Review: I would recommend it to young adults
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 22, 2013
It's been quite a while since I've read a YA book and in many ways, this one reminded me of some of the joy I felt in reading this genre as a teen. I'm probably a bit jaded now that I'm an adult and I must acknowledge my personal inclination to that of NA fiction (which I now know for sure after reading this book).That being said, I would highly recommend this novel to young adults and readers of this genre.I give this book 3.5 stars. I really liked it and I enjoyed Jordan's character development. I could often relate to Karen's character as well but there were a few aspects of the book that were disconcerting to me. There seemed to be a slight prejudice against belief in any sort of afterlife. I think this is a reflection of society's push to reject anything with "religious" undertones and I found it disappointing that the characters seemed to reject any sort of spirituality in light of their experience. I'm sure it happens but the trend towards cynical existentialism is not fun to read.On the flip side, I did enjoy learning about the world of gymnastics. I appreciated a deeper look into the sport that captivated so many during the winter Olympics. The title makes total sense now even if the placement of the letters were, at times, a little jarring. This book wasn't a fast read for me probably because of the external and internal issues warring with each other for Karen's attention but the story is well-written and very well-edited.