Review: Grasping at Eternity by Karen Amanda Hooper

Grasping at Eternity (The Kindrily Series, #1) by Karen Amanda Hooper

Release Date: May 25, 2012
Publisher: Starry Sky Publishing

Author Information: Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook

Genre: Paranormal, Reincarnation, Romance
Available Formats: eBook
My Shelf: Own (eBook)
Other Books: Tangled Tides

Buy the Book: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Leave it to Maryah Woodsen to break the one rule that will screw up eternity: Never erase your memories.

Before entering this life, Maryah did the unthinkable—she erased. Now, at seventeen years old, she’s clueless that her new adoptive family has known her for centuries, that they are perpetually reincarnated souls, and that they have supernatural abilities. Oh, and she's supposed to love (not despise) Nathan, the green-eyed daredevil who saved her life.

Nathan is convinced his family’s plan to spark Maryah's memory is hopeless, but his love for her is undying. After spending (and remembering) so many lifetimes together, being around an empty version of his soulmate is heart shattering. He hates acting like a stalker, but has no choice because the evil outcast who murdered Maryah in their last lifetime is still after her.

While Maryah’s hunter inches closer, she and Nathan make assumptions and hide secrets that rip them further apart. Maryah has to believe in the magic within her, Nathan must have faith in the power of their love, and both need to grasp onto the truth before they lose each other forever—and discover just how lonely eternity can be.

X-MEN meets MY NAME IS MEMORY in Karen Amanda Hooper’s latest young adult release.

Review:

“A person’s destiny is written in the stars. The sky is a storybook, and the stars are the characters in its pages.” ~pg. 69

It seems, however, that Maryah’s story is already reaching its end. The star that represents her eternal life has gone out. She grows up unaware that her story is drawing to a close, but when a tragic event strikes her biological family, she has to move in with complete strangers who seem to know more about her than she does herself. She comes to realize that she was once a part of their Kindrily, a family of superpowered, reincarnated souls that have been together for centuries. Each member of the family lives a lifetime, passes on, and then is born again with the same soul and all their past memories intact. Except Maryah. She has no memories of this family, or her soulmate, Nathaniel. Without her memories, her eternal soul is in danger of being lost forever, and when a group of people begin hunting her down for being a Kindrily, her life, and her soul, have never been more at risk.

With books dealing with soulmates and reincarnation gaining popularity as of late, it is becoming hard to find a story that is unconventional. However, Hooper never fails to deliver, and she provides a stunningly original story of love and loss. Hooper’s expressive prose and exquisitely rendered characters makes Grasping at Eternity an enthralling read, and the emotional intensity of this book is gripping and heartrending. I loved everything about this story, and Hooper has definitely become one of my favorite authors.

Grasping at Eternity is told from both Maryah’s and Nathaniel’s point of view, and this shifting of perspectives allows the reader to really get a feel for both characters. Their voices are distinct, and I have to admit I loved getting explicit peeks at Nathaniel’s thoughts. With his soulmate unable to remember him and their past lives, Nathaniel is experiencing heartbreak and emotional pain like never before. Hooper’s vivid details made his heartache feel real, and there were moments where I would be rubbing my chest in phantom pain. Maryah is thrust in a new world and family, and she has no idea why everyone seems to know who she is, or how Nathaniel knows she loves hot chocolate. Her confusion and disorientation felt genuine, and I loved how the reader pieces the story together with Maryah.

The most appealing aspect of this book for me was Hooper’s concept of reincarnation. After every life, the eternal soul is given an option: retain or erase. If you were given the choice to remember everything, both the good and the bad, and carry it with you in the next life, would you? Or would you like to have a clean slate and be able to experience everything again for the first time, like your first kiss and falling in love? It is truly a fascinating idea! Hooper also delves into the meaning of promnesia, otherwise known as déjà vu. We all experience moments or events in life that seem startlingly familiar, but we just write it off as one of those weird déjà vu moments. But what if one of those strange moments is actually a recollection from a past life? There are so many stories out there of people who believed they remember their past life, but what those stories are actually true? Hooper’s theory of reincarnation really captured my attention, and I loved how it made me think.

After reading Tangled Tides, I feel in love with Hooper’s writing, and just when I think she could not get any better, she produces Grasping at Eternity. This book blew me away with its excellent (and intriguing!) storyline, heartfelt characters, and emotional turmoil. I feel like this book should have come with a warning sign! Warning: this will put you through an emotional wringer. This book will make you laugh, make you cry, make you experience heartache, and make you discover the happiness and joy in finding your destined person. This book was everything I expected from Hooper and more, and I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next!

Lastly, I will leave you with this beautiful quote that so perfectly represents this book:

“If you love someone, put their name in a circle; because hearts can be broken, but a circle never ends.” ~Anonymous

The Greatest Escape!

Anew by Chelsea Fine

Anew (The Archers of Avalon, #1) by Chelsea Fine

Release Date: December 7, 2011

Publisher: Acadia Publishing

Available Formats: Paperback and eBook

Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 385
ISBN: 1935089498

Buy the Book: Amazon

Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in the forest alone, afraid, and unable to remember anything. Lost and confused, her life was a mystery...until she met a boy with a familiar voice.

Gabriel Archer has a voice from her past, and Scarlet's determined to remember why. She immerses herself in his life only to discover he has a brother he's kept hidden from her: Tristan Archer. 

Upon meeting Tristan, Scarlet's world becomes even more muddled. While she's instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she's impossibly drawn to Tristan--and confused out of her mind. As she tries to piece together her history Scarlet realizes her past...might just be the death of her.

Review:

Oh man, I enjoyed this book. I was engrossed the whole time, and each chapter just seemed to get better and better. The writing is phenomenal, the story is original, and Fine’s storytelling is topnotch. And I cannot forget about the cliffhanger! At first, I thought that my e-book was incomplete, but when I found out that was the end, I was partially stupefied and partially enraged. Why of all places did she have to end the book THERE?? I believe Conan sums it up best:

Oh, no, she didn’t!

As far as cliffhangers are concerned (and depending on how you feel about them), this book has one of the best/worst cliffhangers I have come across in a while. It definitely has me eagerly waiting for the next book! If you are not a fan, I would advise you to wait to read Anew until the sequel is released.

While the story itself is amazing, the best part about this book is the characters. The reader cannot help but connect to Scarlet. She has many qualities that I really appreciate in female characters: courage, strength, and the ability to throw some awesome comebacks in a pretty boy’s face. I felt her confusion as she attempts to piece together her past and learn who she is, and I felt her emotional turmoil as she struggled with her growing affection for two brothers. One of the brothers, Gabriel, is an all-around nice guy burdened with a curse that will forever haunt him. His love for Scarlet runs deep and true, and he really cherishes her. Tristan, on the other hand, is the bad boy in their little family. He is dark and mysterious, and even though he hides his true self behind a rough exterior and a mouth that constantly spews insults, he also really cares for Scarlet. (The guy is willing to die to save her from dying again!) He is a tortured soul, never able to have the one thing he wants the most, and my heart goes out to him. (In fact, he reminds me a lot of Will from The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare.) I am definitely rooting for him in this love triangle! I do like Gabriel, but I will always cheer on the dark, tortured man. I guess I am one of the reasons the saying “nice guys finish last” remains true, but I seriously cannot help it!

I have to commend Fine for her well-written and well-developed love triangle. Very few love triangles are well done. In fact, most are downright torturous. I still think even good love triangles are emotionally grating and frustrating (usually because the guy I like never ‘wins’ and they are chocked full of drama), but at least the men’s proverbial ego wars are absent. I already mentioned this in my review for Clockwork Prince, but I seriously hate it when men fight over a girl through insulting one another, battles of physical prowess, and other creative ways of trying to claim the girl as their own. I think in this case, these ‘contests’ would have been even worse than usual ones since it is a love triangle that involves brothers (I hate when siblings fight). I like the fact that Fine does not include these unnerving elements in her love triangle. It makes the love triangle more bearable (for me, anyway), and it really improves the story instead of hindering it (*coughWingscough*).

Overall, Anew is a WONDERFUL book, and you should definitely check it out if you haven’t already. I am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series, Awry, which will be released sometime in 2012 (the exact date has yet to be specified). I cannot wait to see what happens after the cliffhanger! The only thing I ask is for, Ms. Fine, is no cliffhanger in the next book! Please! Do not make me summon Conan again (his service fees are ridiculous). 

The Greatest Escape!

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Release Date: December 8, 2011

Publisher: Philomel/Penguin

Age Group: Young Adult (14+)

Pages: 336

Format: Hardcover (also available in eBook format)

ISBN: 0399256229
Buy the Book: Amazon

A thrilling debut story of death, love, destiny and danger.

Lenzi hears voices and has visions - gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she's a reincarnated Speaker - someone who can talk to and help lost souls - and that he has been her Protector for centuries.

Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon.

Review:

Lenzi’s father committed suicide after he could no longer deal with the voices in his head. But now Lenzi has started hearing them, too, and she is sure she is on a path to self-destruction if she cannot keep them out of her head. Her boyfriend, Zak, tries to help where he can, but it is never enough. Then a mysterious boy named Alden appears, and he says that he is a Protector, someone who watches over a Speaker, a Ghost Whisperer who is supposed to help the dead move on. He says Lenzi is his Speaker and he can help her control the voices. She is all for that, but even with her attraction to Alden, he seems a little crazy himself. And now a malevolent spirit out for revenge is back, and Lenzi is standing right in his path. Looks like it’s time for her to make a decision.

I enjoyed this book A LOT. At first, I was kind of confused as to the roles of the Protector and Speaker and their abilities, but things became clear pretty quickly. The premise of the story is actually really interesting, and while the idea of a ghost occupying and possessing a person’s body is not new (same with the Ghost Whisperer aspect), Lindsey gives a nice little twist to the story to make it super original and really enthralling. I also really liked Lindsey’s writing. She really has a way with words that clearly gets feelings across, and her descriptions are eloquent in a way that makes readers feel like they are in Texas themselves.  

I really liked Lenzi. I think what I liked about her the most was how down to Earth she was. She is known as one of the most powerful Speakers ever, yet there are still moments when she is scared and has no idea what to do. She listens to the advice others give her and she is pretty smart. She is definitely one of the better female leads in YA literature. And I LOVED Alden. Why is it I always fall for YA boys? I do not know, but Alden was AWESOME. He was willing to put Lenzi first and he just seemed to really care about her, which I loved. He almost never thinks of just himself, he is always there for her, he listens to her, and the list just goes on and on. Alden is the perfect man. I will end it there. I also liked Zak. There were moments in the book where the reader is not supposed to like him, but I could not help feeling for him. He is a troubled soul who has been abandoned by his parents and had a rough upbringing, and now the girl he loves is pulling away from him. He makes some bad decisions, but he just wants to save the relationship with his girlfriend. I do not know how other people feel about him, but I did not hate him at all. He may not be perfect like Alden is, but what real man ever is?

This was an amazing debut by Mary Lindsey. If you have not read this book yet, I would definitely add it to your to-read list. You do not want to miss out on it! Everything about this book is beautiful. AND THE COVER. I do not know what it is about this cover, but I am obsessed with it. It is GORGEOUS. There has been no mention of a sequel, but if there is one, I am going to be all over it. However, Lindsey will be releasing another book, Annabel, sometime in 2013. It is going to be a retelling of the original Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe. I am looking forward to reading anything else this talented author releases (and please let there be a SS sequel!). 

A Great Escape!