Monday, March 7, 2011

Haven / Kristi Cook / 401p

When Violet McKenna's step-mom decides to take a  job in NYC, it's up to Violet to either stay with her aging grandmother in Atlanta or move to New York...and pick a boarding school there.  When Violet sees the brochure for Winterhaven, she's inexplicably drawn to the school and chooses it instantly.  At Winterhaven, the reader is introduced to a cast of characters with special gifts, including Aidan--the ultra-hot boy that everyone loves but no one can seem to "get."  Well, apparently, he was just waiting for the right girl--Violet.  The novel follow's Violet, Aidan, and her friends through a seemingly ordinary high school boarding school existence..until it suddenly becomes not quite so normal.

Cook is a new YA author for 2011 and I'd say that she's debuted on quite a good note. This story really had it all--a solid plot, a cast of likable characters, a swoon-worthy love-interest, and a little life-death action on the side. While I'll be the first to admit that Cook's story wasn't overly original, I thought she did a good job making it her own and adding enough twists to make it interesting.  It was definitely a well-written storyline that pulled me in.  It was a read that I simply couldn't put down once I started. (Ask my husband. I think he was a tad annoyed.)  A lot of comparisons have been made to other recent YA novels (ones that I myself drew as I started the book) but it really does stand on its own.

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