Miranda Kavi
Publisher: Miranda Kavi
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Source: Purchased
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A girl with an unknown destiny.
A boy from a hidden world.
When Celeste starts at a new school in a small, Kansas town, she hears whispering voices, has vivid nightmares, and swarms of blackbirds follow her every move. She is oddly drawn to aloof Rylan, the other new student who has his own secrets.
The exact moment she turns seventeen, she wakes to a bedroom full of strange creatures, purple light emanating from her hands, and Rylan breaking in through her bedroom window.
He knows what she is…
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CATCHALL
I loved Rua. I really did. It wasn't perfect, but it was genuinely enjoyable. Even so, there were some things about it that just majorly got and my nerves and ticked me off. I was usually either enjoying myself or vastly annoyed. So yeah, while I loved it, it wasn't the best thing I've ever read. Even so…the fact that I was willing to overlook my annoyance speaks volumes.
THE HEROINE
CELESTE
Celeste was a very interesting experience for me. Sometimes she was awesome, and sometimes annoying. She's never really put down roots before, and that's the way she likes it. She has her parents who love her, and that's enough for her. But when strange things start to happen, she understandably freaks out. However, a lot of times I found myself getting really annoyed by her. She acts really strangely sometimes, and her lack of self-confidence just doesn't work on her since sometimes she'll randomly have some. She wasn't at all easy to connect to. I liked her, but I still have some issues to work out with her.
THE LOVE INTEREST
RYLAN
Rylan I loved. I have some issues with him too, but I still love him. I love how protective he is without being overly dominating. He wants to keep Celeste safe, but he isn't stupid about it and he doesn't try to control her. At the same time, he felt kind of clichéd. He doesn't even really seem to know Celeste at all but out of nowhere he's just there for her. It's sweet but odd and overused. However, he's got a wicked sense of humor and I love the way he makes Celeste laugh.
THE FRIEND
TINK
Tink was like the most stereotyped character I have ever read, and yes, that majorly, majorly ticked me off. He's gay, which isn't the problem. The problem is the way he acts. It's the most stereotyped gay character I've ever read, and there is no realness to it at all. He's like a freaking cardboard cutout because there is legibly nothing to him that isn't some ridiculous stereotype. Like, you push him and he falls over. So to speak. No substance.
THE PLOT
Okay, so the plot. It gets tons of points for its originality. It was really unique. I've honestly never read anything similar. It was an entirely new concept, and I found that fascinating. In a world where a lot of YA is starting to sound the same, the newness in this was a breath of fresh air.
Celeste has always known she was adopted, but this has never bothered her. When strange things start to happen to her, she dismisses them at first, even as she is drawn to the gorgeous Rylan, who seems to know something. Eventually, she can't deny that something supernatural is going on. The strange things only escalate, climaxing on her seventeenth birthday.
I learned about Celeste's new world alongside her, the rules and the status quo. As it went on, there was some suspense and danger added. I was always curious as to what was happening next, and it was entertaining and held my attention.
The final event, the climax and ending, were a bit weird though. I'll get into that more in a bit but I do feel the need to mention it.
THE ROMANCE
Okay, so, the romance. It's a tad instalovey, so that was annoying. Rylan and Celeste have chemistry, but even so, it wasn't really enough for me. They connected on some level, but they didn't really get to know each other very well. I'm honestly not even really sure or convinced that they actually like each other. Obviously they do, but it didn't come across very clearly. Overall, disappointing.
THE WRITING
Miranda has gorgeous, lovely writing. I love the way she describes things. Like, LOVE. It's so vivid and ridiculous in an awesome way. What I don't like is Celeste's voice. It's in third person, so actually I guess not her voice exactly, but still. It made her difficult to connect to. It sounded a bit stilted at places, and the dialogue wasn't stellar either. Not awful, but just average.
THE ENDING
So, the ending. Well, like I said, the end event was sort of weird. I don't know. Awkward. Random. Still, it wasn't awful. I need to be careful here because I don't want to spoil anything, but…it's difficult. I just thought the whole situation was unrealistic and the way it was dealt with, especially this one last thing, really, really, really bothered me. It was just not okay on any level.
WRAPUP
I loved this book, but like I've said, it does have myriad problems and I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone. Still, if you can overlook the faults, then this could probably be a really cute yet suspenseful read for you. It's certainly fun, and I know that some of you will love it. I'll definitely be reading the next book, since I do want to know what happens next.
FINE.
I loved Rua. I really did. It wasn't perfect, but it was genuinely enjoyable. Even so, there were some things about it that just majorly got and my nerves and ticked me off. I was usually either enjoying myself or vastly annoyed. So yeah, while I loved it, it wasn't the best thing I've ever read. Even so…the fact that I was willing to overlook my annoyance speaks volumes.
THE HEROINE
CELESTE
Celeste was a very interesting experience for me. Sometimes she was awesome, and sometimes annoying. She's never really put down roots before, and that's the way she likes it. She has her parents who love her, and that's enough for her. But when strange things start to happen, she understandably freaks out. However, a lot of times I found myself getting really annoyed by her. She acts really strangely sometimes, and her lack of self-confidence just doesn't work on her since sometimes she'll randomly have some. She wasn't at all easy to connect to. I liked her, but I still have some issues to work out with her.
THE LOVE INTEREST
RYLAN
Rylan I loved. I have some issues with him too, but I still love him. I love how protective he is without being overly dominating. He wants to keep Celeste safe, but he isn't stupid about it and he doesn't try to control her. At the same time, he felt kind of clichéd. He doesn't even really seem to know Celeste at all but out of nowhere he's just there for her. It's sweet but odd and overused. However, he's got a wicked sense of humor and I love the way he makes Celeste laugh.
THE FRIEND
TINK
Tink was like the most stereotyped character I have ever read, and yes, that majorly, majorly ticked me off. He's gay, which isn't the problem. The problem is the way he acts. It's the most stereotyped gay character I've ever read, and there is no realness to it at all. He's like a freaking cardboard cutout because there is legibly nothing to him that isn't some ridiculous stereotype. Like, you push him and he falls over. So to speak. No substance.
THE PLOT
Okay, so the plot. It gets tons of points for its originality. It was really unique. I've honestly never read anything similar. It was an entirely new concept, and I found that fascinating. In a world where a lot of YA is starting to sound the same, the newness in this was a breath of fresh air.
Celeste has always known she was adopted, but this has never bothered her. When strange things start to happen to her, she dismisses them at first, even as she is drawn to the gorgeous Rylan, who seems to know something. Eventually, she can't deny that something supernatural is going on. The strange things only escalate, climaxing on her seventeenth birthday.
I learned about Celeste's new world alongside her, the rules and the status quo. As it went on, there was some suspense and danger added. I was always curious as to what was happening next, and it was entertaining and held my attention.
The final event, the climax and ending, were a bit weird though. I'll get into that more in a bit but I do feel the need to mention it.
THE ROMANCE
Okay, so, the romance. It's a tad instalovey, so that was annoying. Rylan and Celeste have chemistry, but even so, it wasn't really enough for me. They connected on some level, but they didn't really get to know each other very well. I'm honestly not even really sure or convinced that they actually like each other. Obviously they do, but it didn't come across very clearly. Overall, disappointing.
THE WRITING
Miranda has gorgeous, lovely writing. I love the way she describes things. Like, LOVE. It's so vivid and ridiculous in an awesome way. What I don't like is Celeste's voice. It's in third person, so actually I guess not her voice exactly, but still. It made her difficult to connect to. It sounded a bit stilted at places, and the dialogue wasn't stellar either. Not awful, but just average.
THE ENDING
So, the ending. Well, like I said, the end event was sort of weird. I don't know. Awkward. Random. Still, it wasn't awful. I need to be careful here because I don't want to spoil anything, but…it's difficult. I just thought the whole situation was unrealistic and the way it was dealt with, especially this one last thing, really, really, really bothered me. It was just not okay on any level.
WRAPUP
I loved this book, but like I've said, it does have myriad problems and I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone. Still, if you can overlook the faults, then this could probably be a really cute yet suspenseful read for you. It's certainly fun, and I know that some of you will love it. I'll definitely be reading the next book, since I do want to know what happens next.
FINE.
***FINAL RATING: 3.25 RED ROSES***