Review-17 & Gone

A few years ago I won an ARC of Nova's first YA novel, Imaginary Girls, and I was just blown away.  I looked at it and thought "if I ever write a book I want it to be like this", so when I saw she had a new book coming out I was frantic to read it.  When I found out it was about missing girls I wanted to read it even more.  Having just finished it I'm not entirely sure what went on the back really spoke to what was inside the book, so I felt like I was going in expecting one thing, and ending up with something different.  That something different isn't a bad something different per say, but it was SO different than I though it would be I was thrown for a major loop at the end.  Now, if you've never read Nova's first YA novel you won't know what I'm talking about, but if you have you'll know what I mean when I say she weaves words in such a way where even the impossible seems possible.  After reading Imaginary Girls I knew what happened in the book could never really happen, but it was written in such a way that I would have believed it if I had seen it, no questions asked.  All of that being said there has got to be something magical about Nova and her writing, because I felt what Lauren felt, and when the end came it was a huge slap in the face.  I can relate to Lauren in some ways, and there were parts of this book that really hit me with the emotion and meaning in them, which can be a very hard thing to do, regardless of what genre you write.  I applaud Nova for her unique style and for venturing into a place not many people dare to go, and although I am not like Lauren in many ways, I felt what she felt when she was feeling it, and I think I understand just a little more.  If I had to put Nova's writing in a category it would have it's own, which I would call "magical realism" because there is really no other way to phrase it that comes close to what she does in this book and her last one.  That was terribly vague, but I don't want to give anything away, so all I can say is this; if you've read Nova's first YA novel check this one out for sure, if you want something different, check out this book AND Nova's first YA novel, and if you were already going to check this book out remember that not everything is what it seems.

Out March 21, 2013

4.5/5 dust spirits

*Thanks to Crystal Perkins for letting me borrow her ARC.