Final page count could be approx 250 pages, Paperback
Early ARC version for blog tour
Young Adult, Paranormal
Cushions: 4
Paperclips: 2-3, moderate but infrequenet
Tissues: 3
Smiles: 2
Nayuleska's recommended rating: ♥♥♥♥
Cover blurb from the ARC copy
Her parents are dead. She can't remember what happened. And now she's in love with the most dangerous creature in the forest.
The only thing Avery Hood can remember about the night her parents died is that she saw silver - deadly silver, moving inhumanly fast. As much as she wants to remember who killed them, she can't, and there's nothing left to do but try to piece her life back together.
Then Avery meets the new boy in school - Ben, mysterious and beautiful, with whom she feels a connection like nothing she's ever experienced. Ben is a werewolf, but Avery trusts him - at first. Then she sees that sometimes his eyes flash an inhuman silver. And she learns that she's not the only one who can't remember the night her parents died.
I'm becoming quite fond of paranormal stories at the moment. Having a murder mystery thrown into the mix heightened my interest. From the first sentence I wasn't disappointed. The style of writing used by Ivy has me caring about Avery from the start. Sentence by sentence I could feel Avery's grief. I wanted life to get happier and better for her (it probably does after the end of the book, but events in the book aren't fluffy white clouds and bunnies).
Avery tries to get on with life - but even the simplest things lead her to not always coping. This was a realistic part of her grief for me. The way I related so closely to Avery, as well as the way Ivy has created such a readable character had me loving this book. I was sad when it ended. The characterisations were for the most part strong and memorable. I like Avery's grandmother because she says bunnies instead of rabbits! She also cares for her previously estranged grand daughter. The pair of them are learning to live with each other and get past the negative side of their relationship that happened in the past.
I didn't guess who the murderer was until the dots were joined up for me. I'd had a few theories throughout the book, and each one was wrong.
Aside from the werewolf detail, I liked the paranormal detail about what happens to Avery and how she is (sort of) linked with the murders. It was a twist that helps the book stand out from other YA paranormal books.
There were a few elements of the book I wasn't keen on. Sometimes the speed with which Avery trusted Ben seemed a bit fast. The way they fell for each other seemed a bit fast too, and has a similar structure to several other YA paranormal stories. However, these issues didn't spoil the book for me. I'm looking forward to it's official release in the UK next year.
I'd like to thank Sarah from Sarah's Reviews for organising the blog tour, and Ivy Devlin for providing the ARC. Please check out Sophie from So Many Books, So Little Time's review. You can see who is next on the blog tour on Sarah's post.
While you're waiting for this to be released, check out Nearly Departed by Rook Hastings
1 comment:
Fab review Nayu :o) I'm glad you enjoyed it & thanks for taking part in the tour!
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