Review: A magical, mystical, mystery tour-de-force
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 1, 2011
From a magical opal ring to a psychic camera to "...pretty blue almond eyes" and "the never-ending enigma that [is] Elliott", "Atlantis" is a mesmerizing read. Author Lisa Graves pens a near-poetic tale of mystical perfection in what appears to be main character Lilly's single-minded supernatural search for a lost love named Elliott. Or is it?The pace is never dull--kept fairly-grounded by Lilly's very real family--complete with a cat named "Theory"!--and her close friendship with pals Charlotte and Nicholas. In fact, "the triangle" of friends is a nifty plot device that[intentionally?] turns what starts out as seemingly just another paranormal, tweener saga into a tangible, psychological mystery-- a la Hitchcock's "Vertigo"."Atlantis" also succeeds because of author Graves's adept dance between everyday and metaphorical diction. One minute, Lilly is downing blueberry Pop-tarts; the next, fighting off "...the never-ending...Elliott [who is] an addiction for [her] mind.""Atlantis" is a non-stop magical, mystical, mystery tour-de-force. A captivating canvass of haunting hues and cryptic clues that overlaps and leaves you breathlessly wondering whether the picture painted is that of just a young woman's descent into psychosis, a simple dream, or a real-life paranormal mystery.This much is true: Graves has left plenty of fertile ground for an equally compelling sequel, or two.