Thursday, February 12, 2015

YA Book Review: Blackfin Sky by Kat Ellis

Blackfin SkyBlackfin Sky by Kat Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sixteen-year-old, Skylar Rousseau walks up the beach and into school like nothing’s happened. When everyone jumps out of his or her skins upon seeing her—because they watched her pulled limp out of the ocean, and buried in the ground, three months ago. She thinks they’re nuts. Sky was just with her two besties, Bo and Cam, the last she remembers. But piece-by-piece, people she doesn’t know, and places she’s never been, creep in until she, too, begins to wonder where she was.

The start of this book begins with a spirited weathervane with a view, and a voice, lulling you into the world that is Blackfin, a town where everyone is a little different, or flat out strange. As pieces of the last three months return to Sky, she wrestles with her part in it. Where did she go the night of her birthday after she ran from Sean’s kiss?

Sky begins to tie things together after a trip to a big top circus, which in present day has burned to the ground. Clues surface, about her family, and about herself. About her talents, and how she can move through timelines. She winds up meeting her real father, and discovers where her gift as a Pathfinder came from. But she’s not safe. There are those from that past who want to destroy Sky and her family.

I really enjoyed the pace of this book, the twists, and the characters, the mysterious tone, and visual detail, and hey—a creepy circus. I cannot resist a freaky-creepy circus.

I can’t go on too, much more, or I’ll kill the suspense. I enjoyed Kat Ellis’ writing style very much. It’s riveting till the end of the last paragraph. My only regret is I didn’t finish this as quickly as I could have–because of “life”. There were a few things I wanted explained, or drawn out, but I suspect Skylar Rousseau has more to tell us. Or at least, I think those around her have big secrets to share. I do hope there’s another book about Blackfin in the works.

Overall, this is my kind of sordid, twisty tale, with a bit of magic, mystery, and a lot of timeline jumping. It was a heck of a lot of fun to read. Good work, Kat. Plus, I particularly enjoyed the fact that the MC has my very same birthday.

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