Review: A colorful tale of romance and self discovery
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2014
Wantin is the journey of Talia, a young girl who is stuck by repeating cycles of love and loss. When Talia is young she meets a best friend at a school for international students in Haiti. They grow close together and he draws her out of her shell, but he eventually has to leave. Talia's nanny casts a spell on her that promises the two will reunite someday. As time passes Talia pines but makes new friendships, when she discovers that her parents are dead. She is adopted by her aunt on her mother's side, and from there enjoys a fairly normal childhood in a loving family.Talia contends with finding her place in the world as well as getting to know more about the parents take were taken from her too early. She develops into a courageous, kind woman and sets out to travel the world as her parents once did. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, clearly. I find myself envious of Talia for her ability to travel at a young age (due in part to a trust fund her parents set up), so this is a good book for living vicariously. The writing is clear and modern. There's nothing too special about the style, but it gets things across clearly and with a good amount of detail. The story moves at a good pace, catapulting Talia into action before things can get too dull. The story is also tinged with the spiritual and mysticism, as you're left wondering if the spell cast on Talia so many years ago really is drawing romance into her life. And while the story is centered on self discovery and finding "true love," I would have liked more detail about Talia's friendships, because I find platonic love is just as important as romantic love. Maybe future books will deepen her relationships with other people. I also loved the cover, which was colorful and increased my curiosity about the book.