Review: Very Creative...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 1, 2011
Gateway by Christina Garner was, in one world, fantastic. Garner is an incredibly captivating writer.  In this debut and series opener she entices her readers with an exciting and original storyline.Although I found it difficult to connect to Ember, I still thought she was an incredible character. For starters, I thought her narration to be extremely entertaining. She is constantly supplying witty comments and remarks that keep the reader amused with the story. She is also a complex and well-rounded character. Ember deals with a lot of emotional baggage and her problems aren't only surface deep. I personally didn't connect with her - I never really went through a depressed stage, I still was engaged with her. You don't always have to relate to a character to find them intriguing and likable.The storyline of Gateway is utterly intoxicating. Honestly, this book has one of the best openings that I have read in a long time. And believe me; the rest of the story is just as good. I was completely hooked from the first page and did not want to put the story down until I read the last word. Garner presents a wonderful, intoxicating and original story that is full of action, excitement and great characters. I am not going to outline the plot for you guys, because like I said it is full of twists-and-turns. I don't want to spoil anything, because half the fun of the book is being taken by surprise. Just trust me when I say, you will love it.I will say that the book closes with a doozy of a plot-twist ending. As I was reading, I hated where Garner was taking the ending.  Honestly, I was about ready to stop reading it. Then, all of the sudden she threw a curve ball right at me.  After the dust settled, I was happy again and back to loving the book. Blast Christina Garner, she's such a tricky writer. She seems to enjoy giving me heart attacks.For those romantics out there, we have the relationship between Ember and the ever-charming Taren. Taren is the type of guy who is easy to fall for - he's sweet, caring and protective. He always tries to take care of everyone else and genuinely seems to care for Ember. But what I really enjoyed about their relationship is that it didn't develop at warp speed. They take their time in developing, realizing and acting on their feelings. There is no "insta-love" mix to be found here.In short, I loved, loved, loved, Gateway. It kept me up all night, it kept me guessing throughout and stayed on my mind afterward. And that my friends, is pretty much my definition of a great book. If you haven't read this one yet, I really recommend that you check it out. Now I'm just holding out for book two.