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Review: Earthbound

Monday 23 December 2013
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Edition: HarperCollins Children's Books Paperback
Released: 21st August 2013
Series: Earthbound #1
Pages: 338 approx.

Tavia Michaels is the sole survivor of a plane crash. Grief-stricken and alone, she's having strange visions of a boy she's never met. As her visions intensify, Tavia wonders, was the plane crash really an accident? Or is she part of something bigger than she ever imagined?

The only person she can talk to is Benson, her best friend, the guy who's somehow always by her side. But secretly she longs to confide in the boy who haunts her dreams...

Some of you may know how much love I have for Pike's other series, Wings. When I found out she was bringing out another series, I jumped at the chance to review the first book of it. It had a promising premise and, well, that cover refused to let me say no! Luckily, it turned out to be an entertaining and enjoyable read.

The first part of the book appeared almost quite clichĂ© to me - a girl discovering she's different, having visions of a boy she feels something for then a love triangle forming. The love triangle is actually quite similar to the one in Wings. Tavia's stuck between the mysterious, new boy and her best friend. If I haven't made this clear before: I really hate the whole best friend romance. Especially when I prefer the other boy over them! Like in Wings where I found David - the best friend - irritating, I found Benson extremely irritating in this one. So, safe to say, I was annoyed when Tavia admitted she had feelings for him! I do feel like this love triangle is much more dramatic because of the... connection she has with one of the boys, however. Dat's all I'm saying. ;)

Tavia as a main character was decent. I didn't love her or hate her. Well, maybe I hated her at that one part near the end where I thought she was being completely insensitive and selfish but, overall, she was a fine narrator. She was flawed and sometimes I didn't agree with her decisions but, no, I didn't hate her. As I've stated previously, I found Benson to be annoying - he wasn't a nasty person or anything, just got on my nerves. A lot. -.-

The book really picked up toward the end and I found myself enjoying it so much more than the first few chapters. Plot twists were revealed and everything really started to heat up. I've come to the conclusion I enjoyed the plotline. At first I thought it was just going to turn out too clichĂ© but the more that was revealed, the more unique it became. I really can't wait to find out more in book two!

To conclude, Earthbound was an enjoyable and enthralling read. I can easily see why some people don't have much patience with the beginning and DNF it, but I do say that you should really stick with it because it really picks up approaching the second half of the book and the ending is just so dramatic and overwhelming. I now can't wait for book two! :)

FOUR STARS!
Huge thanks to HarperCollins for my review copy!
 
Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo



8 comments :

  1. I'm pretty sure I have this lying around somewhere. The synopsis doesn't really appeal to me, because after reading it, I still feel like I have no idea what it's going to be about. But, after reading your review, I think I might give it a shot. Hopefully, the love triangle doesn't irk me too much. xD

    Happy Holidays Rachel!
    Daphne @ Reading Until Dawn

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    1. Yay! I hope you enjoy it if you do decide to pick it up!

      Thanks! Merry Christmas, Daphne! :)

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  2. Not an author I've come across before, but I'll definitely give her a go.

    I hope you've had a wonderful Christmas :)

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    1. You should! I hope you enjoy whichever of her novels you read!

      Thank you - I did! I hope you did too! :D

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  3. I'm not a fan of love triangles particularly ones that have the best friend. I think it being cliche would annoy me but I'm glad it wasn't too bad. I've heard mixed reviews on this one but I'm glad you were able to enjoy the uniqueness of the storyline. Great Review!

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    1. I don't know if it's just the way Pike conveys the best friend but I always find him annoying! So it's just an inconvenience to me when they admit they have feelings for the MC! :3 I'm glad I ended up enjoying the storyline the further into the book I got too!

      Thank you! :D

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  4. Not as good as Wings? Boo! You know how much I love that series! TAMANI!!! :D :D :D I must pick up a copy of this soon, nevertheless.

    Great review, Rachel! :D

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    1. *cheers* TEAM TAMANI!<3 It's certainly a whole lot different to the Wings plotline but similar with the love triangle. Be sure to tell me what you think of it when you get the chance to read it!

      Thank you! :P

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