Review: Three stars: An interesting new take on vampires.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 22, 2013
Luna longs to be normal and to be loved by her parents. Unfortunately, she is far from normal, and her parents basically ignore her. Luna at least has her two shadow companions, Ada and Flo. Without them she would be truly lost. Luna is a journalist on the hunt for a great story. She receives a tip on an interesting lead from her hairdresser involving a missing child named Esta. Her family supposedly died in a mysterious and tragic fire. Luna decides to investigate, not knowing that she is about to embark on a journey of self discovery. She will soon find some of the missing keys to her past, and she will learn that she is even further from normal than she had ever imagined. Will Luna find Esta?What I Liked:*I had no idea I was picking up a vampire type book when I started Finding Esta. These days, I am over the whole vampire fad. At first when all the typical vampire talk started, the blood drinking and so forth, I was a bit put off. I have never been a fan of all the detailed discussion of blood drinking, and this book had a bit too much detail for my taste. That being said once I got beyond the traditional vampire stuff, I was surprised to find some truly interesting and unique ideas as far as the whole vampirism thing goes. I won't give away too much but this book has vampire type were creatures and alien vampires. I thoroughly enjoyed the new take on vampires.*Along with the fresh vision of vampires, there is also the two shadows, Ada and Flo, who live in Luna's head. I found both of these characters to be fascinating. They are somewhat like ghosts, but they don't like to be called ghosts. They can disappear at will into the Shadowlands, which as far as I gathered, is one of the realms of the deceased. I enjoyed getting to know the two shadows and I hope they will be more present in the next book.*Finding Esta is a unique and interesting book with some innovative ideas regarding vampires. It is unlike anything I have read before, and I was pleased to read something original. There are so many twists and turns, and I was completely surprised by many of the developments. Just when I thought I had firm footing on the ground and a grasp of what was going on, Ms. Wharton throws in a few wrenches and yanks the rug out from under me. You won't see it coming and you will be blown away by the stunning revelations, especially when it comes to Luna's true identity. Don't pick this up expecting the same old same old vampire book.And The Not So Much:*I hate to seem overly critical, and I don't want to discourage anyone from giving this book a chance by saying this, but the book still needs a bit of polish and editing. The read isn't completely clean as there are some errors. Mostly I noticed the misuse of homophones. Nothing horrific, but it is only fair to warn you up front. Some of the story could be cut down because there is a lot going on and at times I was overloaded and lost. I am certain with a little more editing, this book can really shine.*As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't a fan of all the blood drinking discussions. There is also some violence and gore at the end. Nothing is over the top, but fair warning, this book is for older readers.*Finally, the book ends on a cliffhanger and there are lots of unanswered questions. The ending isn't overly dramatic or frustrating, but then again, just when I thought I was getting some answers the book ends.Finding Esta was an interesting book that presented some original ideas regarding vampires and supernatural entities. It is a solid beginning to a series despite having a few flaws. If you are a fan of vampire books and are looking for something that is completely different, take a chance and read this one.Favorite Quotations:"In Mimicane, the moon sits next to the sun, just as your need to love sits next fo your fear of it----a handsome contradiction in any woman.""The scar of heartbreak, when too often reopened, can never heal. It also remains pitifully close to the surface, ready to bubblye over into tears at any moment.""Greatness lurked beneath cloth and flesh, beneath today, buried in yesterdays, opening up to tomorrows."I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.Rainy Day Ramblings.