Banished, by Jen Wylie

Banished
Jen Wylie

Publisher: Echelon Press
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Series: Tales of Ever
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: Kindle Edition
Source: eARC, Author
Rating: 5/5 (Avg 4.5/5)

My life was normal. It sucked, but it was normal. At least until I got this new power. I can control fire. It would be cool if it wasn't so dangerous and if I knew how to use it. Pretty much my sucky life took a nose dive once I got it. Yup, everything gone. I suppose I should be thankful some uncle I never heard of took me in. Turns out the whole family isn't normal and my power is a lot more dangerous than I thought. I thought things couldn't get any worse. I was wrong. They banished me to Ever.

If I'm lucky, I might survive my first day.

The thing about short stories is that they are really hit-or-miss for me. I don't know if it's the fact that they are, indeed, too short as I'm spoiled by novels... or they just lack in some way. I didn't find this to be the case with Banished. From the very beginning, the writing had me hooked. It was grammatically correct, short and simple, yet completely enthralling.

The main character, Misha, is very easy to relate to. She's just an ordinary girl with ordinary feelings, but she just happens to have an extraordinary ability. She's really alone in the world, yet not weak. Quite the opposite, she's a very capable and strong character.

This was a very quick and easy read, with all of the key components that make a wonderful story for me. The ending was satisfying, yet still left us with a small thirst for more. If you're looking for a story that flows smoothly with a simple plot and good cast of characters, I'd recommend trying Banished out for size.

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