Review: Anomaly by Tonya Kuper

Book Blurb: Reality is only an illusion. Except for those who can control it… Worst. Birthday. Ever. My first boyfriend dumped me—happy birthday, Josie!—my dad is who knows where, I have some weird virus that makes me want to hurl, and now my ex is licking another girl’s tonsils. Oh, and I’m officially the same age as my brother was when he died. Yeah, today is about as fun-filled as the swamps of Dagobah. But then weird things start happening… Like I make something materialize just by thinking about it. When hottily-hot badass Reid Wentworth shows up on a motorcycle, everything changes. Like, everything. Who I am. My family. What really happened to my brother. Existence. I am Oculi, and I have the ability to change reality with my thoughts. Now Reid, in all his hotness, is charged with guiding and protecting me as I begin learning how to bend reality. And he’s the only thing standing between me and the secret organization that wants me dead… My Review: 4 out of 5 Stars

Genre: Supernatural. Josie is trying to have a normal 17th birthday when a guy drives up to her school and throws her world on its head. She just so happens to be an Anomaly, a person who can create and remove objects with just a single thought. There is a secret war brewing and Josie is a pawn right in the middle. She can learn to fight or be a casualty. I really liked this book. It was an incredibly unique concept that I have never read about before and there was enough humor, action, nerd/science info and romance to make every aspect of me happy. I was a little surprised how dark the book was with multiple murders and covering up death, but it went into the story well, just a disclaimer for those who want a light fluffy book. Josie was a really strong character that I completely connected with. She was strong and resilient, both from personality and upbringing. There were so many scenarios where I would have understood if she wanted to have a break down, but she never did. When something new and terrible was thrown at her, she took the info and processed it in her science brain and moved on. And there were some pretty terrible things she discovered during the book, about herself, parents and brother, as well as Reid’s real purpose. Her obsession with comic books and quotes was probably my favorite part of Josie, particularly when she made Reid into Thor. I can understand the attraction, personally. Her Thor sheets and fun t-shirts made me snicker. She may be a 17 year old girl, but her interest ran close to that of a 10 year old boys. What a freaking role model compared to all the delicate flower types in a lot of stories who need a man to save her. And yes, there is a man in this story who does just so happen to save Josie a time or two, but that was just because she didn’t know what she was capable of yet. Reid. He was so dreamy. I loved that he had a secret past with Josie where he knew everything important to her, yet she had no idea of who he was or the sacrifices he made for her. Reid does a pretty dang good job of being a good hero. And yes he rides a bike and is a tough guy, but he doesn’t do the bad boy thing, instead just a straight shooter who really wants the best for Josie. Let me just say the ending was a wild ride that I did not see coming. Josie’s mom has her reasons, but she is still kind of a jerk in my opinion. And the traitor was a shock that threw me for a loop. There are so many things I want to learn about that I really hope there is another book to come. I blew through the story because I absolutely loved it and would recommend it to anyone who likes action and sci-fi stuff. I would re-read this book and I look forward to more from the author. I received this title from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.