10 September 2011

Review: The Shattering

The Shattering by Karen Healey is a murder mystery with magic. Awesome.

Keri's brother commits suicide and her old friend Janna tells her he didn't kill himself, but was murdered. Keri joins forces with Janna and Sione (whose older brothers were also victims to apparent suicides) and together they try to find answers. As they continue to search, these three teens soon find themselves mixed up in a dark plot that could make them the next victims.

I had the book figured out before reaching the halfway mark and I was tempted to put it down for being predictable, but the characters kept me going. I'm glad I kept on. There came a twist that I wasn't expecting and a revelation that left me, at first, like "oh" and then I realized what it meant and was like "ooooh." And then I felt an emotion of the sad kind. I'm pretty sure my heart broke at the same time as the unnamed character's (unnamed so as not to give spoilers). Otherwise, until that moment, I found the story to have lost its pace. The beginning was awesome, the middle was so-so, and the end was great.

Though I had issues with the story, Healey writes fantastic three-dimensional characters who have faults and redeeming qualities. They're real people; I didn't like them sometimes and I loved them most of the time. I really had fun getting to know Keri, Janna, and Sione.

I don't know how else to describe The Shattering except as "smart." I, myself, don't even know what that means, so translate it as you will. It's not a book for everyone, but maybe for someone who is looking to read something different and doesn't need an action-packed story. I didn't hate the book, but I didn't love it either, so I would ultimately recommend it as a paperback read.

1 comment :

  1. Sounds interesting. I'll check the web asap and try to find 'The Shattering' to add it to my collection of books you can and should read.

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