Couldn't get into this one at all. At first I thought it was just because I am too old but I've talked to several teen and young women who were equally disappointed. ( )

By page 102, I didn't care about any of the characters or the story so gave up. I'm sure it's a good book but doesn't seem to be for me. ( )

3.5 stars for the book, 3 stars for this audiobook edition.

This is basically a retelling of Romeo and Juliet with a young adult paranormal twist. The South Carolina setting was well done and reminded me of my years living in the South; the "mortal" teenage world of school & cliques rings true. The tradition of southern literature includes eccentric characters & these people allowed the possibility of the paranormal existing in the community unnoticed to be more understandable.

As all teens do, Ethan and Lena struggle with questions of identity but in their case there is an added urgency. Lena is a "Caster" whose fate as either good or evil will be decided on her 16th birthday. Ethan is a mortal -- will their love be strong enough to bridge the gap between their two worlds? In keeping with the Romeo & Juliet story, not only do the two sides disapprove of the relationship but there is even a tragic death near the end. However, this is where the twist comes in -- as this is a young adult paranormal story, it doesn't have Shakespeare's tragic ending of both lovers dying. In this case, Lena casts a spell to revive Ethan so they can have the happy-ever-after ending. And, of course, a sequel...

I found the main narrator, Kevin T. Collins, very good & his accent was perfect. However, I did not care for the added sound effects, especially the music which sometimes overwhelmed the lyrics so much that I could barely hear them.
( )

Awesome!! I couldn't put it down. The movie was terrible though! ( )

Oh, this book. This book and I are still talking. I watched the preview before I read this book, but after I'd picked up my copy after listening to Casey J Tuck and Laura talk about it. And the POV of this book best stay the same for the movie as it is for the book, but it means so much and I agree with Laura in that you never expected it to be the boy. But it's so perfect.

The slow revelation, and the dip in. The hints for historical things we haven't even gotten into yet, that will be coming. The completely different sides in every era of fate. The high school stuff and the way it almost doesn't matter. My applause for handling the awkward parts of people hearing all your thoughts and feelings, and how people are not always glorious in their reactions.

I'm in love with so many characters, so many powers, the whole library/both libraries/Marian the Librarian. I want to know so much and I can't wait to delve into the next books in this series either. (Which is going to wait for next week, as there were only two books this week due to being sick on two and half of those days and booked entirely this weekend. But more soon, my dears!) ( )