It wasn’t the best, but then again I did read it when I was 11 so maybe it just didn’t hit me like it should’ve, but I won’t be reading it again. ( )

where to start with this book....well first off we watched the movie and we loved it. If you even remotely found the movie interesting the book will blow you away. I can see why certain things were not in the movie...but they added so much more content....and their should be a warning on the book because I couldn't put it down. It took 3 days...with a few very very late nights reading.

Thank god I'm done because now I need to get some sleep. it's that good. ( )

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.
( )