Hmm. I could name at least 5 books that are similar to this one, the only difference being the kind of supernatural power the main character possesses... Well that, and the fact that I actually enjoyed this book (mostly) while those others annoyed the crap out of me.
Allison Noble never liked the Baileys. They were too good-looking, too popular, too charming to be legitimate. For most of their high school career she avoided the pair, convinced their outward affability was just a ruse to disguise their true character. Okay, yeah, she’s a little neurotic. Even so, she never suspected that what they were hiding was dangerous. It never occurred to her that they might have abilities based more in fiction than reality. Why would it? People can’t produce fire with their bare hands. There are no such things as mind control and telekinesis. Except, she discovers, there are. 
The Baileys are Elect, gifted with supernatural powers Allison is able to not only sense, but use herself. In the history of the Elect, there has never been one such as she, and with good reason. Because she wasn’t born to such power, she has a difficult time controlling it. Accidents happen, putting them all at risk. As others draw near—some who wish to protect her, others who want to destroy her—she is forced to uncover the secrets of her past, and face the consequences of being what her own kind refers to as an abomination.
Sure, i enjoyed it and thought the whole idea of being ''elect" was pretty cool... but it was just another one of those supernatural YA novels. Girl discovers she has awesome powers, complicated romance, parent dies, girl has to run and hide her powers, etc. It's always the same, if slightly different.
That fact aside, let's talk about the things i enjoyed about this novel!I really like the main character, Ally, mainly because she reminded me of myself.
She even has the same birthday as me, February 1st! That's a plus one.
She wasn't one of those typical teenage girls you find in YA novels.
Allison was a realist.
And I admired her for being such a nice daughter.
Even though all the shit that came down on her, she dealt with it pretty nicely.
Even though all the shit that came down on her, she dealt with it pretty nicely.
Next up are the relationships in this book. I basically loved all the characters, which is a first.
Allison didn't drool over the guys she was around (thank Merlin), but pretty much had casual relationships with all of them.
Except one of them, of course. *winks*
I won't say who she ends up with because i really liked the whole shipping throughout the book.
At the beginning i really shipped Nate and Allison.. Then Jeremy and Allison... then Troy and Allison.. then Nate again and then Ryan. That loop repeated itself for the first half of the novel.
Which brings me upon another important point of this novel.
The first 200 pages are basically high-school drama. If you ask me, the novel focused too much on Allison's relationships than her actual powers. The book only started to get intense in the last chapter (which was pretty awesome). The rest was really just... not that interesting to me.
As for the writing; it was okay. It wasn't very descriptive, which bothered me just a little.
I love it when a book really describes the environment, but i understand that most people might find that boring.
Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that the writing was bad. I'm saying that if it had been more descriptive, it would have enhanced my reading experience.
But the thing that bothered me the most is that 60% of the time I couldn't tell who was talking. There was nearly no indication whatsoever of which lines were Allison's or one of her friends'.
It killed a smooth reading experience.
Mayor spoiler alert below, so if you haven't read the book... go away!
THAT ENDING. I loved it! Action packed, drama, violence, mystery and a cliffhanger!
That ending is what made me excited for the next book.
If the ending lacked any of those 3 points, i probably would forget about this novel and move on.
But now? I'll most certainly read the second book because i'm really curious and want more!
Spoiler alert again.
What's up with parents dying in YA novels?! What i think was really sad is that we, as readers, didn't really get to know Regina before she passed away. It was so sad... and yet, Ally had been dealing with her paranormal roller coaster on her own for months already... so her mother's death didn't really affect me that much.
Or I just don't have a soul.
That's more likely.
And may I just point out how awesome the cover is?! I love it! Would you look at that.
I recommend this book to people that enjoy YA paranormal novels. It's a pretty light read and I read it in a few hours. It reminded me a lot of the Lux series... minus Deamon. So if you're into that series, you'll enjoy this too!
Lots of Luck,
Bee
Allison didn't drool over the guys she was around (thank Merlin), but pretty much had casual relationships with all of them.
Except one of them, of course. *winks*
I won't say who she ends up with because i really liked the whole shipping throughout the book.
At the beginning i really shipped Nate and Allison.. Then Jeremy and Allison... then Troy and Allison.. then Nate again and then Ryan. That loop repeated itself for the first half of the novel.
Which brings me upon another important point of this novel.
The first 200 pages are basically high-school drama. If you ask me, the novel focused too much on Allison's relationships than her actual powers. The book only started to get intense in the last chapter (which was pretty awesome). The rest was really just... not that interesting to me.
As for the writing; it was okay. It wasn't very descriptive, which bothered me just a little.
I love it when a book really describes the environment, but i understand that most people might find that boring.
Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that the writing was bad. I'm saying that if it had been more descriptive, it would have enhanced my reading experience.
But the thing that bothered me the most is that 60% of the time I couldn't tell who was talking. There was nearly no indication whatsoever of which lines were Allison's or one of her friends'.
It killed a smooth reading experience.
Mayor spoiler alert below, so if you haven't read the book... go away!
THAT ENDING. I loved it! Action packed, drama, violence, mystery and a cliffhanger!
That ending is what made me excited for the next book.
If the ending lacked any of those 3 points, i probably would forget about this novel and move on.
But now? I'll most certainly read the second book because i'm really curious and want more!
Spoiler alert again.
What's up with parents dying in YA novels?! What i think was really sad is that we, as readers, didn't really get to know Regina before she passed away. It was so sad... and yet, Ally had been dealing with her paranormal roller coaster on her own for months already... so her mother's death didn't really affect me that much.
Or I just don't have a soul.
That's more likely.
And may I just point out how awesome the cover is?! I love it! Would you look at that.
I recommend this book to people that enjoy YA paranormal novels. It's a pretty light read and I read it in a few hours. It reminded me a lot of the Lux series... minus Deamon. So if you're into that series, you'll enjoy this too!
Lots of Luck,
Bee
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