Review: Much more than just a Young Adult paranormal romance ...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 17, 2014
I signed up to read this book for the Lovers of Paranormal 'Read 2 Review' program on Goodreads. I then realized that I'd had it in my Kindle library for quite a while already. Why I didn't read it sooner, I don't really know. Sometimes, I think you get barraged with new books and just forget about some of the good ones you've already got. However it happened, I'm so glad that I rediscovered this book. Thanks, Carrie! (She's the mod for the Lovers of Paranormal's R2R program.)The Athena Effect is much more than just a Young Adult paranormal romance. There is a lot of mystery in it, as well. We're given hints as to why Cali was raised the way she was, away from 'civilization' with things like computers, TV, electricity, hot water ... but the mystery deepens the deeper we get into the book.Orphaned when her parents are killed in an accident, Cali is forced to go and live with her aunt. There are many things she's never seen before, so she knows she's considered 'weird' by the other kids as she starts high school. She goes about her days trying to blend into the background and not be noticed by anyone. Understandably reluctant to enter into a relationship with anyone, we see Cali just working to get through the next few months until she turns eighteen. After her birthday, she'll be free to return to the house she grew up in away from any other people.Unfortunately for her plan, Cali keeps seeing, and later running into, a wild, party boy named, Calvin. Cal's parents died when he was younger and he's since been raised by his older brother. The two of them engage in loud parties where there's lots of booze and scantily-clad women. Seeing this as the perfect example of what she's been taught to avoid in the civilized world, Cali goes out of her way to steer clear of Cal and his brother. Fate has other ideas, though, and the 'two Cals' are soon spending a lot of time together. When a strange man visits Cali's aunt to 'take over her guardianship', we know that nothing will ever be the same for Cali again. The mystery of her upbringing is solved but her future is a mystery in itself.I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next novel in this series, The Mackenzie Legacy.