Review: Very interesting novel
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 13, 2013
Holly Starr can't wait to freshen up her dad's tired magic show, but until he keeps his agreement to share his secrets with her, she can't do anything but wait and perform as his magical assistant. But before that can happen, Holly's prescription of crazy pills runs out and the pharmacy doesn't know when they'll get more. Terrified that her old delusion of being about to levitate objects will come back, Holly is desperate to get her hands on more. Elijah Brown, her old high school crush, just happens to suffer from the same brand of crazy, except he thinks he can read minds. He is also terrified he'll go completely coo-coo for cocoa puffs, he ends up taking Holly on a road trip to a small town in Colorado where the pills are manufactured. But on the way, they discover that maybe they aren't crazy and maybe that attraction that flared between then all those years ago is still alive and well. Can they beat the odds to make a life together?This novel is so addictive. I couldn't stop reading and I was immediately draw into this strange world of readers, changers, and levitators. Holly and Elijah were easy to sympathize with, considering all their parents put them through. After all, it was the fact that Holly's parents made them break off their date that caused the onset of both of their powers. It starts off a bit confusing because you feel just like the characters and you aren't sure if what they believed happened or what their parents tell them happened is real, but once you get passed that, it all starts to fall into place.Holly was a great leading lady. She's spunky and rebellious, but her love for her parents and fear of her "disease" keeps her pretty well in line. Go to college, assist dad in his magic show, and be a good girl. Once she realizes what's really happened, we get to see that rebellion really show its face. She's angry and she isn't afraid to show it. Her parents better be on their freaking guard because there is no excuse for lying to her for the past seven years. Elijah is less inclined to be angry about it. He's mother has always tried to do what's best for him and knowing she's done everything on her own since his dad is dead, he's a bit more sympathetic to her cause, but still more than a little miffed about what they took away from him. Elijah is definitely a swoon-worthy leading guy. He's sweet and funny, with bright green eyes, wavey brown hair, and a muscled body from years of lacrosse and carpentry work. Once he knows Holly really does like him and wants him, he's determined to keep her and protect her....even if she is determined to walk head first into trouble. Their romance is intense and I spent a good portion of this novel just waiting for them to finally get through their s*** and be together because it's obvious that's where they belong.So if the storyline is great, the writing is addictive, and I love the characters, why only four stars? My issue is that (at the moment) this novel is a standalone and so many things felt unfinished. There is no cliffhanger. Holly & Elijah's story resolves and all is well, but there just feels like there is more that needs to be explored (view spoiler). It's an odd feeling for me because I'm typical that person who doesn't understand why a book needs 5 sequels when the first one was perfect and I'm the one hesitant to start any series that has more than 3 or 4 books in it because I feel like that's a bit too long to drag it out. Seriously, the House of Night series has like 13 books now and I KNOW those weren't worthy of 5 books much less that many. I'm the person who gets irritated at the fan girls begging for sequels to a storyline that is definitely over. I get that you loved the characters, but you realize another book means more torment for them, right? There has to be conflict and do you really want to see them suffer more? If you want more, just go re-read the already published novels or explore the land of fanfiction! I'm not asking for a whole series, in fact that would make me angry, but the content of this book feels to me like the novel itself should be longer (it was only 300 pages), or they should do a sequel just to wrap up the loose ends.Regardless of this issue, I did wholly enjoy it and I think anyone looking for a good paranormal romance/new adult story would definitely enjoy this.****Thank you to Pocket Star Books, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc, for providing me with an eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review****