Scan barcode
A review by missriki
In Place of Never by Julie Anne Lindsey
4.0
This book was an absolutely delightful find. I had no idea what to expect when I requested a review copy, but I was so intrigued by the synopsis and needed a dark, twisty YA in my life like nobody's business. Boy, was I ever pleasantly surprised!
This book has everything I love about a deeply moving and intense mystery, all wrapped up in a darkly atmospheric, richly depicted underworld. In this instance, that underworld is a traveling family of performers who may or may not have the answers to a dark family mystery. I loved Cross and his intriguing "family" of performers in this novel. He's exactly the type of brooding YA lead that I fall for, and I thought the connection between Cross and Mercy was intense and immediate. I loved the slow burn feel of their relation ship. If I had a criticism of the book, it would be that I so wanted more scenes with the performers. It's such an interesting and unusual world, I wanted more.
Mercy is a wonderful lead character with plenty of deep-seated motivation to find out what happened to her older sister. The family dynamics of the book are really well done, and I could really feel Mercy's pain and confusion throughout. I loved seeing her transformation as clues begin to fall into place and she begins to realize that who can and cannot be trusted.
The pacing and plot of this book are impeccable, with a wonderful twisty mystery that kept me guessing until the end. The book is definitely a page-turner. In fact, I read it in one sitting!
I highly recommend this book for and of dark, twisty YA. It's got a deeply intriguing send of setting and a lovely slow burn romance that is sure to delight readers.
This book has everything I love about a deeply moving and intense mystery, all wrapped up in a darkly atmospheric, richly depicted underworld. In this instance, that underworld is a traveling family of performers who may or may not have the answers to a dark family mystery. I loved Cross and his intriguing "family" of performers in this novel. He's exactly the type of brooding YA lead that I fall for, and I thought the connection between Cross and Mercy was intense and immediate. I loved the slow burn feel of their relation ship. If I had a criticism of the book, it would be that I so wanted more scenes with the performers. It's such an interesting and unusual world, I wanted more.
Mercy is a wonderful lead character with plenty of deep-seated motivation to find out what happened to her older sister. The family dynamics of the book are really well done, and I could really feel Mercy's pain and confusion throughout. I loved seeing her transformation as clues begin to fall into place and she begins to realize that who can and cannot be trusted.
The pacing and plot of this book are impeccable, with a wonderful twisty mystery that kept me guessing until the end. The book is definitely a page-turner. In fact, I read it in one sitting!
I highly recommend this book for and of dark, twisty YA. It's got a deeply intriguing send of setting and a lovely slow burn romance that is sure to delight readers.