Review: 44 by Jools Sinclair

I have a confession to make. I am not a Young Adult fiction reader. After my youngest daughter got past the lower age threshold for young adult fiction, I didn't pick up a YA book again.

Until I started reading ebooks.

Ebooks Changed Things

A couple of years ago when I got my Kindle, I was hooked by some free books that turned out to be young adult fiction. I enjoyed them immensely. I was surprised by how sophisticated and hip they were, yet still intelligent and enjoyable for an older audience that doesn't use the word "like" every 15 seconds.

After I finished my analysis of the ebook market, I started shopping for books strictly by the Product Description. To my surprise, I found a lot of the books with intriguing premises were YA. I loved Bella Street's books. She's got the entire series now as a boxed set: Apocalypse Babes: The Complete Series for only $4.99 for the entire 6-book series. Now that's a bargain!

The last YA book I read was 44 by Jools Sinclair, and it was so compelling that I immediately bought the second book in her series. I haven't had time to start it yet. Since I'm in-between wedding errands today, I thought I'd give you a quick review of 44.

About the Book

This book has an amazing 172 reviews with 136 of them 4 and 5-star reviews. I'm sure the author doesn't need my two-cents, but I'm giving it anyway. *g*

When the book opens, the reader may think that this is just another teen angst story albeit the heroine has more than the usual real reasons for being emotional. You see, seventeen-year-old Abby Craig fell through the ice a year before the story begins, and she drowned.

With her sister, and guardian, weeping over her body in the ER, she somehow returned to life. But she's not the same Abby. She's lost bits and pieces of herself.

Even though, as I read, I was thinking "this is just another teen book," I couldn't quit reading. The author draws you in with a quietness made suspect by the dawning suspicion that something just isn't right. When Abby begins having visions, you know your suspicions aren't groundless.

That's all I'll tell you. In fact, if you want this book, don't even read the Product Description or the other reviews. Don't let anything take the edge off the story and spoil the surprise at the end.

Actually, that's one of my pet peeves with the way movies, TV shows, and books are marketed now. Everything is revealed either in the trailers or the online comments and reviews. I like to be surprised. I have to admit that 44 surprised me.

Well done, Jools Sinclair. Well done.

Takeaway Truth

Branch out and read other genres. You may find some incredible books.