by H.W. Vivian
Book: Stand Alone
Publisher: Lulu Publishing
Pub Date: March 5 2014
Genre: Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Source: Author
Book Links: Goodreads Amazon
The small town of Winston, Colorado, has a secret-one that hides in its children. Long ago, there were many children who suffered from the local "condition." There are fewer of them now, but Shelby is one of them. She was born with a ruby embedded in her skin. In the same year, two other kids in town, Gary and May, were born with emeralds. Now a teenager, Shelby nurses a crush on Gary, while he sticks close to the fragile May and tries to protect her from, among other things, Shelby's bullying. Despite their differences, however, their births connect them; when May goes missing, Gary needs Shelby's help. Together, Shelby and Gary learn the unspeakable truth about each other-and about the chasers. Death lurks around every turn; in order to survive, Shelby, Gary, and May must work together. It is now their responsibility to save an entire generation of people also born with their "condition" before a century-old grudge destroys them all
My Review: Now this is definitely an unique YA read. Children being hidden and gems embedded in your skin? Something I haven't seen pop up yet and I wish it popped up sooner!
Shelby is a strong character who was probably the best one in the book. Gary and May were good characters, but I just loved Shelby more. All three of them have a connection. They all have gems born in their skin. The only thing is, they don't exactly get along. Gary is protective of May, while Shelby just wants him and is pretty mean to May.
I had my moments where I scream at the book because something was either annoying me or there was a really part. Either way I had more good than bad and was on the edge of my seat wanting to know every little thing that's going to happen next.
I loved the original idea of the gems and how they are connected and need each other. Everything was brought to life perfectly and I couldn't have asked for nicer details. It was just enough for you to know what was going on and yet left you wondering about what more could it be.
I loved this book and hope to read more by this author!
My Rating:
✪✪✪✪
