I won this book from Librarything in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I thought this book was well written, fast paced, with characters that were interesting and complex. In particular, I loved the story of the protagonist Jayke, who slowly discovers his past by meeting a cast of interesting mentors and characters (and old mentors who now reveal more of what they know!). Not to mention that this all involves a fascinating back story that I will not reveal, but that I thought was creative and well thought out.

I also want to mention that I also get wary when religion is mixed in with the plot, because this can so easily be done either inappropriately or with a preachy tone without furthering the story. This is completely not the case in this book. The mention of religion only enhances the story, never preaches, but is integral to the plot. I thought this was very well done.

As a side note, and this is more of a personal preference more than anything-- I love strong female characters. I loved Dr. H, his mentor, and his smart best girl friend, and even was slightly interested in Amber, who at least evolved throughout the story. The character of Ashley I never really got into, because while beautiful and really nice, she is dating a loser (and the fact she never gets a sense of how much of a loser this guy is, is really beyond me) and sort of drifts through the story as Jayke's love interest without any other real personality traits. From the way the story is set up, I'm hoping that she evolves throughout the (trilogy?) and becomes worthy of being Jayke's love interest (i.e. strong and independent versus a girl that has to be rescued every book).

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it deserves the high ratings it has received. I am looking forward to the next book! ( )

When you start reading this book it's much like meeting someone for the first time. In a very good way, you just aren't sure where this relationship is going. Will the plot focus on the foster care feelings because the main character is a foster kid or will it focus on something else? Reading along changes your perspective in exactly the way it would be altered if you were sitting and having a conversation with someone. Your opinion shifts into other realms. Is this going to be a sci-fi thing or is it something else? Throughout the read there are two main things that you can be sure of; there isn't a part of the book that puts you off from reading the rest, and by the time you get to the in-depth part of your relationship with this story, you will not be disappointed with the experience.

Through the book the characters change in a very natural way, progressing through their lives, changing and growing with what is happening around them and in how they relate to each other. The plot continues seamlessly from beginning to end, making for a very enjoyable experience, one that you will quickly find you have become glued to in some way. The shifts and discoveries among the pages keep you guessing just enough to make you determined to read just one more chapter, then just one more, then just one more, until you have reached the end and find yourself wanting more.

I found that the idea of taking part of a religious text and turning it into something that few would have thought of before was quite refreshing. Those who are religious will stop and think about those around them after they have read this book, but those who are not religious will be perfectly at home turning the pages, as the religion itself is not something hammered into your experience. It is only something that happens to be a part of what changes the main character's life... just not at all in the way you are expecting that last sentence to mean.

Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review. ( )

I was contacted by the author regarding this book. It was available for free the month of June on GoodReads and I was more than happy to read/review it! We first meet Jayke, who was awakened from a coma 7 years ago and has no knowledge of his life prior to waking up. Having been home schooled, he realizes that his social skills are severely lacking and makes the decision to attend public school. Not only does he have to deal with the stresses of high school, but a creepy "cult" that calls themselves the Aduro want to recruit Jayke and they won't take no for an answer. As Jayke slowly starts to learn about his past and who he really is, he has to make an impossible choice and the stakes are high. Does he have what it takes to fulfill his destiny?

1) Character Development: Jayke is a great main character. He starts out clueless, awkward, and meek, but we really see him grow and change as the story progresses. I found him to be extremely likable and I was rooting for him the entire time: to find out about his past, to gain more confidence in himself, and to get the girl of his dreams. There are a lot of secondary characters that are important to this story as well. Amber is a girl who ends up living with Jayke and his foster family, The Millers. It's obvious as soon as she comes on the scene that there is something strange going on and she's quite the manipulator. We learn bits of pieces about her throughout the book and I would say she has a big influence on the story. Then we have Ben, who befriended Jayke right away on the first day of high school (even though he may have had ulterior motives for doing so). He's basically the opposite of Jake; loud, outspoken, and incredibly confident...almost to a fault. He really balances out Jayke though and pushes him to put himself out there. Another important character is Ashley, who Jayke is infatuated with right away. He's never met her before but he feels like he knows her, sort of a sense of deja vu, but you'll have to read the book to find out why! Dr. Harrison, or Dr. H as Jayke calls her, also plays a huge role. She's been a huge part of Jayke's life since he woke up; she helps place him in foster homes and basically counsels him. He suspects she knows the secret as to why he can't remember anything from his past, but she's not talking. At least not yet.

2) The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: First, The Good - I really enjoyed this book overall. The characters were great; very well developed and easy to form connections with. There were some very witty moments throughout; who doesn't love a little humor while they're reading? The story was extremely mysterious, with shocking revelations and some intense scenes. The writing was extremely smooth and flowed nicely from one chapter to the next; made it hard to put down! I also like how Jayke had some unexplainable powers, gave kind of a supernatural vibe to the story. That's all I'm going to say about that aspect of the story though; I don't want to give too much away. The Bad - Really the only bad thing I can say about the book is that in the middle I felt like the story moved kind of slowly. It's understandable though; Jayke's trying to figure out his past, learn about who the Aduro are and why they want him, and adjusting to a new-found social life. Once he finds out the truth about his past the story picks up again. The slow moving parts didn't make me want to stop reading though; it was so well written that I didn't mind and plus a lot of it was necessary to build up the story. The Ugly - I don't really have anything "ugly" to say about the book. Except "Hey Shawn, hurry up with book 2!"

3) Romance Sizzle or Fizzle: I would say sizzle. It's not that Jayke and Ashley have any extremely passionate scenes, but we see their relationship grow despite the obstacles in their way. They seem to have a connection from the beginning and I enjoyed seeing it unfold. Jayke is adorably awkward and his interest in Ashley kind of draws him out of his shell - with some encouraging from his friend, Ben, of course.

4) Uniqueness of Plot: The plot in this book was very unique. I wasn't sure where the story would go since Jayke couldn't remember any of his past and he had some unexplainable "talents". I liked how I couldn't guess the big mysteries in the book; very few books surprise me but this was sure one of them.

5) Final Thoughts: I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. It was unique, interesting, and nearly impossible to put down once you start. I highly recommend that every one check it out; I don't think you'll be disappointed! ( )

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Did you read Gena Showalter's INTERTWINED series and enjoy that? Looking for something similar to draw you in and keep you entranced until the final page? Then look no further than THE BURIED COVENANT. I received this for review, and found I could not put it down until I discovered how Jayke's story turned out.

Jayke lives with his foster parents, the Millers. He can't remember anything prior to around the age of ten. He's been in foster care ever since he woke up in the hospital. The Millers are good people, and Jayke is happy living with them. He's been home-schooled, but after Mrs. Miller's sister and niece and nephew come to visit, Jayke decides he wants to attend public school and try having a social life.

From his first day of school, things start to become weird for Jayke. Walking across the parking lot to the school, he trips over the curb. He should've had a gash on his head, or at least a bump. But there's nothing. He shakes it off, and starts life as a student at St. Augustine High. He starts to make friends and is soon established at his school.

Enter Amber, a new foster kid at the Millers'. Amber is bold, aggressive, and constantly tries to make the moves on Jayke. He holds his own with her, but she is persistent - and then tries to get him to join her group, the Aduro. As the story unfolds, the reader learns the mystery behind the Aduro, along with the secrets behind Jayke's missing memories. I don't want to give too much away, because that's what kept the story so engrossing and page-turning.

The story was a bit choppy in parts, but overall the sum of the tale overrode the less-than-perfect parts. The ending was a bit abrupt, but I hope that just means there will be a continuation of the story of Jayke and his covenant. There is a lot of teenage boy angst and uncertainty with the opposite sex. There are many humorous moments, and there is a lot of mystery and intrigue. And if you like stories like THE DA VINCI CODE, etc., then THE BURIED COVENANT will not disappoint. ( )