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!