Review: Spectral by Shannon Duffy

Title: Spectral 

Author: Shannon Duffy

Publisher:  Tribute Books
Publishing Date: April 10th 2012

Pages: 242
Genre:  YA Paranormal Mystery

Series: Stand Alone
Source: Ebook

  

Convinced she’s a part of the witness protection program, sixteen-year-old Jewel Rose is shuffled around the globe with her family like a pack of traveling gypsies. After arriving at lucky home twenty-seven, she stumbles upon a mysterious boy with magical powers claiming to be her guardian... and warning of imminent danger. Despite the obvious sparks between them, Jewel discovers a relationship is forbidden, and the more she learns about dark, brooding Roman, she begins to question who she can even believe—the family who raised her, or the supposed sworn protector who claims they’ve been lying to her all along.

As she struggles to uncover who her family has really been running from, she is forced to hide her birthmark that reveals who she is. With new realities surfacing, unexplained powers appearing, and two tempting boys vying for her heart, Jewel battles to learn who she can trust in an ever growing sea of lies, hoping she’ll make it through her seventeenth birthday alive. 

I wanted to read this book from the moment I saw the cover and read the summary. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and the summary is very intriguing. I was not disappointed at all. The story was very exciting and kept me captivated from the beginning. It is filled with mystery, suspense, and romance. This was a definite page turner for me.

The story revolves around Jewel and the her family. Ever since she can remember her family has been on the run without an answer to why. On her latest move she overhears a conversation about herself and meets a mysterious boy who both led to Jewel searching for answers to her past and present. What Jewel discovers is family secrets that will change her life drastically. 

I really liked Jewel. She started off meek and obedient. She never questioned her life. She had a great amount of loyalty to the ones that she loved, especially her little brother. She learned to be brave, strong, and independent. I enjoyed watching her grow through the story. She was easy to relate to and I was very happy to see her kick some butt.

I found the relationship between Jewel and her family refreshing. Jewel was very loyal to her family and attempted to keep that loyalty even after she discovered a deeply hidden family secret. I enjoyed the friendships and the romance of the book too. The romance was a little too quick for me and I would have liked to have seen it built slower and deeper but it was still sweet. 

I also found the story enjoyable as a mystery. I didn't get what was going on throughout the story but never felt lost. When things started to slowly be revealed I felt surprised but also felt that everything fit pretty well together. It made sense to me. 

The writing was easy and smooth, the pacing was good. It was an all around good read.