AURACLE by Gina Rosati: Book Review and Giveaway

By: Gina Rosati

Published by: Roaring Book Press/ MacTeen

Released on: August 7th, 2012

Source: ARC from author to review

4.5 Stars: I Really Enjoyed It!

Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

16 year old Anna Rogan has a secret she's only shared with her best friend, Rei; she can astrally project out of her body, allowing her spirit to explore the world and the far reaches of the universe.

When there's a fatal accident and her classmate Taylor takes over Anna's body, what was an exhilarating distraction from her repressive home life threatens to become a permanent state. Faced with a future trapped in another dimension, Anna turns to Rei for help. Now the two of them must find a way to get Anna back into her body and stop Taylor from accusing an innocent friend of murder. Together Anna and Rei form a plan but it doesn't take into account the deeper feelings that are beginning to grow between them -quoted from Goodreads

What an exciting blend of paranormal elements, suspense, romance, and plenty of action packed moments. AURACLE is a breath of fresh air and a book I thoroughly enjoyed spending time reading.  I've read little books that have astral projection, and I what Gina introduced me was both intriguing and mesmerizing. 

One of the things I loved about this book was the fact that Gina explains Anna's ability to astral project. She made it so I not only understand how Anna was able to do this, but she created this whole different world where Anna went, what it was like, and what she did there. It was completely believable to me, and I loved the way Gina developed this part of her story. It's not something she mentions once, and then moves forward with the story. Instead Anna's ability plays a huge role in what happens in this exciting plot line, and the further I got into the story the more I learned about all she can do. I liked seeing all the pros and cons to have this talent/gift that Anna has.

Character wise, wow, I was a bit surprised with how much I loved Anna. This girl is witty, brought the humor to the book's more dramatic moments, and she's someone who I came to admire. She's a very strong girl who's trying to rise above all that she has to deal with at home. With an alcoholic father, and a mother who's often gone, Gina made it incredibly easy for me to sympathize with Anna. With that, she also allowed me to understand why Anna used her ability to escape her home life, even though her best friend Rei was so adamant she not do so, so often. Gina's realistic portrayal of Anna's dysfunctional family life truly was heartbreaking to read about, and made me that much more relieved she had Rei in her life. 

Oh the romance. Seriously, I loved what developed between Rei and Anna. These two bring out the snark, witty come backs and that sigh worthy character chemistry. You know the one I'm talking about. It's the, "we've been friends since we were toddlers, boy next door, we do everything together, but now all the sudden I've noticed how hot you are and though we've never talked about it's obvious we both are falling for each other even though everyone else things we're already secretly dating, and we're perfect for each other and confide in each other about almost everything and I know you're always there for me" kind of relationship. It was was developed perfectly, complete with the back story of how they became friends, and why Rei, Anna and their best friend Seth are still just as close now as they were when they were kids. I loved it. Their relationship was solid and had substance. I wasn't just told about it, Gina showed me their relationship through the way she wrote about it. 

Oh Rei! Really, many of us will be wishing we grew up next door or lived a few houses down from a Rei when we were teens, and if you are a teen, then hopefully you'll have a Rei who lives close to you. This boy isn't just hot as Anna says he is, he's sincere, real, down to earth and just one of those all around amazing guys. He is the type of boy us moms want our daughters to bring home. Oh crap, did I just say that out loud!? Okay, yes he's hot, he's a guy and I'm sure he can be a little um naughty, but he's not in this book. He's supportive, protective, smart, athletic, intelligent, loyal, and a character I completely loved getting to know. The relationship and chemistry Anna and Rei have is oh so refreshing, and exciting. It's one I think many YA readers are going to love. 

With AURACLE, Gina gave me a solid story line, a lovely romance, unforgettable characters, and she did an amazing job with her world building. I also liked how the different family roles all played a huge part in the type of characters Anna, Rei, Seth and even the villain, Taylor are. It was wonderful to get to understand each of them in their own way and own time. And oh how I love this cover and the significance is has with the story. This cover fits this book perfectly! That's all I can say about it without giving anything away. I definitely recommend picking this book up today!

********

The giveaway: Thank you to Gina, I have a SIGNED ARC of AURACLE, and two goodie bags (both are filled with a signed book mark, a button, magnet and bracelet) to giveaway. The 1st winner will receive the signed ARC and the goody bag, and the 2nd winner will receive the goody bag. The 1 goody bag giveaway is open internationally. 

To enter, please fill out this form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway