Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Review: The Truth Spell (Werewolf High #1) by Anita Oh

Book Blurb:

As soon as I stepped onto the grounds of Amaris High, I knew I'd made a big mistake. I could never fit in at such a snobbish school – I was more IT girl than "it girl". But then I saw him.

Sam Spencer. My childhood best friend. But it couldn't be. Sam Spencer had died three years ago, on the night that changed everything. I need to know what happened, why he's suddenly not dead and is hanging out with a bunch of rich kids.

When the school is hit by a truth spell, it seems like the perfect chance to find out what Sam and his creepy new friends are hiding, but the weirder things get, the less I'm sure I want to know. Even for Sam, even for the free food, Amaris High might be more trouble than it's worth.

My Review:

4 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Mystery, Supernatural, Teen, Werewolves, Witches--

Lucy had had a hard life, struggling to make ends meet financially and take care of her three younger brothers and sick mother. When she is given a scholarship to a fancy high school, she takes the chance to be one less mouth to fee. Her excitement about going to the school lessens when she ends up making enemies with the wrong person. On top of that, she keeps seeing someone from her past who can't be there and the students all start behaving strangely. Lucy is determined to get to the bottom of her strange new life.

Any book that mentions Narwhals gets my immediate approval, to be perfectly honest. Now that I got that off my chest, I can say that I really enjoyed this story. It was a very quick read at only 130ish pages, easy to blow through in a sitting or so. The story was a nice mix of realistic teen drama and antics with some supernatural flare and mystery thrown in, with a strong female character as the main character.

Lucy was really in a tough situation. Her initial excitement disappeared when faced with the never ending problems that she faced, mainly in the form of bullying. Yet she kept on going with little to no complaint. I liked her backbone and gumption, as well as the very analytical and realistic approach she took for everything. My favorite part of the book was her internal monologues, where her snark and randomness took the forefront of the story and kept me highly invested in her well being. I love a good tangent, and she provided me with many entertaining ones despite the circumstances she faced. Oh and her irrational love of food was hysterical. I guess you don't appreciate something like someone who doesn't have it at all.

The one negative I had with the story was I felt like Lucy should be older than a freshman in high school. She acts and thinks like an older person and has been supporting her family financially for years and has all this trauma from her missing friend, yet is practically a baby. I was 14 when I was a freshman, and her age is never listed, so I have a hard time thinking of her in any potentially romantic situations and having such strong feelings for a boy when she was 11. Ehhh, not feeling it. I wish she had been like 16, that I would have found perfectly believable.

Overall it was a solid first book in a new teen paranormal series. I would like to read the second book when it comes out as well as check out more by this author.

Review copy provided by YA Bound Book Tours in return for my honest review

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