Book Review: Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike
Series: Earthbound #1
By: Aprilynne Pike
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre Type: Paranormal, Romance
Publication Date: July 30th 2013
Pages: 338 pages
Format: Hardback
Source: Bought
Publisher: Razorbill
Summary:
Tavia Michaels is the sole survivor of the plane crash that killed her parents. When she starts to see strange visions of a boy she’s never spoken with in real life, she begins to suspect that there’s much about her past that she isn’t being told.
Tavia immediately searches for answers, desperate to determine why she feels so drawn to a boy she hardly knows. But when Tavia discovers that the aunt and uncle who took her in after her parents' death may have actually been responsible for the plane crash that killed them--and that she may have been the true intended victim--she flees for the safety of Camden, Maine, where the boy she sees in her visions instructs her to go.
Now, Tavia is on the run with no one to trust. No one, that is, except for her best friend and longtime crush, Benson.
Tavia feels torn between the boy who mysteriously comes to her at night and the boy who has been by her side every step of the way. But what Tavia doesn't know is that the world is literally falling apart and that to save it she will have to unite with the boy in her visions. Only problem? To do so would mean rejecting Benson's love. And that's the one thing Tavia Michaels swore she'd never do.
Aprilynne Pike's new series EARTHBOUND is off to a compelling start. This Young Adult novel has some nice supernatural elements to it and plenty of action. The suspense kept me guessing and the mysteries behind the romance kept me turning the pages. Filled with secrets, curses and magic, Earthbound was a enjoyable read.
WHO REALLY IS TAVIA MICHAELS AND WHAT REALLY HAPPENED ON THE PLANE CRASH
EARTHBOUND starts off with a mysterious plane crash that involves Tavia Michaels, the sole survivor to a crash that should have killed her. Tavia begins to have strange visions of a boy who seems eerily familiar, and she can't help but feel drawn to him even though she has never met him before. Soon after meeting the mysterious Quinn, Tavia begins developing strange abilities and can make things appear and disappear.
CAN THE MYSTERIOUS BOY FROM HER VISIONS BE TRUSTED
As she tries to solve the riddle of the boy in her visions and her mysterious past, Tavia learns a startling and deadly truth about her aunt and uncle, and their possible involvement with the plane crash. With the help of Benson, her best friend and secret crush, they go on the run from danger and head to Camden, Maine, where Quinn, the mysterious boy from her visions is waiting for her. Is Tavia running from danger only to end up at the center of it? Torn between Benson's love and friendship and her attraction to Quinn, Tavia will have choose one over the other. Her decision may have deadly consequences.
WILL TAVIA REJECT BENSON'S LOVE FOR SOMEONE SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW YET
As you can see there's a lot of questions that need to be answered and a backstory that needs to be explained in Earthbound. Overall I really enjoyed Aprilynne Pike's story, and didn't mind the wait for many of these questions to be answered at the ending of the book. There's a lot of setup and mystery in the storyline that you just have to wait until the ending to understand.
CHARACTERS: TAVIA is a great main character. She is very likeable and resourceful, but naive too. I was immediately fascinated by her situation and the mystery behind the plane crash. I wanted to know who she really is. It was easy to sympathize with her as she tried to understand why she had such a strong fascination with Quinn.
BENSON is intelligent and cute in a sweet bookish way. He's always there for Tavia and bravely joins her on the run as they try to discover Tavia's past and her true identity. The romance between them seemed sweet, and I couldn't help wonder what would happen once Quinn came into the picture.
QUINN is the mysterious and handsome boy that suddenly shows up and take Tavia's breadth away. You could feel the strange pull and immediate attraction between them. Quinn is pretty swoon-worthy, the mystery behind his character definitely adds to his intriguing personality.
SWOON LEVEL: Crush
THE ROMANCE: "It's almost like I'm two people-one who can't stop thinking of Benson...one who can't stop thinking of Quinn."
TORN BETWEEN LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP
There is a love triangle in EARTHBOUND but is handled well in the end. One thing that worried me was the emotional back and forth I experience as Tavia seemed to constantly waiver between Benson and Quinn. It was more than half through with the books before I got a good handle on the love triangle, and understood why Tavia was so fascinated by Quinn, even though Benson was her secret crush way before they had even met. So, it may seem like Tavia is being immature, but in the end there is a really good explanation. You just have to wait to see why.
SWOON WORTHY QUOTE: "You're beautiful, you know that?" My legs shake as he lifts his hand to my face, his fingers just a hair's breadth from my cheek. "I like you this way," he whispers.
WHAT I LIKED: The mystery aspect to the story and Tavia’s character really kept me intrigued. I couldn’t decide until the end of the story who to trust, and what was the meaning behind the mysteries.
WHAT I WOULD HAVE LIKED: Tavia’s background and the world-building were still a bit vague in the end of the story, but I think book 2 will be less of a setup story, and much more detailed now that some of the major mysteries have been revealed.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Fans of supernatural romance and mystery. Aprilynne Pike has created a compelling story. I’m looking forward to the next book where many new possibilities as far as the world-building, magic and characters could be explored in more detail. I anxious to find out more about Tavia’s fascinating character and her abilities.
RATING: 3.5 Stars I liked it!
