Picture drawn by Maggie Stiefvater, 2009. Header made by S.F. Robertson, 2010.

Friday, April 24, 2015

When by Victoria Laurie

When by Victoria Laurie
"Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father's premature death for Maddie and her family to realize that these mysterious digits are actually deathdates, and just like birthdays, everyone has one.

Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching deathdate of one client's young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not the how, she's unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie.

Soon, Maddie is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all, Maddie's whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it's too late?"- summary from Amazon

Laurie's debut YA (she's written numerous adult books) is a rollercoaster ride, slowly building up and up as the pages go on until you're rocketing through the last 100 pages to see how it will all end. It's a crazy, suspenseful, mysterious story with lots of twists and turns. Maddie is a complex character and I felt bad for her home life and everything she's had to deal with both before the book takes place and during the book.

The romance is a little bit love at first sight, at least from the guy's POV. Maddie's only seen him from afar and been obsessed with him, but it didn't really bother me. I think because I kind of hope for the same thing in my own life. I know a few guys that I think are attractive but I rarely talk to them and just wish they would notice me one day. It's a fantasy scenario, but one I'm all for. It's nice to see it at least happen in books. And as for the ending, it's pretty darn sweet, especially considering how crazy and suspenseful the book is.

Overall, it's a quick, fun read and I'm eager to see more from Laurie in the YA world.

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

1 comment:

  1. I like reading that type of romance too whereas so many people are put off by it, I like escapism in my books so instalove has never bothered me.

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