ARC BOOK REVIEW - BANISH by NICOLA MARSH - HARLEQUIN TEEN - YA SUPERNATURAL THRILLER

By: Nicola Marsh
Published By: Harlequin Teen
Released : 1st August 2013
Details: Paperback, received from publisher for honest review, 372 Pages

RATING: 3.75 RONAN STARS! 

Blurb: Goodreads

Alyssa has one week to destroy her enemy, save her spirit... and save her soul.

After her ex-boyfriend commits suicide and her mum’s alcoholism sparks yet another psychotic episode, seventeen-year-old Alyssa Wood flees her small hometown of Broadwater and heads to New York City to stay with her bohemian aunt — a Wicca High Priestess.

Alyssa revels in the anonymity of a big city and her new life. Her grades climb, she has a new best friend, and a new guy: the sexy geek Ronan — a saxophone player who prefers jazz to pop.

But her newfound peace is soon shattered when she sees a dead body in one of Ronan’s music clips — and she’s the only one who can see it. Worse still, Alyssa recognises the body that has been murdered a week forward!

Alyssa doesn’t believe in the supernatural...despite her family’s Wicca background. So how will she overcome evil when it’s closer than she thinks?


BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

This was a great start to this YA series. I am assuming it is a series with the lead in at the end of Banish for further instalments.

Alyssa Wood and Ronan are a great couple. In YA reads we are more often than not watching a couple get to know each other and a relationship happens over the course of the book. In this book, we kind of skip that part as they have known each other and the next step is more subtle as there is more going on with Alyssa. We aren’t watching a romance in this story as much as we are watching a villain mentally harassing Alyssa with threats that are escalating.

I am not a huge fan of the sobbing , hissy fit female lead and Alyssa did have a tendency to cry. She is a character who is seventeen but as Ronan said to her, he thought she acted older, seventeen going on thirty. Maybe sometimes, but then the sobbing girl came through. I do like my female leads to be tougher unless I am reading a contemporary or an emotionally sad read.

I liked her mother, Aurora. Her character had growth and I got an understanding of the why of her. Aunt Angie is still quite mysterious as to what she gets up to when she isn’t doing her day job, still more to learn with the two sisters.

I am going to be honest and admit I did see through a little too easily who the villain of the story was, but not the motivation. I think when an author points the reader far too readily in the direction of other characters as being the baddie, it makes it extra easy. I had my suspicions and the more Nicola would use her characters to accuse other characters, I knew I was on the right track. No big surprise at the end for me but in saying that Nicola still gave some great twists.

I am a huge fan of an author giving me twists that I could not possibly see coming. Nicola did this well.

I loved Ronan’s choice of instrument and music. It isn’t often we get a read where the guy isn’t a rock star. I liked that very much. Ronan didn’t have the guitar, he chose the saxaphone.

Cool.

This is more a thriller, so we are watching Alyssa get stalked with threats and we see a little into the possibilities of the future, Alyssa Wood.

We are currently looking at Alyssa 1.0. She has more to discover about herself.

Ronan is currently the eye candy of the book. I am looking forward to him being pulled more into the story and used as a stronger character. He felt more like her sidekick. There to help out. We got glimpses of the romantic side of Ronan, but as I said this story isn't about the romance. It is about a stalker and the intrigue of what is actually going on in Alyssa's life.

Seeds are dropped in this book ready to come to fruition down the track.

Noah, I really like him. I would love him to serve more purpose in future reads. He may not be able to due to what went on in this book, but I like him and I would love to see him hang about, so to speak.

A good start to this series by Nicola. A stunning cover. This was nearly a 4 star read for me. I did hover between 3.75 and 4 stars. I am looking forward to watching Alyssa discover herself in future reads.

Michelle