Review: Excellent beginning to a new series. Can't wait to see where the author goes next!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 20, 2013
I've read Gateway To Reality by Becca and really enjoyed it so I didn't hesitate to join the tour and review Empath! This is quite different from her other book and it has some intriguing slants on empaths and some other abilities that the characters have in this book, a new approach and way to look at them, which I found very refreshing.It probably wasn't a good idea for Jade's parents to keep her isolated while growing up. Now she's starting college and going to her first class and she's not yet learned to put up a protective barrier between her and other people's emotions. She doesn't just feel their emotions, theirs become hers, she feels and reacts to what they are feeling.One good thing is she meets Cam. Yes, his emotions become hers when she's near him, but his are sunny and pure and it makes it easy to be with him. He's like a shield between her and others. That is, until his feelings for her deepen and she has to fight her reactions when he becomes more passionate.A chance encounter at the grocery store exposes her to the dark, evil emotions of a stranger. Unbeknownst to Jade, Ethan has her firmly in his sights and can't wait to add her to his collection.My thoughtsThe thing that most intrigued me about Empath was how the author introduced each characters unusual abilities and made it uniquely her own. They are more like a human condition than a supernatural one.Some of the characters gain their abilities through physical trauma, but some, like Jade and Logan, a professor and loner at her college, are born with them.Logan doesn't know why he's like he is and keeps to himself so no one will learn his secret. A casual encounter with Jade has him wishing he were different. He's drawn to Jade but not sure if he should act on his attraction.When Jade bumps into Logan on a hike in the woods, she's pleasantly surprised to not feel anything from him. She doesn't feel his emotions, and enjoys being able to feel her own when they are together. This, along with his rugged good looks, stir up an attraction, plus she's curious to see what he may be hiding.Jade now has some new friends and a possible love interest or two, but she's also caught the eye of a sadistic predator.The author writes in several points of view so you can see what each character is thinking and understand their actions better. The switches in points of view are easy to follow as they are written in their own distinct voices. I liked this as I was further connected to the characters and came to care for them, or in one instance, loathe and fear one.There are some fun scenes when Jade steps outside her comfort zone and tries some new things and some scary, suspenseful ones as her predator approaches.Empath is a clean new adult fantasy romance. There are no sex scenes and the predators actions are not explicitly detailed, leaving you to use your imagination.I'm into this series now and looking forward to what comes next. While this chapter of the series is wrapped up, there are some teases at the end which raise your curiosity and make you want to come back for more.I received this ARC for my honest review. I was in no way influenced and am anticipating more great adventures in this series.