Raven

I thought it was a great read. The plot was interesting, the characters were likeable. I recommend it!

There are several YA books that can be enjoyed by adults, too. This book is not one of them. I did not care for the writing, it is very simplistic. Also, fans of vampires will be disappointed because none of the characters are vampires. There are no vampires or shapeshifters in this book. It is a love story that involves supernatural creatures of a different type. The reason why I gave this book five stars instead of less is because the author has an anti-drug message. It really bothers me that some books intended for teen and pre-teen readers glamourize drug use. It is a shame that entertainment does a better job of glamourizing drugs than it does showing the horrible things it does to the user and others (like the innocent people being slaughtered by drug cartels).

Nicole is a smart, loyal, break dancer/waitress with a beautiful soul. She's infatuated with Zin, the gorgeous, mysterious leader of her breaker group, and senses the feeling is mutual. However, they can't be together. Not unless she's willing to turn the entire universe as she knows it upside down. This fast-paced, exciting, creative, and sometimes gut-wrenching story shows the power of the soul and the strength of love. I read it in one day and can't stop thinking about it.

Nicole has been in love with Zin since the first time she saw him dance. There is something about him that pulls her deeper and deeper into his soul. It's in the way he moves, the way he talks and the way he can be everything without saying anything at all. He is the one who makes her feel safe and normal when her life is anything but. When her addict brother causes trouble, Zin eases her pain. He has even inspired her to do some dancing of her own. As close as they are, they have only been friends. This is fine with Nicole because she needs to be near him and it is obvious that Zin needs to be near her. Zin believes in Nicole. Nicole loves Zin. Sometimes, things that seem too good to be true, truly are. There has always been something that keeps Zin from completely giving himself to Nicole. When she gets a job in the nightclub where Zin works, she will learn that there is a dark secret that binds the other employees together. Nicole will find out about Zin's past and discover that it goes back much farther than she expected. The burden of this secret is dangerous but it brings them together. They will have to decide if their love and passion are more important than the consequences of eternity or if maybe, they are one and the same. Raven is one of those books that you don't quite know what to expect from, but it will leave you breathless. The story is dark, mesmerizing, mystical and romantic. You will feel an attachment to each character, no matter how small a part they play. This is one book I will remember, evermore.

When I first saw this book, I was at first hesitant to buy it since Allison Van Diepen past books have all been more on the real life side of Young Adult. Which isn't my cup of tea usually; I prefer more of the fantasy/supernatural books. I read the excerpt and liked it. I am so glad that I bought it. As soon as I cracked open the book, the characters are highly relatable, so are the experiences of Nicole, the lead character. Just like Van Diepen's past books, the slang that is used in the book fits right in and doesn't seem out of place (I have no clue how Van Diepen does it. Most author's I read who use slang in their books, it's very out of place and doesn't seem to flow with the book. I must point out that I've read Van Diepen's book Snitch and in the beginning in the book it was heavy with the Slang, this is not the case in this book.) However, the main character is part of a break dancing crew so there's terms for the moves that they do (i.e. 'apple jacks', 'coffee grinder', 'jackhammer', etc.). I for one have seen breakdancing done before but I have no knowledge of the moves, and so didn't know what they were doing. But Van Diepen wove in other terms that'll make sense for someone like me. For those who love the vampire genre this is an interesting take on it. Some of the characters are sort of like vampires, but not really. They don't go around sucking blood like the western view of vampires, her vampires are Eastern ones. Where they "absorb" the energy/soul of a person. I highly recommend this to any fan of young adult books be it the ones who like the real life ones or the fantasy/supernatural.