by Shannon Duffy
published by Tribute
2012
ISBN 978-0-09837418-7-9
Why Read?: Review
Challenges: Mystery & Suspense, Debut Author, Horror & Urban Fantasy, Witches & Witchcraft, Paranormal Fantasy, 100 Books in a Year
Shannon Duffy mixes an ancient occult feel with
contemporary romance in her YA paranormal, Spectral.
Jewel Rose has spent her entire life on the
run. Every few months means a new town,
a new school, and a new name. Jewel
thinks her parents are hiding from the mafia, but shortly before her seventeenth
birthday, she learns the truth after moving to the sleepy little town of Ponoma
Park, Florida. Arriving at the same time
as her family is another new student, Roman.
The mysterious and attractive Roman explains to Jewel that she is a spectral,
a special witch who turns seventeen on a summer solstice with a full moon. What makes a spectral so special is that she
is able to assimilate the powers of any other witch if those powers are used on
her. Every coven wants her – either to
use her power or to kill her because of it – and that is part of the reason her
family has been running for so many years.
The other reason is that they kidnapped her for their own coven. Now with Roman’s help, she must find her real
family…but can she trust someone whose coven is out to kill her?
Spectral
is very fun and fast-paced. The pages
fly by as Duffy doles out twist after twist, shaking Jewel’s sense of whom to
trust with each new development. The
only problem is its lack of believability.
Yes, it is a paranormal, and by that definition alone, it is
unrealistic, but there should still be some plausibility. Jewel was a realistic teenager with solid
young adult feelings but the turn her life takes was a tad too fantastic
lacking the by-in that lets a reader suspend their disbelief.
All in all, Spectral
is an engaging YA paranormal romance. I look
forward to more works by Shannon Duffy – especially ones with a hint of the
occult.
Rating: 3/5
