Thursday, January 9, 2014

Book Review: Neverwas

Neverwas  (Amber House, #2)Author: Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, & Larkin Reed
Publication Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books / Scholastic Press
Series: The Amber House Trilogy # 2

At the end of AMBER HOUSE, Sarah made a choice that transformed everything--and now she must choose it all again.

"I was sixteen the second time I had my first kiss...."

After growing up in the free country of the Pacific Northwest, Sarah Parsons has settled in at Amber House, the stately Maryland home that's been in her family for generations. But the world surrounding the House feels deeply wrong to Sarah. It's a place where the colonists lost the 1776 Insurrection, where the American Confederation of States still struggles with segregation, and where Sarah is haunted by echoes of a better world that she knows never existed.

Her friend Jackson shares these visions of a different world--and together, they manage both to remember the way things ought to be, and to plan a daring mission that will reset the universe once again. It will involve objects from the past, knowledge of the future, a leap into the unknown ... and in the end, a sacrifice Sarah never imagined.


My mom had told me when I was small not to pay attention to the house’s “creepies,” as she called them.

I was sixteen the second time I had my first kiss.

Maybe we all have more than one first kiss – maybe an infinite number – and we just don’t remember. First kisses. First loves. First sorrows. Until we get it right. Until we become who we were meant to be.

Seek the point where past and future meet.

I fell in love with the first book in this series, The Amber House, and I must admit that I was a little scared to pick up the sequel because often times I find that they never do the first book justice. I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading this book because it picked up ultimately right where the last one left off and the suspense, creepy twists and turns have gotten even better the second time around. We pick back up with the same loveable characters, some more creepy and mysterious than others, and we are off on another mystery provided to us by these three talented authors!

The plot, while being already intricate in the first book, became even more so in the second installment in this trilogy. While reading the first book, which I read in October of 2012, I could literally feel eerie chills go up my spine and the hairs stand up on my arms. The authors have really put together a story that is suspenseful and will have you squinting your eyes around every turn. That is the beauty of Amber House; you just never really know what is waiting down the long, dark hallways.

Sarah’s family and the idea of family plays a really big part in this novel. I especially liked that there was a family tree provided in the front of this book and I was able to learn even more about some of Sarah’s ancestors and their past. I love that I am able to discover new secrets and truths right alongside Sarah because I believe she is an awesome storyteller and her voice really adds the finishing touches on an already amazing plot line!

***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Arthur A. Levine Books in exchange for my honest review***




1 comment:

  1. I've seen The Amber House on the shelf at the bookstore and I'm always tempted to grab it. Knowing that it's got a creepy vibes, and that the sequel is just as good definitely makes me more interested in picking up a copy!

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