I chose this book from an ARC program because the preview was excellent.

The Premise

Teenage mother Willow abandons her baby when she realises that strange things happen during baby Lilah’s seizures. After dumping the baby at a fire station, Willow and her mother are never seen again. Lilah is taken in by her adoptive parents, fire chief Stanley Quinn and his wife. He takes care of her after his wife dies, hiding the truth and ensuring she takes her medicine.

Sixteen years later, teenage Lilah decides to risk not taking her medicine — and sneaks out to go to a rock concert with her crush Jace. Her resulting seizure lands them both in the hospital, and her father is forced to finally tell her the truth. With Jace’s help, Lilah seeks answers to her biological mother’s disappearance. As she shifts and bends time, Lilah must learn to control her power before she destroys everything around her. Can she unlock the mystery of Willow’s disappearance?

The Pros

This was an excellent, engaging read that drew me in from the start and kept me reading all the way to the end. Fantasy is not my usual preferred genre, but in this case the storyline wasn’t too far “out there” and the descriptions are really well done. I really enjoyed the different relationships it explored — the bond between biological mother and child, between adoptive parents and child, and also the romantic relationship and coming-of-age element for the main character. I also loved the dialogue between all the characters, and the symbolism of the ashes and their role in Lilah’s life as a source of death and rebirth.

The Cons

I really enjoyed this story but it left me with many questions: primarily: what causes Lilah’s seizures? And, who was her biological father? There didn’t seem to be any effort to explore these holes, which left me unsettled at the story’s end. There were also some time jumps that weren’t evident at first, and it took me awhile to get used to the chapter beginnings with the apple status representing Past/Present/Future.

Conclusion

This was a great fantasy/supernatural read — especially for those that don’t really go for this type of story, as it has more than enough of all the other young adult/coming-of-age elements to hold its own in those genres as well. I could easily see this being translated to a TV show or film, or becoming part of a series as the ending opens it up for future stories with these same characters. I would recommend to readers of all ages, and I would love to read more from this author.

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