Review:Spectral by Shannon Duffy

Author: Shannon Duffy
Title: Spectral
Publisher: Tribute Books
Publication: April 10, 2012 
Audience: 14 and up 
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Tribute Books/Author
Rating:4 out 5 
Where to Buy: Amazon
Website | Blog | Goodreads |Twitter | FB
Summary

Convinced she’s a part of the witness  protection program, sixteen-year-old Jewel Rose is shuffled  around the globe with her family like a pack of traveling   gypsies. After arriving at lucky home twenty-seven, she stumbles   upon a mysterious boy with magical powers claiming to be her guardian . . . and warning of imminent danger. Despite the   obvious sparks between them, Jewel discovers a relationship is  forbidden, and the more she learns about dark, brooding Roman,  she begins to question who she can even believe — the family who raised her, or the supposed sworn protector who claims they’ve been lying to her all along.

        As she struggles to uncover who her family has really been running from, she is forced to hide her birthmark that reveals  who she is. With new realities surfacing, unexplained powers  appearing, and two tempting boys vying for her heart, Jewel battles to learn who she can trust in an ever growing sea of lies, hoping she’ll make it through her seventeenth birthday  alive. 

Review:
They either want her dead or they want her power.Constantly on the run from an unknown source, Jewel never questioned her parents motives, and if she did, she never really got an answer. All she knows is that she has had more names and identities than she can stand and this time she feels she should know the truth. So, when she overhears her family talking about her being the Spectral, and that if she knows too soon bad things will start to happen, she becomes determined to find out what that means. Jewel is an interesting character, but I think I liked her even more at the end, because she became more badass. For most of the story she is unsure of her worth mostly as she feels that nobody truly wants her but they want to use her. She begins to doubt everyone even Roman, who claims to be there to protect her. I feel like the characters were good, and the romantic interactions between Jewel and Roman were so sweet. There really isn't a love triangle, even as the other male interest, Chase tries to gain her attention, he just doesn't stand a chance against his competition. He is not as much of a dynamic match for Jewel as Roman. The flow of the story was fine, it balanced out well with the combination of mystery, romance and action. This book is full of secrecy and deception and I really liked it.


Thought on the Cover: I really love it. The designer did a great job with it. I admit this is what initially drew me to this book, but the story kept me there.

                                                                      Author Bio:

Shannon Duffy writes young adult and middle grade fiction. She grew up on the beautiful east coast of Canada and now lives in Ontario, Canada. She is the mom of one boy, Gabriel, her angel. She loves writing, reading, working out, soccer, and the sport of champions-shopping. She is the author of the young adult paranormal romance, Spectral. Her upcoming middle grade fantasy novel, Gabriel Stone and the Divinity of the Valta is scheduled for a January 2013 release. 

Be sure to visit the rest of the tour...click the banner below!