The Gifting by K.E. Ganshert (Book Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

"If science is right, then I am crazy. And crazy is dangerous."

Tess Eckhart has always felt things nobody else can feel. Then the Ouija board incident happens at a high school party. Her complete freakout sends her family across the country—next to a nationally-renowned facility for the mentally ill. Worried that Tess suffers from the same illness that tormented her grandmother, her parents insist she see a psychiatrist.

But Tess is more concerned about fitting in at her new school, and hiding the fact that she’s seeing a therapist at the Edward Brooks Facility. She’s used to whispers and stares, but when it comes to Luka Williams, a reluctantly popular boy in her class, she’s unused to a stare that intense. Then the headaches start, and the seemingly prophetic dreams that haunt her at night. As Tess tries to hide them, she becomes increasingly convinced that Luka knows something—that he might somehow be responsible.

But what if she’s wrong? What if Luka Williams is the only thing separating her from a madness too terrifying to fathom? 

My thoughts-

Katie Ganshert has written several beautiful books in the contemporary Christian fiction world, but young adult novels are new territory for her. I am impressed at how effortlessly Ganshert can be a voice in both genres, it's like she's two completely different authors. Not only is she a fresh voice in the YA genre, she has woven in other favorite sub-genres (dystopian and paranormal themes) giving the book a bit of extra depth and more meat on it's bones. I am so excited that The Gifting is the first book of a trilogy and even more excited that the second book, The Awakening,  will be available in July! If you like ya and/or paranormal fiction, you will enjoy The Gifting. To me it felt like a cross between the Angel Eyes series by Shannon Dittemore and the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer (only because Luka reminds me of Edward, but in a really good way! There are no vampires or werewolves to be found here). I am excited to see whats in store for Tess in The Awakening!

Broken Wings (Angel Eyes #2) by Shannon Dittemore Book Review

About the book:

Giant angels with metal wings and visible song. A blind demon restored from the pit of darkness. And a girl who has never felt more broken.

Brielle sees the world as it really is: a place where the Celestial exists side by side with human reality. But in the aftermath of a supernatural showdown, her life begins to crumble. Her boyfriend, Jake, is keeping something from her—something important. Her overprotective father has started drinking again. He’s dating a much younger woman who makes Brielle’s skin crawl, and he’s downright hostile toward Jake. Haunting nightmares keep Brielle from sleeping, and flashes of Celestial vision keep her off kilter.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s been targeted. The Prince of Darkness himself has heard of the boy with healing in his hands and of the girl who sees through the Terrestrial Veil. When he plucks the blind demon, Damien, from the fiery chasm and sends him back to Earth with new eyes, the stage is set for a cataclysmic battle of good versus evil.

Then Brielle unearths the truth about her mother’s death and she must question everything she ever thought was true.

Brielle has no choice. She knows evil forces are converging and will soon rain their terror down upon the town of Stratus. She must master the weapons she’s been given. She must fight.

But can she fly with broken wings?

*Disclosure- I was provided a complimentary copy of Broken Wings from the publisher via Book Sneeze. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.
My thoughts:

Last year I feel in love when I was able to debut Shannon Dittemore's debut novel Angel Eyes. I was impressed by the great writing and also the new spin on paranormal fiction featuring angels and demons. I was even more excited to find out that Angel Eyes was to be a trilogy and could barely contain myself waiting for Broken Wings to come out!  That day finally arrived and here I am again impatient for August for the final book in the triology, Dark Halo. I can not wait to see how this series ends!

Broken Wings picks up where Angel Eyes had left off. Main characters Brielle and Jake have graduated from high school and survived some pretty intense stuff (I don't want to be too detailed and spoil the first book for anyone who has yet to read it) In the second novel, Brielle's dad has begun seeing someone new named Olivia, who has Brielle on edge...is it because her dad hasn't been serious with anyone for as long as she can remember and she is jealous or does she have good reason to be weary? Brielle's dad has also become a regular drinker adding more stress to Brielle's already pretty crazy life. The Halo that Jake gave her is not taming her nightmares as they once did. What does this mean? Broken Wings is full of questions and characters and interweaving of stories that I think will be concluded in the final novel of the trilogy. Sometimes the books in the middle of these series can be somewhat boring and drawn out, but not Broken Wings. Dittemere's writing style is just so inviting and addicting. She knows how to keep the reader turning those pages. The writing is so descriptive and vibrant that I constantly keep catching myself thinking I would love to watch this trilogy unfold  in a series of movies. I can only hope that it happens! I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys paranormal fiction or the young adult genre. It will not disappoint.

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