Ever since Samantha Winthrop's mother moved them to Lacuna Valley, supposedly in search of better weather, the list of strange questions she has no answers for has been growing out of control.
Does her little sister, Violet, have the ability to make things happen just by "praying" for them? Are Sam's dreams really predicting the future? Is she destined to marry the boy she just met, and what is the mysterious orb that he's guarding? Why does she get the impression that there are dangerous creatures watching from the woods?
While Sam should be focusing on answering those questions, there is one other that makes them seem almost irrelevant: Is her mother planning on killing her and Violet?
My Thoughts:
This is the type of book that is so easy to fall in love with!
Samantha is amazing. She may only be sixteen years old, but she is forced to make decisions that adults would have trouble with. Instead of shying away from her responsibilities, she stands up and does everything in her power to protect the one person in the world she would do anything for, her sister.
Violet is adorkable. She reminds me so much of my little sister. How loving they can be, and sometimes so annoying you just want to scream. For someone so young, she holds so much power. That alone paints a pretty big target on her back. It seems everyone has a plan on what to do with Violet. I don't think I can even imagine what is going through her head throughout the book. How does a nine year old handle knowing that people want to kill her?!?
One of the themes of the book is child abuse. I was glad we never had to see Violet hurt, but what was done to Samantha was enough to make me cry a bit. I liked how the seriousness of Sam's situation (the abuse) was not sugar coated or glossed over. You got a real good in-depth look into how confusing child abuse can be for the child. Sam wanted to love her mother so much. To believe that her mother was capable of loving her back, but she also had to wrestle with the knowledge that her mother would never love her and was more likely to hurt her and her sister to get what she wanted. That is a lot for a person to take in, especially a sixteen year old.
Nick = my hero! He to has too much going on in his life and so much responsibility. I loved his sense of humor and all of the sun glasses. The best was the banter between Nick and Sam. I think my favorite scene was when Nick and Sam were in the back of the truck on their "date." It was so funny, quirky, and cute. My Favorite quote from
that scene:
"I wasn't sure what to feed a vegetarian, but with my advanced cooking skills I knew I'd be up to the challenge." He pulled out a jar of strawberry jam and another of peanut butter. He looked over at her with his eyebrows raised.
"I'll take two."
"Our high class date continues! I brought carrot sticks, too. And chips, yogurt, and juice boxes."
"Aww!"
"No! Don't you 'aww' me. These are very adult juice boxes. Not cute at all. See!" He held a box out to her. "Organic!"
"I see! Not adorable. These are serious juice boxes."
The beginning of the book was full of mystery. I could feel Sam's frustration in wanting to know what was up with her mother. I had a bad feeling we weren't going to like what was in the little green book! This book is the perfect start to an amazing series! I did not expect that ending and am keeping my fingers crossed that their evil mother gets what is coming to her! If you haven't read this yet, you best get on with it! You are missing out!
My Rating: 5 Stars!
Links to Buy
Author website: Faith McKay
About the Author:
I write stories about characters with real world struggles in otherworldly settings.I wrote a book with characters that struggle with the idea of having a destiny called PROPHECY GIRL. In comparison, I really lucked out that my destiny was to struggle with comma placement and be that awkward lady who points out puns at parties.
But like Walt Whitman said, I am large, I contain multitudes. Other things to know about me… I wear two different colored shoes. I am a survivor of child abuse. I have lived with chronic illness for over a decade. A lot of people don't like me because I laugh too much. It's also the reason a lot of other people do like me, so go figure. I listen to more music than people are probably supposed to. I'm a nomad. The word sounds really cool, so a lot of people say it, but I actually live in an RV with my husband and our pet bunny rabbit, Dorian Gray.
If you'd like to know when my next book is available, you should become one of the Faithful by signing up for my newsletter! It doesn't come out often, but when it does, it's because I have a new release, or exclusive free content for the Faithful. http://eepurl.com/rlMPf
My facebook memory today was this review from 3 years ago! <3
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