Monday, March 30, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: "The Healer (The Healer Series Book One)" by CJ Anaya

A girl, a prophecy and two warring gods equals destiny! 
Seventeen-year-old Hope Fairmont longs for a normal teenage life, but with a gift like hers, normal equals healing illnesses and injuries instantly. Keeping a secret like that isn’t easy, but a small town is the perfect place for her to heal those who can’t heal themselves, and an even better place for her father, James Fairmont, to hide his daughter from the rest of the world. 
Life takes an unexpected turn when two handsome strangers move into town and begin unearthing other secrets concerning Hope's future and past, revealing to Hope that her gift for healing may be the fulfillment of an ancient, Japanese prophecy gone wrong. 
Staying away from these mysterious newcomers would be the smart thing to do, but Victor's gentle, easy manner, and Tie's mixed signals and strange mood swings draw her hopelessly closer to revealing the secret she and her father have been so desperate to hide. 
Hope's life is complicated further with visions of a previous life and the arrival of an unknown enemy sent to assassinate her before she learns what she is truly capable of. 
With the support of her father, the fiery loyalty of her best friend Angie, and the child-like love of Kirby, a ten-year-old patient, Hope must fight against the forces of a relentless demon god while unwinding the tangled pieces of her past, proving to herself and those she loves that destiny isn’t determined by some cosmic reading of the stars, but by the individual choices one makes.


A new way to write paranormal young adult. CJ Anaya created a lovely cast of characters, whom I found to be more detrimental to the plot than the plot itself. The supporting characters, Angie, Kirby, Tie and Victor (not to mention Hope's father) are all delightful and bright, even when the story gets dark. I loved Angie and want to see more of her in future books.

Kirby is a delight, as I know sick children are much more mature, due to their ordeals most kids don't go through. He's definitely my favorite character of all.

Plus, there's great opportunity here for a love triangle between Hope, Tie and Victor, and new OTPs to be created. Tipe? Hoptor? Just tossing out ideas!

The plot is very interesting, mixing Japanese mythology and Western ideas to weave a magical web around you while you read. YA books can be repetitive and predictable, but not The Healer. It's original with a great narrative. Ms. Anaya has a great "voice", one that keeps your interest from page one. It's also not very childlike. Adults could easily get into the story, too! 


4/5--great for teens and adults!


Purchase The Healer internationally on her official site: http://www.authorcjanaya.com/

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