Undertow

Undertow #1

K.R. Conway

Genre: Young Adults Paranormal Fantasy

Release Date: October 18, 2013

ISBN: 978-0989776301

ASIN: B00FSOCHOK

Pages: 400

Goodreads Rating: 4.33

My Rating: 5

Blurb:

Luckless Eila is unknowingly the last of her kind: Rare. Gifted. Breakable. Stunning Raef is her kind's historic enemy: Soulless. Lethal. Lost. A legendary death 160 years before would set their lives to collide, forcing a beautiful killer to become a savior, a simple wallflower to become a warrior, and ruthless destiny to become a death sentence.

Summary:

High school senior Eila Walker knows that good luck skips over her like an Easter Bunny on Speed. So when she inherits her grandmother's million-dollar Cape Cod home, she is downright shocked. And yeah, her new town isn't perfect: the cheerleaders are heinous clones, the local undertow can kill ya, and her Great Grams was supposedly fried by lightning in the harbor square. Still, Eila is hopeful her luckless days are in the past . . . until history decides to repeat itself.

A self-proclaimed loner and previous-social reject, Eila thinks she's hit the jackpot when drool-worthy Raef O’Reilly becomes her friendly, yet weirdly protective shadow. But being hauled beneath the waves by an unnatural undertow slams the brakes on bliss – especially when Raef storms to her aid with coal-black eyes and iron-like strength.

Eila, entirely freaked, demands an explanation and Raef comes clean, revealing that neither of them are average humans but rather the genetic remnants of an angelic pissing-match gone wrong. Eila supposedly can channel the power of human souls, while Raef is quite adept at stealing them. Even worse, the legend about her ancestor isn't such a myth, since Eila’s grandmother was one kick-ass warrior until her lightning-like power backfired. A power that is written all over Eila's DNA.

Now sought by Raef’s own family for her destructive ability, Eila must trust him to watch her back. But when a quest for information goes terribly wrong, Eila is suddenly left with only two options: become a weapon for the enemy or follow in her Gram’s fearless footsteps to save those she loves. Unfortunately she needs a willing enemy to ignite her suicidal energy and the only one she trusts has been guarding her butt and scorching her lips.

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My Take On The Book:

If it were at all possible, I would rate this title a 5.5 (which it is… I’m just too damn lazy to make a new rating jpeg.) From page 1 I was swept away. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading such a unique read since ‘Scars of the Bifrost’. K.R. Conway’s way of writing first person does not limit the story, quite contrary really, it helps to move the story along in a way that anyone can follow and enjoy.

I think one of the things I love most is the unique and original take on ‘Supernatural’ so different from the books now hitting the shelves. Don’t get me wrong, I still like the ‘traditional’ supes, its just nice to read something different every once in a while. Writers of this day almost always seem to fall into the comfort of writing about something we something we know and this is different, something we don’t know.

Funny enough, this book was so well written that I found myself hooked (dangerously so, if you count almost burning my dinner). By chapter 10, this review started manefesticing itself in my head. I can honestly say with a clear conscience that there isn’t a thing about this book that I didn’t like. The writing style while done I first person did not deter my ability or my want to read this book. There was way too much I liked. Even some of the twists didn’t register in my mind until a couple of seconds before they were revealed so kudos for that Ms. Conway.

I love every single character, good and bad. Their development was spot on! While I’m aware that there is much we have yet to discover, there is no dounbt in my mind that this author spent countless hours meticulously crafting their backstories down to their favorite color and it shows in every loving key stoke.

My only negative comment if you can even call it that would be “Do you hate your readers, because making us wait till summer of 2014 is just cruel and unusual punishment?” I don’t want to have to wait so long for book 2 but I will as I’m sure many other reader will!

5 Quills

About The Author

I have been a journalist for 15 years and serve on the Board of Directors for the Cape Cod Writers Center. I also drive a 16-ton school bus because I am ENTIRELY NUTS.

In addition to working jobs that should come with a warning label , I hold a BA in Psychos (Forensic Psych), torment the tourists about Jaws, and occasionally jump from the Town Neck bridge in an attempt to reclaim my youth.

I live on Cape Cod with two smallish humans who apparently are my kids, my fishing-obsessed husband, two canines (adept at both flatulence and snoring), and a cage-defiant lovebird that sleeps in a miniature tent. Nope - that's not a type-o. The bird is quite the indoor camper.

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