Review of Arcadia's Gift, by Jesi Lea Ryan

I have been seeing this book everywhere for the past couple of weeks, and I knew when I saw it that I wanted to read it.  There was something about the cover and the blurb that drew me to it.  So imagine my glee when I was offered the opportunity to read it and review it for our blog?!?  I think I literally jumped for joy. 

So, this book is about Arcadia (Cady) Day, a twin, whose sister is killed on accident by a train, while they are out with friends.  Cady and her twin, Avalon (Lony), are the complete opposite of each other.  Cady is the studious type who prefers to be natural, instead of all done up in the latest fashions and make-up trends, while Lony is the popular cheerleader with the amazingly handsome boyfriend. 

When Lony is killed, Cady experiences everything that Lony felt at her time of death, causing her to slip into a coma.  Upon waking, everything in Cady’s life begins to slip, including her mother’s mental well-being.  Her parents have separated (right before Lony’s death), she is having trouble adjusting at school in her sister’s shadow, and her whole life feels like it is falling down all around her.

There’s an upside to all of this: her newly-acquired gifts.  These gifts turn her life upside down, causing her more trouble than she wants most of the time, but also have the ability to save those around her.  I’m not going to tell you what her gifts are because, well, this is one of those that you need to read to fully appreciate.  Her gifts are exciting and awe-inspiring, but I doubt that I, personally, could have dealt with them.

So, here’s where I throw in my two cents. J  I loved the story and the characters within this book.  Jesi Lea Ryan’s ability to pull you in by your toes and leave you hanging there is exceptional.  I’ll admit, the ending made me want to throw my iPad through the window, but that’s a good thing!  I was hoping for more at the end, but it seemed to end quite abruptly, leaving me complaining to my four year old that I don’t have the next book. J  If you’re looking for a book that is fun, exciting, and intriguing, this is the book for you.  I would definitely recommend this to all of my friends....which is what I’m doing here! J

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Guess what?  There’s also a giveaway!  Here’s what you need to do: Leave a comment below.  Tell us:  If you could have any “gift,” what would it be? And why?  That’s all you have to do to be entered to win an e-copy of this wonderful book! Depending on the number on comments, there could be multiple copies given out! 

Jesi Lea Ryan grew up in the Mississippi River town of Dubuque, IA. She holds bachelor degrees in creative writing and literature and a masters degree in business. She considers herself a well-rounded nerd who can spend hours on the internet researching things like British history, anthropology of ancient people, geography of random parts of the world, bad tattoos and the paranormal. She currently lives in Madison, WI with her husband and sassy kitty.

Stalker Links:

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Diary of a Bibliophile- Jesi's Blog 

Twitter 

Amazon Author Page 

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Buy Links:

Amazon US 

Smashwords