WinterborneAugusta Blythe [F]
Release Date: April 24, 2011
Series: Universe Unbound
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: Kindle edition
Source: Author
Rating: 4/5 (Avg 4/5)
Sixteen-year old Mia Winterborne is destined to be special. Details are sketchy, though, as her dad disappeared with all the answers when she was five. Mia only knows that she'll inherit her kickass superpowers on her seventeenth birthday. Helping Mia prepare for her anticipated ascendancy is Loie Bryce, her best friend and eternal sidekick extraordinaire. The girls' intense friendship has never wavered until now, when Andreas arrives in Salcey Ridge. They both fall hard for the British hottie, who quickly becomes a fixture in their lives. When they discover that Andreas is not who he appears to be, the frightening reality of Mia's powers finally hits home. The nearer Mia's birthday draws, the more the danger escalates and long-buried lies are exposed, putting the girls on a path that they never expected.
The first thing that popped out to me about this book is that it's from Loie's perspective instead of Mia's, which I had originally thought. This makes for an interesting change of pace, though I felt that it waned sometimes because Loie's a little less interesting. However, Loie is a much more relatable character and much more empathetic than Mia, who seems to be a bit selfish and sometimes just as equally inconsiderate. Then again, she is the typical girl-who-has-it-all, so I can't really put fault on her because she knows no different. Loie and Mia's friendship is a good friendship, though I think I would change Loie's passiveness just a little - she seems to just accept that Mia is "better" and that Mia will get everything, yet she does nothing to try to make the situation better for herself. Andreas was a good character to bring into the equation and I think the romance was pleasant in the story, but I can't say that I found him as swoon-worthy as the girls did. He just didn't stick out to me all that much. I don't know if my indifference comes from the fact that I felt like he was leading Loie on a little because they did have some semi-sweet moments together, or he just fell flat personality-wise for me. Or maybe there's really more there with Andreas and Loie? I guess we will know with time. In any case, he's a good character.. I just feel like maybe I need to know him a little better before I can really understand him and maybe actually like him more.
I found the plot and twists in this story completely unique from others in the genre. You actually learn a lot right along with the characters instead of the characters knowing about themselves already and then you just discover it on down the road, which was a nice little feat. The best part of the story was that it kept me guessing. I didn't know as much as I thought I did as I was reading and was pleasantly surprised with the curve balls that were thrown through the novel.
Even though it's not written from the main character's point of view, Loie is a great narrator and, from her descriptions, you know that she definitely knows Mia very well - which kept the feel of the story very genuine. This is a great read with some interesting features that I think readers will absolutely love. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book to come out.
I found the plot and twists in this story completely unique from others in the genre. You actually learn a lot right along with the characters instead of the characters knowing about themselves already and then you just discover it on down the road, which was a nice little feat. The best part of the story was that it kept me guessing. I didn't know as much as I thought I did as I was reading and was pleasantly surprised with the curve balls that were thrown through the novel.
Even though it's not written from the main character's point of view, Loie is a great narrator and, from her descriptions, you know that she definitely knows Mia very well - which kept the feel of the story very genuine. This is a great read with some interesting features that I think readers will absolutely love. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book to come out.
1 comments:
Great review! I,too read this book and loved learning things with the characters. It made me feel more like I was in the story.
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