Review: Would be a great introduction to paranormal romance!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 1, 2013
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.I must admit that I was a little apprehensive about reading this book. The last novel I read by Jen Minkman showed a lot of promise but I wasn't completely sold; and I was a bit worried this would be the same. But I shouldn't have worried, because `The Boy From The Woods' is very good!Minkman is obviously much more comfortable writing about what must be a familiar setting; the words flow well and it was a nice and easy read.When I started reading I wasn't really sure what to expect, I just knew it was a paranormal romance; the paranormal element is quite subtle at first. I had a feeling about what was going on, but I wasn't sure if I was right - it didn't really kick in until the last third of the book or so and certainly kept me guessing.I kind of like that it was a slow build. Julia is a solid main character, I felt like I could relate to her, though she does come across as fairly nave and a bit ridiculous sometimes. Eg: her jumping to conclusions without thinking too hard about it, insta-anger toward one of her friends, followed by a swift resolution - it baffled me a bit.The supporting characters were also a fun lot, and while I would have liked to have seen some of them with a bit more character development (I wanted to know more about Thorsten, because *swoon* haha) I suppose it doesn't really matter, the story mainly focuses on Julia and Michael (and his abrupt personality change - for the better).There was a subplot with Julia's sister, Anne, which is both creepy and weird. I'm not entirely sure if it was necessary and it did feel like it was resolved far too quickly, without the emotional punch that was needed. It sort of felt like a distraction, though I know why it was there. I'm a bit torn about that part, it detracted from the main plot a bit, though didn't overpower it. It was just there, existing alongside the main focus of the novel.Having said that though, aside from that small part of the book; I did enjoy reading this rather a lot! All in all it was a touching story, tragic but beautiful. There may have even been a couple of watery eyed moments, not that I'd admit to it of course!I would definitely recommend it to those that like their paranormal in small doses as it's not an overwhelming element, it would be a great introduction to paranormal romance too!