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Author: Nick Lake

Series: Standalone

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Contemporary/Mystery (I think…correct me if I’m wrong)

Synopsis: In four hours, Shelby Jane Cooper will be struck by a car.

Shortly after, she and her mother will leave the hospital and set out on a winding journey toward the Grand Canyon.

All Shelby knows is that they’re running from dangers only her mother understands. And the further they travel, the more Shelby questions everything about her past—and her current reality. Forced to take advantage of the kindness of unsuspecting travelers, Shelby grapples with what’s real, what isn’t, and who she can trust . . . if anybody.

Award-winning author Nick Lake proves his skills as a master storyteller in this heart-pounding new novel. This emotionally charged thrill ride leads to a shocking ending that will have readers flipping back to the beginning

How I got this book: Netgalley

Book Release Date: January 6, 2015

The Short Version:

Well…that was weird.

I liked it. The beginning was really strange, but towards the end stuff started making sense and it was actually really good.

WARNING: THE LONG VERSION MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPLOILERS

The Long Version:

Basically,

I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS

I mean, seriously.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it definitely did not involve Native American mythology.

But I still really liked it. I loved Shelby’s voice, the way she talked about things, and the way things were described using punctuation marks.

For example:

The ball, which has been moving at eighty mph towards you…contracts in on itself:

(                   )
(          )
(   )

And the it pretty much explodes off the bat…

And while the whole style of it did take a while to get used to, once I got into it, I was able to focus more on the story at hand.

Which was weird. I know I keep saying it, but it really was.

And I hated Shelby’s mother…at first. She was weird and odd and slightly creepy, and at first I thought she was seriously messed up. As the book went on, I realised that she was seriously messed up, but in a more understandable way.

If that makes sense.

And I think that’s what I loved most about this book. The beginning was weird and odd and didn’t make any sense. And then things got weirder and stranger at it got to the point where I was practically fed up with it.

And then there was the truth. And suddenly everything made sense, and while it was still weird and odd and strange, it made some degree of sense.

And that made it amazing.

In Conclusion:

The first half was weird, the second half was more enjoyable. Basically, you need to read the whole book for any of it to make any sense.

I liked it.