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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Review: The First by Sara Zaske

Title: The First
Author: Sara Zaske
Publisher: Sara Zaske
Release Date: 21st April 2012
Find on: Amazon, Goodreads, Smashwords

Quick Review: Cassie Craig is not the chosen one. Not even close.

She's just an ordinary, 15-year-old California girl with a few problems. She talks too much. She has a crush on a guy in her school. She worries about her dad who is a Marine in Afghanistan.

Then, there's her new friend, Violet Starkey. The weirdest girl in school, Violet comes from a group of magical people who claim to be the first on earth.

When Cassie discovers that Violet has powers over nature, she will do anything to be her friend--all for the chance Violet might help bring her dad home.

But Cassie isn't the only one who wants Violet's powers, and she soon finds out just how dangerous it is to be the true friend of one of the most powerful magical beings in the world.


Detailed Review: This book was special in a way which I haven't seen in ages. Not only is it different, it is creative and original.

At first glance, Cassie Craig is what you would call normal. She has a busy mother who always has to take care her younger sister, Drew. Her father is in war in the middle of Afghanistan. 

But in one day, everything can change. 

All thanks to Violet Starkey. She's not what you'd call normal. She is weird, as in she doesn't talk at all, she wears the wrong clothes, she doesn't even try to fit in. 

How did Cassie even become friends with her? Cassie, the best friend of a popular girl would never have dreamed of befriending Violet, not even if she was given a million dollars.

So why? Well, it goes like this. A volleyball match in school. Violet get hits in the face by the ball. She doesn't even fall. Cassie saw Violet's shoes, which had something underneath that stuck to the ground. 

They're roots. 

Don't believe me? Read on. 

After that, Cassie's curiosity forces her to abandon her friendship and everything she's ever believed in. Because what she is about to know is something impossible. 

Violet comes from a group or SPECIES called the First People. Like their name suggests, they are the first people to ever exist on Earth. They are closer to nature. When Cassie visits Violet's house, she knew then that they were real for certain after Violet demonstrated her powers to her. 

Not without igniting any plan in Cassie's head. She wants her new friend to stop the war her father is fighting with her powers. Make it snow or rain, anything.

But soon, Violet and Cassie find themselves in the middle of plot to destroy America, planned by Violet's grandfather so they could regain what was lost to them many centuries before. Violet's powers are more powerful than any of the First People, that's why she's essential. Cassie is just tagging along, though she doesn't like the idea of her home being destroyed.

But left without any other choice, Violet is forced to do it. 

Here's another fact about the First People:
When they are born, their souls are bound to an object of nature, such as a tree or an animal. 

In the end, Violet is forced to sacrifice her powers to prevent the same thing from happening anymore. 

Brief Review: Unusual and original, this story moved me in a different way than most YA books usually do. A great debut for the author.

Final Rating: 5/5 'Totally Amazing'





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2 comments:

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