Release Date: September 20, 2011
Age Group: Young Adult
Received From: Netgalley
IBSN: 9780061996221
Blurb:
“It seemed so right. Danny was mine, I was his, and that wasn’t going to work if he was dead. So I would make him not dead, not anymore. I didn’t think any further than what it would feel like to kiss him again, to wrap my arms around him and bury my head against his shoulder.
That was my first mistake. It also turned out to be the biggest.”

When her boyfriend, Danny, is killed in a car accident, Wren can’t imagine living without him. Wild with grief, she uses the untamed powers she’s inherited to bring him back. But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy she once loved.

Wren has spent four months keeping Danny hidden, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school and somehow, inexplicably, he can sense her secret. Wren finds herself drawn to Gabriel, who is so much more alive than the ghost of the boy she loved. But Wren can’t turn her back on Danny or the choice she made for him—and she realizes she must find a way to make things right, even if it means breaking her own heart.

Amy Garvey’s transcendent teen debut is perfect for fans of Shiver and Beautiful Creatures. Wren’s unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.

To be honest my expectations weren’t very high for this book. The premise sounds intriguing and I love the cover, but I was seeing some mixed reviews about it. That made me a little wary. Those feelings were totally unjustified and it only took me reading a few pages to realize I was going to love this book.

This book isn’t your typical YA paranormal romance. Not at all. It’s a little bit on the darker side and it deals heavily with Wren’s grief and bad decisions. But not so heavily that it’s depressing. Wren’s boyfriend, her first love dies in a car wreak. Wren does what a lot of people would do…if they had the power. She brings him back. But the book is more about her internal struggle to come to terms with his death.

Wren was very fascinating. She was tough, but also a little weak. Not in a bad way. I think most people would do the same exact things in her position. She was very dynamic. She is also very powerful, but the power is kind of subtle. There isn’t a huge amount of significance put on that aspect of the story, but it’s a quiet undercurrent throughout the book.

Danny was creepy. From the get go. He wasn’t the kind of raised from the dead brain eating zombie that you usually encounter (although I hope that you don’t encounter many zombies…). I think he was even eerier than that. This type of…zombie–I really don’t even like using that word for him, it just doesn’t feel right. Let’s say undead, okay? This type of undead is more based of voodoo legends and necromancy, instead of the shambling dead from the horror movies. He was the Danny that Wren knew…but he wasn’t. He was loving and completely devoted to her…until he wasn’t. This book is a very subtle kind of creepy. I loved that.

Amy Garvey’s writing is really fantastic! I loved the prose and just the overall atmosphere she created with her words. I just really loved this book. Can you tell? That just goes to show that I should never let mixed reviews dissuade me and you shouldn’t either. Read this!

On a side note…has anyone heard anything about a sequel? I was really satisfied with the ending and the book can definitely stand alone, but there were a few things that weren’t cleared up. I wouldn’t mind a sequel…