Review: Intriguing start to a new series
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 27, 2013
Interesting start to what promises to be an intriguing series. I must say that Harris has a good story here that will appeal to readers who like YA suspense/mystery. This isn’t to say that the book is a mystery, but there are elements that leave you guessing as to what is going on with each turn of the page. While there were two things stopping me from absolutely loving this novel, the characters and plot kept me interested and wanting to find out what happens next. I definitely plan to read the next book when it becomes available.I liked Donna and I enjoyed watching her grow as the story progressed. When you first meet her, she’s quiet, reserved, preferring to blend in and not make any waves, but towards the end she has more confidence, becomes braver and isn’t afraid to stand up for her friends and do what is right to protect them. She quickly became a favorite of mine out of all of the characters in the story. I also liked Paul, Spencer, Rebecca, and Becky; all of whom are secondary characters who I’d like to see and learn more about in future books. The only character that I had issues with was Ryan and that was because I couldn’t decide whether I liked him or wanted to throw him in the same category as Randy and Lynn, both of whom I disliked immensely. He didn’t really strike me as being all that great a guy and though he’s Donna’s childhood friend, he comes across as a major jerk most of the time. It will be interesting to see what happens to him and whether my feelings towards him change at all come the next book in the series.Plot wise, the story was enjoyable, though I felt that there was still a lot that was left unanswered. The book ends on a cliff hanger, which makes sense when you consider that it’s the first of a five book series. The one question that I would have liked to have seen answered was what was it that made Donna who she is? There is no explanation for this and it’s not until the very end that you even get a feel for what she is. Yes, I know it creates an air of mystery and drives readers to pick up the rest of the books when they become available, but I hate when the biggest question in a book goes unanswered until later in the series. Still, the story will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more, that much is a definite, murr!The biggest problem that I had with the book, and the one that kept me from really enjoying it, was there were way too many different point of views happening, often times within one chapter. This made it extremely difficult to become immersed in the story and it made the entire book feel choppy (and yes, there are editorial issues as well, but these are minor when compared to the POV issue). I think the entire story could have worked better with just Donna and Ryan’s points of views being told. Either that or have one chapter dedicated to each character and alternate that way. As it was, with all the different characters being introduced and sharing their stories, the story felt like a jumbled mess. I’m not say that I didn’t like the other character’s POVs, but this was over kill pure and simple. However, I would like to point out that Harris did a wonderful job tying them all together; there was only one that stood out as not needing to be there.So when all is said and done I have to say that while this wasn’t the most stand out of books I’ve ever read, it definitely was one of the more interesting and my curiosity is piqued to see what Harris has in store for the second book. Would I recommend this to other readers? Yes, because despite the problems within the manuscript, the story has potential. I’m looking forward to watching Harris’ writing develop. =^.^=