Intrinsical: Book Review

Intrinsical

by Lani Woodland
Pendrell Publishing
2010
Young Adult | Paranormal
Ghost

Sixteen-year-old Yara Silva has always known that ghosts walk alongside the living. Her grandma, like the other females in her family, is a Waker, someone who can see and communicate with ghosts. Yara grew up watching her grandmother taunted and scorned for this unusual ability and doesn't want that to be her future. She has been dreading the day when she too would see ghosts, and is relieved that the usually dominant Waker gene seems to have skipped her, letting her live a normal teenage life. However, all that changes for Yara on her first day at her elite boarding school when she discovers the gene was only lying dormant. She witnesses a dark mist attack Brent, a handsome fellow student, and rushes to his rescue. Her act of heroism draws the mist's attention, and the dark spirit begins stalking her. Yara finds herself entrenched in a sixty-year-old curse that haunts the school, threatening not only her life, but the lives of her closest friends as well. Yara soon realizes that the past she was trying to put behind her isn't going to go quietly.

Moments Divine:
"You're going to have a permanent image of him burned into your retinas if you keep staring at him so hard."
I laughed. "Not a bad way to go blind."

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"I guess you'll do. All the cute guys are already taken," I answered with a grin.
"You wound me with your callousness," he sighed dramatically, taking me in his arms.
"I do have a black belt in demolishing overstuffed egos."

This was a very cute read.  It reminded me very much of Rae of Hope.

Yara was a very believable character.  I loved how the relationship built.  At that age you are prone to over think everything then jump to conclusions.  I do wonder how the relationship will progress after this book.  If when they kiss there is a whirlwind, what happens if it gets less innocent.  Though, I suppose as in real life, the novelty will wear off and curb the excitement.

The story was rather unexpected.  How exactly did the whole dead not dead thing work?  Time travel, magic, or a death probationary period? Maybe the next book will clue us in. The bad guy was very Harry Potter.  All the hands reaching out of his person.  In fact that part was described so well I have a very vivid picture in my head.  I might have even used Voldemort's face for that mental part.  Very sad to see how cancer and guilt warped his mind.  At the same time beware rationalization, it can really take you down some twisted paths.

Brent was a great character.  Much of the time I wanted to smack his smug face. In the end, it was all so much bravado covering up uncertainty. I guess it is good that he got so many chances to try again with Yara and life. Though I wish that he would be a bit less full of himself. When Brent gets mad at Yara for keeping her promise to him is my favorite part of the book. That is just such a classic moment of human nature.  We always seem to have underlying desires and expect people to meet them. 

The romance was very refreshing compared to much in the market now.  The involved parties were very uncertain, jealous, caring, and full of sacrifice.  Sounds like the usual characters but they were mixed a bit differently in this book.