Review: Arcadia's Gift

Arcadia's Gift by Jesi Lea Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a beautiful read. It gave me the YA goodness I love, some gritty grief-filled pages, a healthy dash of teenage romance, and an interesting paranormal twist. I am already in love with Cady and have only read book 1 in the series.

Cady has just lost her twin sister in a most horrible way. While her sister was dying, Cady was thrown into a coma brought on by actually experiencing the horror her sister was going through. She dismisses it as trauma and pushes it to the back of her mind in order to handle the reality of her sister's death. I have to say, the descriptions of the funeral, Cady's feelings, her family's strain - if you've ever gone through losing a loved one, this will bring all of the emotions right back for you. The descriptions were very real and very moving. Cady truly struggles to find a way to move forward and even get back to school until she connects with Bryan. He's a friend she just made prior to the "incident" and he is the only one who can truly know what she's going through. These two have an instant connection that gives you all sorts of YA-ooey-gooey feelings.

Oh, and aside from the drama of losing a sister, handling her family falling apart, and having a crush, Cady is also struggling to handle an overload of emotions anytime she gets near anyone. While we only start to see the beginnings of what could be a colossal power, even that glimpse is enough to wonder what's in store for the future of Cady and her complicated world. This book was certainly only the start of her journey and I eagerly look forward to diving into book 2!

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