Torn

The Faithful. The Exiled. Box of Hope. Fractions of angels. Samantha would never have guessed those terms would matter in the slightest to her.   Now they mean the difference between the life and death of people closest to her.
It began six months earlier:
Shock. Pain. Samantha has never felt so lost in her life. Her father died after she had a strange dream of angels and a box.  At least she can count on her two friends, Lucas and Ethan. Lucas has been her best friend for as long as she can remember but, Ethan, his brother…well, she would like to be much more than friends with him. However, her feelings, romantic or otherwise, cease being a priority when she finds out the brothers have been keeping BIG secrets from her. Now it’s time for everything to be laid out and cleared up, for Sam has a destiny to fulfill.  It requires a choice between heritage and upbringing, the Exiled or the Faithful, and Samantha learns those choices are not nearly as easy as they seem.
It’s not easy in this age of angel, vampire and dystopian YA novels to put a fresh spin on things.  Yet Christine Hughes succeeds with an excellent blend of humor, intriguing characters and fine writing! The age old battle between good and evil is perfectly showcased in Samantha’s struggle, and the solution is surprisingly realistic. The beginning was a bit confusing, though, the great debut could’ve been a bit more dynamic!  When closing the last page, though, there’s no doubt this is merely the beginning of an amazing series and career for Ms. Hughes!

Mimi Smith