4.5 stars

Check it out: https://anisabookreviews.wordpress.com/2017/07/28/sparked-by-helena-echlin/

A Persian legend, an ancient prophecy, predicts the unveiling of evil when the lunar eclipse occurs on All Hollow's Eve. Jasper has been on a crusade in search of the four powers that can stop the legend's destiny. Can they all be found in time before the lunar eclipse on Thursday, the day when the barrier between the dead and the living is opened wide?

Wow! What a concept with great execution. If you love YA fantasy, paranormal, with a touch of sci-fi chocked full of telekenesis, shape-shifters and a hint of mind bend, then Sparked is your next novel.

And Laurel will capture your heart!

Ivy has a habit of sneaking out at night from the trailer. But this night was different. The door was wide open and swinging in the rain. He favorite jacket left on the hanger in the closet. A piece of paper was left behind. A note from Ivy detailing her whereabouts and her return on Halloween for her sister's birthday. But the tiny unique signifier is not by her name. A star. Laurel has a strong feeling that there is more than meets the eye, about her sister disappearance, and of those around her, including her new crush Jasper. She begins to have horrific recurring dreams about Ivy, so real that Laurel sees her and her captor. And she sees Ivy cultivating a new power. Laurel joins forces with Jasper, a high school mate, who aides her search for her sister while helping her to discover her unique "spark" and its role in a dark prophecy.

The tale starts on a Friday and ends on the following Friday, after Halloween. Although told from 3 points of view, the story is narrated mostly by Laurel. The plot unfolds quickly, engaging the readers until the last page. The premise behind the plot is based on an ancient Zoroastrian prophecy and four "powers" who must "freely link" to stop the rise of evil in Cascade. The powers are supernatural, and slowly the main characters are experiencing strange things that are both wonderful and frightening. As Thursday quickly approaches we rally nervously behind the unlikely teenage allies in the hopes to prevent evil's ugly head from being revealed.

The characters in the story have detailed backstories and emotional interactions which make them engaging. The intriguing story of the Goodwins gives us a glimpse into a family that has always struggled to make it day by day. Ivy and Lareul are teenage sisters close in age. After a brief stint in foster care as a result of neglect, the girls are determined to do and live anywhere to keep the family together. Mei's story in also heart-wrenching, a desire to know her family from China. She was left at a train station as an infant, with only a note attached. Jasper's backstory is revealed late in the novel and is fascinating and ties the whole story together.

Echlin takes you on an emotional journey through eyes of a teenager and the tumultuous era of peer-pressure and sexual navigation. Laurel thinks she is not as attractive or as intelligent as her sister. But she feels the pangs of a crush for Jasper, a handsome boy whom everyone wants. And he only sees Laurel. I enjoyed Laural as a sister, unwilling to let anyone stop her from finding her sister. Her fear and tenacity are palpable. Her relentlessness may be her real super power. Mei and Peyton are "mean girls, " but they too are wearing a mask that hides the insecurity and vulnerability of teenage life.

Minor criticisms of this novel is that the prose lacked fluidity and imagery. The narrative, told by Laurel was chopped up intermittently by Mei and Peyton's point of view. The story also felt slightly plot driven with less attention to the stage. Although the characters were three dimensional, I found that the author did not take the time describing the scenery for the supernatural story.

Echlin does delivers suspense combined with fantasy in her new novel "Sparked." This quick paced entertaining read was one of my first YA paranormal thrillers, and I am hoping there is a sequel.

Thank you, NetGalley, Inkshares and Helena Echlin for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5
<i>I received this E-ARC via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.</i>

The description of this book had me thinking one of two things - it's either going to be really good or it was going to utterly flop. The book did not disappoint. Although it took a little while to really amp up and get going, I didn't find myself bored in the beginning stages of the story. There were tidbits about Laurel that I didn't even realize were going to come into play in the story until it was happening, maybe because I read it late at night or just because I didn't make connections. I love it when stories have just enough interest to keep me from connecting the dots though. The ending though! Oh god, the ending. It left me wanting so much more - and I don't even know if there's a sequel that is planned, but I really hope there is because I'm dying to know what happened. I loved all of the characters and development - don't judge a book by it's cover and all. There's a few things I would like to know more about details in the story - just because I'm kind of curious from Jasper's side of it and everything. But even that's just minor and me trying to nitpick something I would want more of, outside of knowing what happens. The story is wonderful, well written, development is great.

I received an advance copy of this via Netgalley and Geek & Sundry in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't what I expected at all. I figured it might have something to do with an element in YA fiction because I was reminded of The Craft while I was reading (which isn't a bad comparison but rather interesting), but the vibe of the overall book was something that I really loved. Short to avoid spoilers but I definitely loved the mystery aspect of the main character looking for her sister and the love story was a nice touch amongst the twists in the book that I didn't see coming. Hoping for a sequel.

I got this novel from netgalley for an honest review and I have to say I am so glad I found this novel. It was stunning. I didn't realize it was fantasy until I started reading this and I was so happy. I love a good mystery fantasy novel and this is IT!

Grab a copy, sit down, and enjoy the ride. You'll love it!!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Spoiler warning just incase.
Laurel is a 15 year old girl who wakes one morning to find her sister, Ivy, missing from their shared bedroom in their trailer, over the course of the next week she does everything she can to find her, not believing her sister took off in the night as everyone else does. As she searches, she discovers some strange things happening in her small town.
I started this book after not completely reading the description, so I went into it expecting a thriller, so the supernatural element was a surprise to me. I liked it, the book caught me off guard, making me question what I had read, but in a good way. I really liked Laurel, seeing her relationship with the other characters grow. I liked the turn with Peyton, mean girl turned ally, even if I felt everything happening in the space of a week was pretty unbelievable (supernatural elements as well obviously). I liked the character of Jasper, again, falling in love in less than a week aside, I liked his back story and the relationship he has with Laurel. There was a few twists, I won't go into too much detail about the plot, as I don't want to ruin it for anyone interested in reading it for themselves, but they kept my attention, leaving me desperate to know what was going to happen next. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in thriller/supernatural.

4/5 stars