This is one of those books that I first noticed because of the cover, but the blurb was so abstract, I couldn't help being curious about exactly what the book would hold...and I'm so glad I gave in to my curiosity. This is a fun, twisted tale of paranormal suspense that gets stranger and stranger until all of the threads are finally pulled together, and each time I picked it up, I had trouble putting it back down. Young adult works have been hit and miss for me lately, but this one ensured I'll pick up more work by the author, and I'd absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants a dark, twisty YA tale complete with surprises, heartfelt character work, and a fair share of darkness. ( )

I have no clue what happened in the end. ( )

I don't even know what to say about this book right now. All I know is I never read anything like it before!

A year ago, Annaliese Rose Gordon disappeared at a high school field party. She was seen emerging from the woods at the party screaming and drenched in blood... and then she was never seen again. Now a year later and a few hundred miles away, some people stumble upon a strange girl dressed in a garbage bag. This girl is apparently Annaliese... at least that's what the DNA says. But the person inside Annaliese's body has no memory of who she is, only that she's NOT Annaliese. Now she's got to figure out why she's having horrible nightmares and visions, what they mean, how she got in Annaliese's body, and what the big picture really is. The more pieces she fits into place, the more that picture is starting to look really twisted.

My Thoughts:
Totally out there. That is this book. I mean off-the-wall, weird, insane, WTF. I honestly do not know how to describe this. I tried to tell my husband about it and seriously when I said it out loud, it sounded ridiculous. But the thing is, when I was reading it, it didn't seem all THAT absurd, which I guess means the author did a good job selling it. But describing it?? Super hard.

For the first 1/3 of the book I had NO idea what was going on. I felt really lost and really frustrated. It reminded me of when I read Jellicoe Road. But unlike Jellicoe Road, it became a lot more clear what the deal was as the book went on. "Annaliese" is trying to figure out who she is and why she keeps having visions and memories of being other girls. She also is confronted by a boy from school who says really cryptic things to her and gives her a razor engraved with girl's names. What part this razor plays, she has no idea, but if the bloody, horrific visions are any indication, it's not good. And it's really gross.

She finds help in the loner next door neighbor, Dex, who is more understanding than anyone should be. Except he has a secret too. And his secret and Annaliese's make them connected in a really odd and perfect way.

So did I like this book? I enjoyed reading it. It was entertaining as heck. I don't know if I can actually SAY I liked it because it was just SO out there. And like I said, looking back on what the actual plot is, it seems a little hard to believe. The reasons behind why Annaliese switches bodies seems really dumb when I stop and think about it. And I'm still not really sure I buy how that whole ending went down. Don't want to spoil things, but it wrapped up REALLY fast and in a round about way.

I would recommend for anyone who wants to read something different from their same old, same old. No clue where the author came up with this idea, but it was definitely unique... and really twisted.

Quote: "Everything was too much to give anyone. And yet somehow still not enough to get what you really wanted."

OVERALL: The book started out by confusing the heck out of me, but it eventually became a super addicting read. The premise is totally out there, but somehow the author managed to sell me on it while I was reading it. Afterwards, I'm not so sure. It's not for the faint of heart. Lots and lots of horror.

My Blog:
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Didn't know what was going on for the first 50 pages or so but stuck with it because of the great reviews. Ended up not really liking it. Maybe it's my own fault for not reading it all at once and not staying focused on the characters and their world. But then the ending came and I really didn't like how it ended so unfortunately only 2 stars from me. ( )

Didn't know what was going on for the first 50 pages or so but stuck with it because of the great reviews. Ended up not really liking it. Maybe it's my own fault for not reading it all at once and not staying focused on the characters and their world. But then the ending came and I really didn't like how it ended so unfortunately only 2 stars from me. ( )