Engaging. A good psychological thriller, complete with psychic premonitions. But, done in a new way. Not something I have seen before in YA books.
The climactic bit at the end was somewhat of a let down. However, the book does leave room for a sequel. And I would read more from these characters.
The climactic bit at the end was somewhat of a let down. However, the book does leave room for a sequel. And I would read more from these characters.
This book was around 280 pages but it felt much shorter. Not because I flew through the book (which I did) or I was so into it that I did not know the length, but instead because it felt like just the introduction to a book rather than a full book.
Ashlyn Greenfield is recovering. She recently lost her mom in an accident, her sister has disappeared, and even though her dad is still around, he might as well be gone as he is emotionally distant from Ashlyn. In addition to her emotional scars from the death and abandonment, Ashlyn suffers from trances. The trances lead Ashlyn to partial cryptic visions of impending tragedy. Ashlyns sister Kyra also experiences trances leading to partial visions. Ashlyn and Kyra always see parts of the vision and must work together to decode the vision. Nevertheless, of course, Kyra is gone, which presents one of many of Ashlyns problems.
The romance, friendship and even the co-worker (who conveniently knew numerology, which is what Ashlyn needed to decode her visions) needed serious character development. I felt nothing for any of the characters because there is no background information on them and they seemed to be placed in the book as props for the plot development and nothing more. The worst characters, by far, were the father and sister. Because the book is lacking serious character development, the reader is forced to make up his or her own mind about the dad and sister. I hated them. They seemed incredibly selfish and abusive. Because I felt they were abusive, the issue of abuse should have been dealt with. It was not. A father completely ignoring his daughter after the girl just lost her mother and suffered serious physical injuries is abuse. This issue was entirely glossed over.
Because of everything Ashlyn was going through, I really liked her. That was what made me finish the book. The overall book has promise, and if it had about 10 more chapters, it could have been an excellent book.
Ashlyn Greenfield is recovering. She recently lost her mom in an accident, her sister has disappeared, and even though her dad is still around, he might as well be gone as he is emotionally distant from Ashlyn. In addition to her emotional scars from the death and abandonment, Ashlyn suffers from trances. The trances lead Ashlyn to partial cryptic visions of impending tragedy. Ashlyns sister Kyra also experiences trances leading to partial visions. Ashlyn and Kyra always see parts of the vision and must work together to decode the vision. Nevertheless, of course, Kyra is gone, which presents one of many of Ashlyns problems.
The romance, friendship and even the co-worker (who conveniently knew numerology, which is what Ashlyn needed to decode her visions) needed serious character development. I felt nothing for any of the characters because there is no background information on them and they seemed to be placed in the book as props for the plot development and nothing more. The worst characters, by far, were the father and sister. Because the book is lacking serious character development, the reader is forced to make up his or her own mind about the dad and sister. I hated them. They seemed incredibly selfish and abusive. Because I felt they were abusive, the issue of abuse should have been dealt with. It was not. A father completely ignoring his daughter after the girl just lost her mother and suffered serious physical injuries is abuse. This issue was entirely glossed over.
Because of everything Ashlyn was going through, I really liked her. That was what made me finish the book. The overall book has promise, and if it had about 10 more chapters, it could have been an excellent book.
This was such a quick fun read. I flew through it in about half a day. Ashlyn is dealing with the death of her mother. Her sister, who she has always be so close to, took off as soon as it happened. Now Ashlyn is alone in the house with only her father, who stays locked away in his office or at work. She's trying to get back to her regular routine, working, etc., but suddenly the trances are back. Can she prevent the death this time?
I had originally gave this book a 5 rating, but having read it recently, I find that I'm already forgetting most of it and had to refresh my memory just to begin this review. Since it was so forgettable, I had to take it down to a 4.
The romance was very sweet and developed in a very natural way, which is something I really look for in YA anymore. The reason behind Ashlyn's trances was explained very well and was really unique to me. I loved the kooky pregnant girl that Ashlyn works at the photo place in the mall. She was probably my favorite part of the book.
Overall, this was a entertaining read, and very enjoyable. I was able to dive through it no time and it was a great way to send a few hours. Also, while this book is definitely YA, it's also great for MG as well. It's very clean and touches on learning to deal with lose and learning to find yourself.
I had originally gave this book a 5 rating, but having read it recently, I find that I'm already forgetting most of it and had to refresh my memory just to begin this review. Since it was so forgettable, I had to take it down to a 4.
The romance was very sweet and developed in a very natural way, which is something I really look for in YA anymore. The reason behind Ashlyn's trances was explained very well and was really unique to me. I loved the kooky pregnant girl that Ashlyn works at the photo place in the mall. She was probably my favorite part of the book.
Overall, this was a entertaining read, and very enjoyable. I was able to dive through it no time and it was a great way to send a few hours. Also, while this book is definitely YA, it's also great for MG as well. It's very clean and touches on learning to deal with lose and learning to find yourself.
