Release Date: August 31, 2011
Publisher: Kelly Riad; 271 pages
Nicky’s life is privileged and sheltered, but has never felt like her own. Her body’s marked by a scar that no one, not even her parents, has been able to explain. She’s haunted by nightmares and hallucinations of violent scenes that feel more like the memories of a very troubled soul than the typical dreams of a seventeen-year old girl. From blood-painted basements to cold guillotines and dark forests, these visions are taking their toll on her sanity.
When she first meets Xander in class, she sees him bleeding from a gaping wound in his neck. His shirt soaked red, he laughs while she trembles and messes up her class recitation. After the vision passes, she’s left with a burning hatred for him and an irrational fear that he’s a threat to her life. But soon, that relents to wary curiosity and suspicion. Xander knows more about her than he should. And when she sees the scar on his neck—just like hers and in the same spot she had seen gushing blood in her vision—she knows it’s not just coincidence.
The blurb for this book really attracted me to it. It isn't your typical, ya paranormal love story, which I do love, but this one intrigued me so much, I just had to read it. I had to know how it was going to play out and what made Nicky instantly hate Xander, and also, why was she seeing gaping wounds and blood?
When we meet Nicky, she seems like a very nice, elites girl, who sadly seems to suffer from horrific nightmares. These nightmares would turn anyone's hair grey. Just reading about them almost gave me nightmares. When she meets Xander, she has this instant hatred for her and she cannot explain why, and Xander acts like he knows her, which only adds to her fury more. I love the interaction between these two. It's not like, oh I hate you, but no I love you blah blah cheesy crap. Nicky is very cautious and doesn't let her guard down. As she starts to finally figure out what her nightmares may mean, everything in her life changes, and things are not what they seem.
I could not put this book down. The story was drawn out in a good enough way that it did not seem like it took forever to get to the point and it is very enticing so it makes you want to keep reading so you along with Nicky can finally figure out what is going on. With Nicky's nightmares, to Xander seeming to know it all, to the different realities in this book, I have to say that this is my favorite book of 2012. I have read a lot of books and I am not saying one isn't as good as the other, but this book evoked so many emotions from me and I just loved every page I read.
The ending of this book, this ending was one of the most beautiful endings I have read in a long time. As I tweeted to the author, I was a wet, soggy mess. It was just simply beautiful. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. It is one you will want to read over and over again.
Kelly Riad is an American writer who graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas with a degree in journalism. Because's she's always been a lucky little brat, her life has taken her all over the world from the hot, humid streets of Hong Kong and the crowded markets of Cairo, to the cobbles of Vienna and the ruins of Rome from where she has shamelessly stolen ideas and material for her stories.
She self-published her first young adult novel, Always Me, in September 2011. Other Novels include Return to Arèthane and Prince of Arèthane.
For more information on Kelly's young adult fiction, visit http://kellyriad.
No comments:
Post a Comment