Review: Emerald City

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Author: Alicia K. Leppert

Olivia Tate is a broken shell of a girl haunted by the tragic events that fill her past. She has closed herself off from the world, each day grasping at something—anything—to live for. Convinced there will never be a way out, she seeks solace in the depths of her medicine cabinet. When she wakes up days later in the hospital she is introduced to Jude, the quiet stranger responsible for saving her life. She never could have guessed then that her mysterious rescuer would end up saving her life a second time, while simultaneously turning her world upside down.

BOOK REVIEW:

Emerald City is an intense and gripping story about a girl who started living her life by attempting to end it. Her will to live was restored when a kind and understanding stranger entered her life by saving it. Soon, she found herself falling for this person. But secrets and uncertainties plagued Olivia's mind. She couldn't handle another loss, not when she just started to pick up the pieces together.

The first few chapters of this novel contained a lot of painful emotions - grief, loneliness, rejection, and hopelessness. I was surprised at how the story affected me in so many different levels.

The main character's traumatic experiences were enough for me to sympathized with her. It's hard to battle with your own personal demons when nobody is at your side.

It was obvious to me from the start that there would be character development. And I wasn't dissappointed. It was written very well. Olivia showed courage and determination. She made things happened, she didn't sit back and wallowed in her own misery. When the love of her life left her, she made effort to go out with a friend and genuinely enjoyed it. She continued to live her second life. She's no Bella. This is Twilight done right (sorry, couldn't help myself).



I really admired the author's used of metaphors. Metaphors can either make your novel look great or bring it down. In this case, it made the novel shine more.

"When she reached me, she smiled, the most beautiful smile that made me think of sunshine and fuzzy blankets and warm pie with ice cream melting over the top. It was impossible not to smile back."

It's hard to dislike any elements of this book. But one thing that I did not fully enjoy was the paranormal aspect. The novel invested too much on the psychological and emotional aspect that when the paranormal stuff started to unveil itself, I was like... umm, okay. I didn't really care much on the supernatural aspect of the story.


RATING:

Overall, this has been a great read and an amazing experience. Alicia K. Leppert is an author to watch out for. There is no doubt in my mind that I will read her future works.


I received an ARC of "Emerald City" via NetGalley -- to be published by Cedar Fort Inc on 04/09/12.