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All 3 for you in this series
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$15.45
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Sold by: Amazon Australia Services, Inc.
Books In This Series (3 Books)
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Top reviews from other countries
Joni Martins
Interesting Young Adult fantasy. Teenage Angst and some more.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 August 2019Verified Purchase
Piaras
Creative and imaginative...this one is a winner!
Reviewed in the United States on 28 April 2017Verified Purchase
Believer
An Intoxicating Paranormal Coming-of Age Story!
Reviewed in Canada on 20 December 2015Verified Purchase
Avid Novel Reader
Something A Little Different
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 May 2021Verified Purchase
Avid Novel Reader
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 May 2021
The Opening
The first chapter opens with an interesting hook and quickly establishes Maura as a sympathetic character. It also features an intriguing end that hints there’s more going on that we realize.
The Characters
Maura is an instantly sympathetic character because of the imposed move introduced in the first paragraph. As the first chapter progresses, it’s clear she’s an underdog and also suffering from a debilitating skin condition, which helps to increase the readers’ interest. In later parts of the book, we become more invested in her as she has more and more to lose.
Mom (Caelyn) is a complex and interesting character. There are elements of her character that I find illogical within the context of the story. For example, the name she gave Maura and the reasons for that as well as the reasons for her depression and anxiety.
Initially, it all seems to make sense. However, by the end of this book, some of the reasoning has been eroded to the extent that her initial personality becomes somewhat implausible. I may be too harsh about this. There are reasons for Caelyn to feel as she does. It’s just that the reasons are not nearly as good toward the end.
Katie Parker and her brother are well introduced and sketched. In some ways, she’s the most interesting character. She is a caricature of the popular girl in school, but I liked her backstory.
Ron is cute. I like the little things he does for Maura and his faithfulness toward his mom. Through his interaction with Maura, speaking about music and other interests, both characters are made more three-dimensional with a distinct life beyond the plot.
The Plot
For much of the novel, the plot follows the countdown archetype. Maura and her mom are moving to Canada, and there is a set future date when this must happen. Much of the conflict and tension revolves around the timing of this move and its implications in Maura’s life.
Also, it is clear that Maura is going through interesting hormonal changes in this coming-of-age tale. But said changes are a little more extreme than average. Running in tandem with these changes we have Maura’s serious health issues. These also subscribe to the countdown archetype in that set times are given for events to occur, and we’re working toward them.
The health-scare approach to the paranormal elements is unique. I like the novelty of how Maura’s supernatural biology and abilities are introduced slowly throughout the story. In that way, there are many similarities to Stephen King’s Carrie. However, I did find some elements of the health scare conflict frustrating.
It becomes clear pretty soon that mom is hiding something, and I felt throughout that if Mom would just be open and transparent, most of the tension would disappear. That would be a good thing if it were not for the fact that Mom’s withholding of the information is illogical. The longer she keeps secrets, the more dangerous the situation becomes.
There are a few tiny hiccups in the plot. For example, Maura receives a dentist appointment before she gets her health card after it’s been stressed that she can’t made any appointments or take any medical tests until after she gets said card.
Another issue is regarding Maura’s newfound mental abilities. At the end of her stay in Indiana, her abilities help her to stay ahead of the curve in school. In Vancouver, it feels as though they all suddenly disappear.
I find it implausible that Shane doesn’t know about Ron’s extended family and situation when they’ve been friends their entire life. I also don’t much like the simple resolution of the final relationship conflict. It just seems too easy.
The resolution of the health scare plot line feels rather deus ex machina. Most of the remaining conflict is resolved by an external agency that is only a background element of the preceding story. However, to be fair, said agency is well foreshadowed, so it doesn’t come entirely out of the blue.
The ending does generate a nice hook encouraging the reader to continue on to the next book. I wonder what will happen to Maura next and how she will deal with her relationship with Ron. It’s all very intriguing.
The Setting
The physical setting is well sketched. The magic system is pretty cool and is well introduced through the changes in Maura and small incidents that occur throughout the story.
The Prose
Generally, the prose is clear and this story is successfully shown rather than told. There are a few small things I didn’t like.
The story as a whole feels slow paced to me. I can’t put my finger on exactly why, but it just seems to drag a little between the action scenes.
I do like that the paranormal elements are small and scattered and introduced slowly, but not the long gaps between where relatively little seems to happen. The relationship is definitely slow burn and not your typical teen-hormone-driven fast-paced romance.
Within Maura’s first person narrative, I don’t like that she calls her mom Caelyn. If she calls her mom Caelyn in dialogue, I would be fine with it. However, if she calls her mom “Mom” when addressing her or when speaking with other people about her, then she should also call her Mom in her thoughts. Otherwise, it distracts me from the story and somewhat spoils my immersion.
My Opinion
I enjoyed the growing relationship between Maura and Ron, the magic system, and Maura’s slow discovery of herself. However, I would have preferred a faster pace and a better reason for Mom to keep secrets. I am going to rate this YA paranormal romance 7 out of 10, which will translate to 4 out of 5 on Goodreads and Amazon.
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DEP
Whining soppy teenager
Reviewed in Canada on 1 April 2018Verified Purchase
