Betwixt Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

 

Betwixt

Author: Melissa Pearl

Genre: YA Contemporary/Fantasy

Release Date: November 5, 2012

Description:

Beautiful, wild-child Nicole Tepper is hit by a car and left for dead. But when she wakes the next morning, Nicole finds herself in bed without a scratch. Perhaps she was more intoxicated than usual, as her mother is giving her the silent treatment and her friends are ignoring her as well.

Things take a turn for the weird when Nicole soon discovers she is actually hovering between life and death. Her body is lying in the forest while her spirit is searching for anyone who can hear her. Unfortunately the only person who can is Dale Finnigan, the guy she publicly humiliated with a sharp-tongued insult that has left him branded.

Desperate, Nicole has no choice but to haunt Dale and convince the freaked-out senior to help her. Will he find her body before it's too late? Or will the guy who tried to kill her with his car, beat him there and finish her off before anyone finds out?   

 

 

Betwixt is a really heartfelt and fascinating young adult novel. It follows popular party girl Nicole Tepper as her world is literally ripped apart when she is hit by a car and left for dead alongside the road. She wakes to find that she is able to wander around in a spirit form, but nobody can hear her or see her. That is, nobody except for Dale Finnegan - the guy at school she just happened to brand with a terrible nickname and who now hates her. Finding herself desperate, Nicole convinces Dale to help her find her body before it's too late. Will Dale be able to save Nicole? Will the person who hit her come back to finish the job before she's found?

I don't normally read contemporary YA fiction, but I'm glad that I read this one. There are so many great qualities to this book that it's hard to pinpoint them all. The characters were all very realistic and easy to identify with - especially the main character Nicole. She is very complex and has a lot of issues to deal with and a past that haunts her. We see significant character growth in her as the story progresses. There are several important themes dealt with in the book such as family, friendship, faith, guilt, forgiveness, love, and redemption. There was a small bit of religious material in the story, but I thought that it fit in perfectly with the plot and it didn't come across as overwhelming. The writing was very well done and the plot flowed effortlessly. I literally couldn't put the book down because I was so anxious to see how things would turn out. I don't usually have visceral reactions to books, but this one made me very emotional in several spots. I found myself smiling at scenes as they unfolded and I also had tears in my eyes during several other parts. I know a book has touched me deeply when I actually physically react to the story. There are serious issues dealt with throughout the entirety of the book, which I think only adds depth to the storyline and leaves readers with things to think about after they've finished the book. Overall, I found this to be a wonderfully heartwarming and honest contemporary novel with some supernatural aspects. It's a book that readers of all ages and genre preferences will be able to enjoy and appreciate. 

 

 

 

Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan... not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. "Best. Year. Ever!!" She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November, 2011. Since then she has produced three more books with her fifth novel, Betwixt, due out in November 2012.

Author Links:

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Twitter: @MelissaPearlG  

Links to find/buy book:

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