Spectral by Shannon Duffy

This is a book I got from a friend, she told me to read it and write a review for her blog. So here’s my take for my personal files.

Jewel is not the typical teen, there’s a web of lies around her and she’s forced to hide and change cities. She’s never long enough in any place to make friends or any kind of relationship until her family moves to Pomona Park. Then, suddenly she makes friends and has two suitors, Chase and the mysterious Roman.

When Roman appears in the story, we’re introduced to the first supernatural facts and suddenly it all starts escalating. Jewel’s life is in danger and it’s difficult to tell who’s on her side and who’s the enemy.

What I liked: The plot is an interesting mix of witch elements, and it’s never too easy to anticipate the next twist in the story. The secondary characters are well developed and add to the plot without losing focus in our tortured little witch.

What I didn’t like: The way the two main characters get together. Personally I’d have liked them to get to know each other a bit more before they declared they’re undying love. Especially on Roman’s side, he seems too eager to betray just to be on the side of a girl he just met.

Overall, it’s a good supernatural YA story, with interesting and not overly used ingredients, which is refreshing. So far, it also completes the plot in only one book, another thing that’s not so common nowadays. Good stand alone for now, not sure if we’ll see a sequel sometime in the future.