Review: Captivating read that will leave you wanting more!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 7, 2013
What an extraordinary story!! I was swept up into The Athena Effect from the prologue and couldn't put the book down until the very end. It is a beautiful story of an innocent girl taken from her simple life in the bush and placed into the modern world. It is a story of discovery, independence and love that held my attention to the very last page, leaving me wanting more!!Cali has lived in the bush since the day she was born. Her parents have chosen a secluded lifestyle as they want to remain undetected. The house that they live in has no modern technology and most of their food is prepared from their own hands, whether it was grown or captured. They rarely leave the property, but when they leave, it is to go to the tiny town close by for a few bare essentials. Cali has never attended school; everything she knows is from her parents or from books. She has even read a whole set of Encyclopaedias.When Cali's world is turned upside down, she finds herself being shipped off to an aunt that she didn't even know existed. She is enrolled into school and does her best to remain unseen. She drifts through school and hides during her lunch break to remain unnoticed by other students. There is one guy she keeps running into who turns up when she least expects it.I really love Cali!!! She is such a beautiful and innocent person and she captured my heart immediately. She has never known anything outside of her own world and now she is thrust into the hustle and bustle that we are all used to. As she is a very bright person she adapts quickly to her new life, but then she finds trouble at home and spends most of her time alone. Having no friends and no support can't be easy on anyone, let alone a 17 year old girl who has nothing. She even spends her nights wandering the streets so she doesn't have to be at home. To me that is just heartbreaking, but Cali takes it all in her stride as that is the type of person she is.After she meets Cal her personality starts to develop. She slowly opens up to the gorgeous, dark haired biker boy who has seized her attention. She starts to relax around him, but finds it hard to understand him. But really, none of us women can fully understand men!!! Cal finds Cali puzzling as she dresses like a homeless person and she goes out of her way to evade him. He never has this problem with girls, his charm usually reels them in willingly, but not the new girl. Watching this relationship grow was just beautiful and the hurdles they endure makes their connection stringer.As always there is a catch, Cali has an ability that she keeps hidden from everyone, as she has been told by her parents never to tell anyone about it. It is slowly getting stronger and therefore, harder for her to hide. This was a fascinating twist for me and it was just amazing to imagine how it was done. But this ability is what has kept her in hiding for so long.I really enjoyed Derrolyn's writing style. Told from the third-person narrative, and usually following Cali, she is able to tell the story while picking up on the emotions of the other characters as soon as something happens. When Derrolyn turns to another character it is done fluently without disrupting the plot. As I have said before, I thought it was a beautiful book, with a few twists thrown in to keep you intrigued to see what happens next!!I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.