Review: Unique and Exciting
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 9, 2013
I never read a book quite like Heart Search. At first it seems like a horror story, then a romance is mixed in, and then things go - sideways.It begins with a creature hiding in wait. He attacks a man named Joshua, who is in the park thinking about Remy, the woman he is about to marry. What happens to him will change both their lives forever.When Joshua comes home to Remy, he has obviously been changed drastically. After a few devastating scenes, Joshua takes off. He is disgusted with himself.Remy decides to go after him, and at this point the book follows her search - her Heart Search - and Joshua's adventures with his new life. Her search takes her around the UK, exploring different towns and villages.The writer obviously knows the country inside and out, and it is fascinating to read about different areas of England. It's like a travelogue, with the added dimension of a travelogue of the heart. Remy searches the country, but she also searches that unexplored wilderness of her own soul.Joshua, meanwhile, is experiencing a very different kind of adventure. He meets the others like him and  gets completely immersed in their world.At the same time, some very odd things begin to happen to Remy, leading her beyond the "woman's fiction" style of her half of the adventure.The two plot threads are woven together nicely and I never lost track of what was going on. Furthermore, Carlie Cullen's writing style is very clear and professional, and she handles the two sets of characters beautifully.There is a cliffhanger ending, but the story is resolved enough to make reading this book a very satisfactory experience. I really enjoyed Heart Search thanks to the writer's skill and characterization. Remy and Joshua came alive for me, as well as Becky, Remy's twin sister.The fantasy portion of the book is well-done, too; Cullen deals out the action and excitement adroitly and keeps the reader wanting more.