by Clarissa Johal
Book: Stand Alone
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Pub Date: Jan 17 2014
Genre: Young Adult
Format: eBook
Source: Author
Book Links: Goodreads Amazon
The shadows hadn't been waiting. The shadows had been invited.
After a painful breakup, Gwynneth Reese moves in with her best friend and takes a job at a retirement home. She grows especially close to one resident, who dies alone the night of a terrific storm. On the way home from paying her last respects, Gwynneth is caught in another storm and is struck by lightning. She wakes in the hospital with a vague memory of being rescued by a mysterious stranger. Following her release from the hospital, the stranger visits her at will and offers Gwynneth a gift--one that will stay the hands of death. Gwynneth is uncertain whether Julian is a savior or something more sinister... for as he shares more and more of this gift, his price becomes more and more deadly.
My Review: This book grabs you in right away and hold your attention throughout the book. Gwen moves in with a friend and gets a job at a retirement home. Sounds like Gwen has a good and normal life, which is good for her right now. Gwen gets to meet Hannah who is a lovely old woman and they get pretty close. One day Hanna just passes unexpectedly and now things are going to shift.
A storm comes and Gwen is struck by lightening. That alone is scary enough. But how scary is it when you wake up and learn of Julian? Uh he shows her some rather unpleasant things, that well, I wouldn't want to deal with. Seth is her friend and he is kind and protective. How would he or any of her friend feel if she mentioned Julian? Maybe it would send her to the nut house if she talked. Gwen will have to say something before her friends just explode with worry, she can't just sit there doing nothing. Gwen isn't as open as I would have liked, so it left her friends out and I wish she would have given them more. Though it all somehow worked and didn't change how I thought of the book.
The darkness Gwen faces is difficult and it will win if she doesn't do anything about it. It was the type of darkness I don't typically read, and yet I couldn't put the book down. It was something that grabbed your interest and made you go on until you had nothing left to read. Plus even after being able to go home, Gwen isn't free of this darkness. Her little buddy still comes around and won't just stop because she is home. So he offers her something. Gwen has no idea what she will do. Is he good? Or is he just playing a mean trick?
I so loved this book and didn't put it down until the very end. I really wish there was something after this book. It just needs to be continued and give me some more Gwen. These characters were written really well and the overall story flowed just right and it knew when to really grab you. This is something different for me to read and I actually liked it! Which is great because I can be picky of new reads! So everyone should give this book a chance, something different can be a good thing.
I hope to read more books from Clarissa!
My Rating:
✪✪✪✪✪
