I had hoped this was going to be a stand-alone book - even if it is the first in a series.And, yes, I'll read the next book when it comes out. Riveting right up until the end, then the abrupt/cliff-hanger type ending left me fat. If you don't believe me, please see 'The Lizzie McGuire Movie' for further proof.I was very impressed with the story that Duff wove, and I devoured it like candy. Because Hilary Duff is awesome, that's why. Overall, I think Elixir is a silly, rushed story and I will most likely not be reading the second novel. While I didn't particularly think the simile worked, I appreciate that one of the writers is clearly well read. The albatross was more bad luck than anything. The albatross wasn't really weighing the mariner down or cramping his style. 'I was furious, imagining a brainless meathead of a bodyguard who'd hang like an albatross around my neck.' I appreciated her reference to 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' by Samuel Coleridge however the simile fell slightly flat to me.

Also, who says 'I felt my gorge rise.' Seriously? Gorge? The word of the day appears to be reverie which was used about three times during the novel. I found it funny to see such weak sentence structure combined with such a strange word choice. The writing is weak enough to make me believe that Hilary probably did contribute to the writing.

Maybe having him be an archeologist would be more believable? Secondly, it makes zero sense to me for her father to be considered a world renowned surgeon when he seems to do very little surgery and a whole lot of treasure hunting. Can you imagine a woman running for politic office and winning while her daughter is galavanting around who knows where? That simply doesn't happen, even in the more liberal states. Clea is a seventeen-year-old, secret photojournalist who is apparently home-schooled while traveling the world. I understand that it is a supernatural teenage thriller but some of the basic elements are simply ridiculous. First off the characters / plot is way too unbelievable. The timestamp is only as accurate as the clock in the camera, and it may be completely wrong.Oh goodness I don't even know quite where to begin. If the file has been modified from its original state, some details such as the timestamp may not fully reflect those of the original file. This file contains additional information such as Exif metadata which may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it.

Hilary duff book elixir