Friday, September 13, 2013

Review: 17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma


17 & Gone

Title: 17 & Gone
Author: Nova Ren Suma
Publisher: 
 Dutton Juvenile 
Publishing Date: March 21st  2013
Pages: 354
Genre:  YA Psycological Thriller
Series:  Stand Alone
Source: Hardcover



  


 Seventeen-year-old Lauren is having visions of girls who have gone missing. And all these girls have just one thing in common—they are 17 and gone without a trace. As Lauren struggles to shake these waking nightmares, impossible questions demand urgent answers: Why are the girls speaking to Lauren? How can she help them? And… is she next? As Lauren searches for clues, everything begins to unravel, and when a brush with death lands her in the hospital, a shocking truth emerges, changing everything.

With complexity and richness, Nova Ren Suma serves up a beautiful, visual, fresh interpretation of what it means to be lost.






I waited a while to read this book. I had started it then I was sidetracked but some other books. I finally made my way back to this book and once I started it again, I couldn’t put it down. A very intense read with a pretty creep vibe. I loved the main character even though she was hard to relate to (will explain in my thoughts). I loved the mystery and I loved the writing style. Everything fit together just perfectly to make an awesome psychological thriller.



Lauren is 17 and on her 17th birthday something happened. She started to see and hear missing 17 year old girls. What started out as nightmares has grown into something more and its getting worse. Lauren feels a real pull to one particular girl that has been missing for a bit and she is positive is still living. She knows this of course because she was told so by the missing girl. Lauren embarks on a wild adventure uncovering clues to solve the mystery and save this girl. Lauren never expected for the clues to lead her where they do.




I really enjoyed this read. I was deep into by the end, and even though it was a bit predictable for me at times and I figured out the ending it was a great journey for Lauren. I was able to watch and participate. I love Nova Ren Suma. I have only read one other book by her but I know I will continue to read her books. There is something about her writing that is honest, eerie, and very thought provoking. Her stories aren’t just stories but a journey through the darkness. She writes with real intensity that keeps me up at night thinking way beyond the sentence that I read.

This book really only contained one character told in first person. There were other minor characters that played a huge role in the story, but they just didn’t appear much. Iiked Lauren. She was very hard to relate to but that was because she was living with the voices of other girls. I was able to connect with the other girls more than with Lauren. I am pretty sure I was meant to feel this way and it works very well for this story. At beginning Lauren was off a bit, as the story went on I could see her slipping more into an obsession then real life and it hurt to watch. I wanted to shake her and let her know she must stop chasing after these girls before she gets hurt. Of course I knew what I was talking about but Lauren did not. The story isn’t about growth but about discovery and truth and it was just awesome. I loved standing by (not quietly but yelling) as Lauren discovered and learned.

There was so much in this story that I just can’t talk about. I really would love to go more into the story but I can’t. I can say that it is a very gripping read that drug me in so deep I thought about it when I wasn’t reading it. It moved me and made me feel a variety of emotions. The beginning was a bit slow for me. It wasn’t until half way that I really got into the story but it was well worth the wait.




Beautiful and haunting….








1 comment:

  1. I think I'd like to read something by this author, not because of what she writes but how she writes - you make her books sound like something haunting, special, worthwhile. I'll keep this title in ming anyway when I try and make a decision about which book to start with. Lovely review!

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