Book Review: Untraceable by S.R. Johannes

Untraceable by S.R. Johannes
(The Nature of Grace, #1)
Release Date: November 29, 2011
Publisher: Coleman & Stott; 315 pages

16-year-old Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival.

When her dad goes missing on a routine patrol, Grace refuses to believe he’s dead and fights the town authorities, tribal officials, and nature to find him.

One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from danger by Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent and a secret. As her feelings between him and her ex-boyfriend get muddled, Grace travels deep into the wilderness to escape and find her father.

Along the way, Grace learns terrible secrets that sever relationships and lives. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to save everything she loves.

I’m still sniffling from crying. This book made me cry more than any book I’ve read. I mean, I was crying crying…its like the author, S.R. Johannes, played with my heartstrings all throughout the book then tore out my heart, threw it on the ground, played soccer with it, and the tossed it back to me when she was done with it. And I mean that in a good way. This book was abso-bloody-lutely amazing and like nothing I’ve read before. Obviously, I’m a fan of the paranormal so reading a book about nature, and things that could actually happen – not my usual but I like to branch out. Most times when I do branch out, I surprise myself. This was definitely one of those moments.

Grace Wells is a sixteen year old girl whom is trying to find her father, Joe, who went missing about three months ago. Everyone in her small town of North Carolina has pretty much accepted the fact that he’s probably dead, but not her. She knows it in her gut that her father is still out there, alive. She goes through many obstacles, many times when she and the reader are questioning whether someone else she trusted and loved is involved in his mysterious disappearance.

She meets this mysteriously good looking boy in the woods one day while out fishing who has an accent somewhere between an English and Australian accent. First impression wasn’t exactly the best but he comes back to save her in a time when she really needed it. They grow close, and you really start to fall for Mo, like Grace does but then we have her best friend since forever and ex-boyfriend, Wyn. They have amazing chemistry and there are still feelings there, on both sides (moreso his than hers) and she’s torn between what she’s familiar with and something new but – she doesn’t need a distraction. Her mission and what she wants more than anything to find out the truth about her father, and find him…alive.

This book is filled with nonstop action and suspense but there’s plenty of humor and romance, that it’ll keep you entertained and swooning all throughout. Not to mention, there are a lot of curveballs in this book. You suspect one person or one thing and it turns out to be so far from what you thought, it’s amazing. As you grow more attached to Grace, Mo, Wyn or even Grace’s boss and close friend, Tommy, that’s when the author starts messing with your emotions. And she does a damn good job of it. You won’t want to put this book down and when it’s over you’ll be twitching for more. This is definite MUST READ. It’s definitely the best book I’ve read this year. I know its only the beginning of the year but it’s definitely the best book, by far. It’s a cheap kindle buy or pick up a copy of it…I’m serious. You’ll be thanking me… :)