era o que eu imaginava. Obviamente, a última coisa que eu esperada de um livro chamado vaidade era substancia e profundidade, mas foi exatamente isto que eu obtive. Esta foi uma leitura que mexeu comigo e me fez colocar muita coisa em perspectiva.A narrativa conta a estória de Sophie Price. Ela é linda, rica e (isso mesmo) incrivelmente vaidosa. Sophie é o estereótipo da riquinha que só pensa em si mesma e não tem medo de passar por cima de quem quer que seja para conseguir o que quer. Seus pais são extremamente poderosos, ricos e... negligentes. A única preocupação de seu pai são as aparências.As primeiras páginas do livro me fizeram detestar a personagem de Sophie, mas rapidamente eu percebi que esse exterior odioso escondia uma garota incrivelmente vulnerável e desesperada por um pouco de amor e atenção. Ela cresceu sem qualquer tipo de afeto. Aos quatorze anos de idade ela despediu a própria babá. Os pais, que apenas descobriram tal feito alguns meses mais tarde, decidiram que ela já era grande o suficiente para tomar conta de si mesma. Isso mesmo, aos quatorze anos! Sophie nunca teve nenhuma orientação moral e o seu mundo era ditado pela beleza, pelo dinheiro e pelo poder. Portanto, não é a toa que o seu carater fosse um tanto quanto duvidoso...Após mais uma noitada com seus os pseudo amigos, Sophie é flagrada com cocaína pela segunda vez. Seu pai preocupado com a repercussão em sua imagem decide lhe dar uma lição. Mas, ela mal sabe que este castigo irá mudar a sua vida completamente...Eu não vou entrar em detalhes da trama para não estragar a estória que, embora não contenha necessariamente um suspense, traz surpresas que são melhores saboreadas sem um conhecimento prévio. Então, eu vou tentar dizer o máximo que eu posso sem no entanto soltar muita informação.Em função de sua punição, Sophie conhece Dingane (o Ian). E, ela fica literalmente sem fala ao vê-lo pela primeira vez. Mas, o seu encantamento não é reciproco – para sua total surpresa e consternação. Ian não fica nem um pouco impressionado com Sophie. Ele conhece o tipo dela. E ela decididamente não é o seu tipo.Assim, a jornada de Sophie começa. Ela está em um lugar completamente diferente de tudo o que ela conhece. Este ambiente a transforma... e aos poucos Ian passa a enxergá-la além de seu exterior e aprende que ela é ainda mais bonita por dentro do que por fora.A metamorfose de Sophie não é apenas surpreendente mas incrivelmente inspiradora. Este enredo além de ser lindamente escrito, também se destaca como um lembrete do que é realmente importante em nossas vidas. Vain não é apenas uma estória sobre como encontrar o amor em lugares inesperados, mas sobre aprender a amar a si mesma e a colocar os outros na frente da própria felicidade. É sobre se doar e amar da forma mais pura que existe.Se você está em busca de uma inspiradora estória de amor, este é o seu livro!

Fell in love with this book right away and just kept falling deeper. It makes you realize the important things in life are and that everybody can change. Sophie starts off so selfish but after making a few wrong decisions is faced with life outside her box. All she needed was understanding and unconditional love.

Das ist ein der besten Bücher die ich kenne.Himmel hab ich eine gefühlsachterbahn durch gemacht. Es ist zum teil so grausam geschrieben das du manchmal echt nicht weißt wie die da leben können.Aber genau das ist der grund warum das Buch so atemberaubend ist. Die Realität ist beängstigend aber trotzdem wird einem bewusst was die Kinder am leben hält und man kann nicht anders als Riesen Respekt vor den Leuten da zu haben.Das Buch kann ich nur jedem empfehlen der jedoch einen guten Magen hat.

This is so much more than a romance novel. It's a lesson and an eye opener.Meet Sophie Price.Her parents are impossibly rich. She lives a life of opulence, fashion, debauchery and reckless abandon.'I ruled because I was the hottest. You see, I'm one of the beautiful people.'The most important decision she needs to make each day are which Chanel number to wear to her father's pompous business dinners or which friends' boyfriend to steal and use for her own sexual gratification this week.'Every want I fulfilled and every desire was quenched. I wanted for nothing. Except attention.'She is spoilt, self centred, vile, spiteful and closed minded. But more than anything else, she's unloved. Her parents ignore her and leave her to her own devices, uncaring of the damages she is inflicting upon herself, unless of course they impact on the family public image. It's all about appearances."I gave myself no boundaries. If I wanted to sleep with a boy, I did. If I wanted to try a drug, I did. If I wanted to drink to the point of excess."'My goal in life was to rule my tiny, elite world, so I did.'Yet another brush with the law lands Sophie in court and consequently sees her whisked off to Africa, to serve her sentence helping at an orphanage as punishment. And that's where everything changes..."How do we break the cycle?"Sophie finds out who she really is, what really matters in life and that there is more to the world than couture and cocaine. A world without makeup and straightening irons. A world where you can't hide behind beauty products and glittering jewellery. Stripped bare, outside and in. The real you. And finally, a chance of happiness.'That girl was the real me. Frightened. Worthless. A terrible friend. Terrible daughter. Well educated but so limited in ideas worth having. Beautiful yet repulsive...And finally honest.'This is a story of self discovery."Your heart is startlingly beautiful, Sophie."Of learning how to love and how to be loved. Of how to be thankful when you seemingly have nothing to be thankful for. And of how selflessness is more rewarding than selfishness. About learning how to break the cycle.'Men wanted me. They all did, however briefly, but none of them wanted to keep me. That's what I needed. I needed to be owned, loved. But not by a man. I knew then that I never needed to be kept by a man. What I needed was to love myself, to want to keep myself around.'And then Sophie meets Dingane. And the walls she's erected crumble. Her stoic mask slips and she finds herself feeling for the first time. Feeling sadness, empathy, happiness, love and that feeling in your belly when a man you crave is near..."It was like my body knew instantly that he was mine and I was his."The love story in Vain is pure and beautiful.'Understanding. I was in love with Ian Aberdeen. So deeply, so incredibly. And it was true and it was sublime and it was mine.Nothing could take that away from me and that was absolutely freeing to me. I owned that love. I chose it. I owed no one for it because it couldn't have been purchased. It belonged to me free and clear. I had never felt more empowered.'To find love in a place of such devastation is magical. Both Dingane and Sophie have sordid pasts and I love the fact that they find solace in one another in and in the work they do at the orphanage."The truth is, I'm so deep in love with you, I can't see straight. The truth is, I've been afraid to admit it to myself, let alone you. The truth is, I'm terrified.""You've arrested my senses and I can't seem to get enough of you. That's what scares me. I'm so deep there's no getting out for me. You own me, you know?"The sexual tension is delicious. There is a shower scene in this book that is even more scrummy than if they were ripping at each others clothes. It's tasteful and innocent and this made me love it even more."My God, he's the one who gets all the girls? What? Is he made out of chocolate or something? I can't imagine anyone would be interested in anyone else but you, no matter who you're pitted against."Ian tugged me closer and kissed my neck. "No need to flatter me, Miss Price. I believe your bait worked. I'm hooked. Line and sinker."My only criticism was the ending. But then there is that saying, `If a book is well written, I always find it too short.' And I can't decide whether this is one of those situations, or whether the ending was a little abrupt. But it's a minor point and the rest of the book more than makes up for it."It'll be all right," Ian assured me,"How do you know?" I asked when he revved the engine."I don't," he said, "but I'll protect you."I shed quite a few tears reading Vain, it taps into every emotion you own. It pulls no punches and Fisher Amelie writes a brave, real story of the darkest and lightest that life has to offer. Read it. You won't be disappointed.By Smitten'S Book Blog

What a beautiful and emotion evoking read. I wasn't sure I could sympathize with the protagonist in the first chapter, but I was lured in as more depth to her character unfolded. A beautiful depiction of self discovery, and an endearing journey of epic life revelations.