Review: A great young adult read!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 14, 2014
“All I wanted was to be invisible.”—TessaWith a single phone call, sixteen year old Tessa knows she and her family will have to start over again. New names. New place. New home. Survival. In the past eight years, it’s happened thirteen times. In this new place, something’s different. There’s a boy here who might be her first real friend in eight years—possibly even more than just a friend. She and her family might have finally found a place to call home—as long as the man hunting them doesn’t find them first…“They never asked me to help, because they didn’t think I could help.”—TessaThis is a great young adult read and seems perfect for the target audience. Tessa has to deal with very relatable feelings as the middle child in her family. However, there’s the added twist that her family is paranormal with special abilities. Well, all of her family except one. I’m sure you can guess who that one is. So, the normal teenage insecurities are added by the fact that she’s seen as the defenseless and weak one, which does wonders for her self-esteem. Coupled with the fact that she was attacked as a child by the man hunting them, Tessa has to also deal with crippling fear born out of childhood trauma from a monster that is still hunting them.In a way, the TV series Heroes pops into mind where you have the mysterious Sylar hunting people in season one. We don’t know much about the villain in this installment, only that he is very good at hunting them and killing those that help them. We see the strain on the family and despite all the craziness, how the stressed out parents are still trying to give their children as close to a normal life as possible. We also have teenagers wanting to be teenagers, particularly Tessa’s siblings. This installment is a very good set up and sets the stage for the story.Despite the air of danger and fear, there’s also spots of hope and love as the siblings try their best to take care of Tessa—which includes interference in getting her to acknowledge and accept Tristan’s interest. The two teens have great PG chemistry and the relationship is very sweet. I love how Tristan pursues her and Tessa gets the strength to fight for something that she wants. Unfortunately, she’s fighting her parents in a very understandable rebellious stage. As the installment comes to a close, the family dynamics shift and there’s an air of foreboding for the future. Overall, this installment is a 4 out of 5 for me!(Originally posted on my blog; I received a Netgalley copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)