"They were always meant to be together, one boy and one girl, two hearts split into two, sent to far-off lands on their own. For God wanted to see if true love could be tested. He wanted to see if two halves of one soul could find each other again, even against the odds. Years would pass. They would both be hurt. They would both be sad, but one day, when they least expected it, they would stumble into each other's paths. The question is: would they recognize each other's soul? And would they find their way back to love...?" ~ Tillie Cole
Ok, so this is something we've never done before. Em and I are both completely in love with the book Raze by Tillie Cole. Emily had already written her review and I asked if I could add my thoughts. She said yes and our first collaboration is being born!!!
Wow!!! I stayed up until 3 a.m. to finish this book!! Could it be only Januray 3rd and I have already read the best book I will read in 2015? I think it’s very possible that I peaked early and everything will go downhill from here.
Raze was not a light hearted easy read, but it still had some of the most beautiful, loving and gentle parts I have ever read!
Raze starts us out in a very dark way. A boy who is falsely imprisoned in the infamous Gulag and made to fight in death matches. The boy becomes a monster, a fighting machine. He is number 818.
Then we meet Kisa, a Russian mafia princess who is engaged to Alik, a Russian mafia prince. He is crazy man who is completely obsessed with her. A man who abuses her sexually and kills anyone for even looking at her. Alik is beyond crazy and even though he says Kisa "calms" him, he is brutal in his treatment of her.
Kisa is trapped, her only freedom is found at church and volunteering. Kisa knows Alik needs her, and in her own way feels love for him, but the only boy who will ever have her heart is Luka Tolstoi. Her soulmate, her one true love who died so many years ago.
Luka and Kisa were destined to be together from birth. Even their mothers told them that they shared a piece of each other. You see, Luka had dark brown eyes, but the upper left iris was smudged with a small splash of blue that matched Kisa’s eyes. Luka loved Kisa, even when she was a baby in her crib he asked if he could have her. They started out as best friends and they fell in love as teenagers, destined to be with each other forever!
“Mama said God placed a piece of my eye within his so we would always know we shared one soul” _ Kisa
818 escaped his prison and is hell bent on revenge. Though memories of his former life are gone he knows one thing, he must get revenge and kill Alik Durov. He doesn't know why, but he knows it's something he must do.
818 makes his way to Brooklyn NY, which is where he finds the object of his revenge. The first time Raze sees Kisa a homeless man is attacking her in the subway and he saves her from a certain death. He is completely drawn to Kisa and though she doesn't know why, she is drawn to this strange man as well.
818 or Raze as he is now called joins the death match fights that Kisa and her family run. Knowing he will meet Alik in a fight in the cage, in a fight to the death keeps him going. But memories begin to return and Luka finds the humanity in himself. Memories of his life before the Gulag come to the surface. Raze is drawn to Kisa and she to him as well. Kisa, risks everything to help Raze.
“I never had this before. Never felt this overwhelming lust, this consuming level of attraction… this raw and insatiable need to be with a man. It was dangerous. It was haunting. It was forbidden. And although it was wrong, it felt perfectly right” – Kisa
Raze’s struggle to get his revenge but become “human” again is extremely painful. In so many ways he is like a child. Not even knowing the simplest of life’s pleasures like what love or friends are. It was truly heartbreaking to see how evil destroyed this man, yet how love and destiny can save him.
“I’m closing my eyes so I can feel being inside you.” He placed his hand over his heart and rasped out, “I’ve seen too many bad things with these eyes. This, I will feel with my heart.” – Raze
Raze and Kisa were meant to be together and never have I seen two souls fight so hard to get back to one another and become one. This book gutted me and made me cry the whole way through! It was heartbreaking and yet beautiful. The love story behind the darkness captivated me and made me really believe in fate, in destiny and in soulmates. I am so in love with this book right now and Tillie Cole has become one of my favorite authors!! I want to give this book 10 lip smacks, but 5 will have to do!!
The story has some plot twists that you won't see coming. As a whole, the book is written beautifully. There are parts that are brutal and gut wrenching. Then there are parts that believe it or not are sweet and innocent. I can not say enough good things about Raze. I will tell you...go one click now...you won't be able to put it down. And as brutal as he is, you will fall in love with Raze.
I couldn't agree with Emily more. At first, I honestly didn't think I could finish this book. But the story is exactly that; heartbreakingly beautiful. You will go through so many emotions and I promise the story will stay with you afterwards. Em guess what? If I give Raze five lip smacks and you give Raze five lip smacks, that equals (drumroll) TEN LIP SMACKS!!!
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