Publication: December 7th 2014 (Self-published)
Source: Received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review from ebooksforreview.com. Thank you!
Goodreads Summary: Nineteen-year-old Leah Hawk must finish a war that started one hundred years ago . . . but she can’t do it alone.
When Leah leaves the comfort of her overprotective parents’ home and of her small hometown for the first time, she heads to college with her longtime boyfriend, Jared. From the day she gets there she repeatedly notices a man watching from afar. The feelings from their brief contacts are not only scary and conflicting, but they also always leave her with an unexplainable feeling of longing to be with him.
Between the supernatural pull that this mystery man has on her, her boyfriend’s jealousy, and the attacks from the revengeful Spark family, Leah feels a little overwhelmed. On top of all of it, she must learn to accept the fact that she is the only living shape-shifter in her family. With the strength of her true love, who is the key to her gift of shift, she will embrace her destiny. When the war comes knocking on her front door she doesn’t back down, not until blackness consumes her.
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My Thoughts:
| I have some mixed feelings about this book. It was quick and easy to read. The plot was paced fairly well so I never found myself bored. I liked the college setting of it and it's something relatable to me since I am that age as well. Overall, I was entertained, but there was just something missing for me. Self-published books can always be a hit or miss and I would definitely say that this is more of a hit than a miss but having an actual editor would've improved the story. I always admire writers who have enough confidence to put their work out there on their own but it always pains me to see good ideas not executed as well as they could have been and that's the case in this one. Leah is an interesting character. I like that she wasn't aggressive or mean or catty and that she is truly just a nice person which is refreshing in the YA/NA genre. Healthy relationships are also pretty sparse so hers and Jared's relationship was a nice change of pace as well. I thought Max was an interesting character and I liked that he maintained that uncertainty aura to him where you weren't sure if he was a good guy or a bad guy for most of the book. I think if the book had been longer that it would have been better in character development/holes. I specifically was left with questions about Max and how he lived and where he was when he wasn't tailing Leah. We don't get much information about him the entire book until near the end where we're really just starting to get to know him. Leah was pretty well developed but I think some additional length to the book, specifically filling in some more details about characters, would've improved it. The romance was just a touch Twilight-y but overall was pretty good and able to distinguish itself within the genre. Although the plot was a bit hole-ish, for lack of better words, in the beginning, it got better as it went on. The attacks on Leah seemed to be so random and sporadic that it felt strange reading it, but at the same time I like the haphazard element it gave to the book since Leah wasn't even sure if she was imagining all of this or if it was really happening. I think, once again, if there had been more detailed writing or more of a slight horror/thriller element to the book these random attacks would've felt more natural, but overall I think the plot ran pretty well. The paranormal elements were pretty well explained and I don't have much to say about them. I like the way that Max and Leah are linked and the way that we discover Leah's background. Although I wish we could've seen how Max's family history developed, I don't think that really influenced my opinion on the book. Overall, I think this is an easy, enjoyable, light read for people who aren't diehard into paranormal or fantasy reads. It would make a fun vacation read or would be good for light-hearted Twilight-ish fans. Likes: Quick, easy, clean, light read. Leah. Max. Paranormal elements explained well. College setting. Dislikes: Attacks felt awkward and sporadic. Grammar/spelling errors, specifically with verb tenses changing midsentence. More detailed writing and backgrounds on characters would have improved it. Overall: Recommend? Yes, if you are not a diehard paranormal fan. It's more for light-hearted readers. I honestly hope she continues with this and writes a sequel. |
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