Review - Neverwas (The Amber House Trilogy #2) by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, & Larkin Reed

Title: Neverwas

Author: Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, Larkin Reed

Series: 2nd (Amber House)

Pages: 320

Published: January 7th 2014 by Arthur A. Levine Books / Scholastic Press 

ISBN: 9780545434188

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: Things are very different--better--for Sarah and her family: her Aunt Maggie grew up; her parents are happily married; her grandmother died after a long, productive and respected life. But other things are different too, and not for the better.  After growing up in the free country of the Pacific Northwest, Sarah Parsons has settled in at Amber House, the stately Maryland home that's been in her family for generations. But the world surrounding the House feels deeply wrong to Sarah. It's a place where the colonists lost the 1776 Insurrection, where the American Confederation of States still struggles with segregation, and where Sarah is haunted by echoes of a better world that she knows never existed.  Her friend Jackson shares these visions of a different world--and together, they manage both to remember the way things ought to be, and to plan a daring mission that will reset the universe once again. Sarah must figure out what has changed, and why, and how she can fix it--how she can find her way to another otherwhen.

First Line: A spider the color of amber spun a web before me.

I Give This ...

 DNF (DID NOT FINISH)

I was actually really excited for this one.  I enjoyed Amber House quite a bit and was pleased to learn there was a sequel.  Sadly, I have no idea what happened here.

I really gave it my best go, even attempting past my usual 25%.  I kept thinking to myself that there had to be some part of the story that I wasn't getting.  If I kept reading, something would click for me, and I would want to continue.  That honestly never happened.  I vaguely understood that somehow time had been altered.  But, none of it made sense.  

I think a different approach would have worked better here.  Or perhaps, it's just me.  I have thoughts of trying to return to this book at a later date.  But, right now I have no desire too.  It's hard to commit to that when I have so many other books to enjoy.  

Review - Amber House by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, Larkin Reed

Title: Amber House

Author: Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, Larkin Reed

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 368

Published: October 1st 2012 by Arthur A. Levine Books 

ISBN: 9780545434164

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: "I was sixteen the first time my grandmother died . . ."  Sarah Parsons has never seen Amber House, the grand Maryland estate that's been in her family for three centuries. She's never walked its hedge maze nor found its secret chambers; she's never glimpsed the shades that haunt it, nor hunted for lost diamonds in its walls.  But all of that is about to change. After her grandmother passes away, Sarah and her friend Jackson decide to search for the diamonds--and the house comes alive. She discovers that she can see visions of the house's past, like the eighteenth-century sea captain who hid the jewels, or the glamorous great-grandmother driven mad by grief. She grows closer to both Jackson and a young man named Richard Hathaway, whose family histories are each deeply entwined with her own. But when the visions start to threaten the person she holds most dear, Sarah must do everything she can to get to the bottom of the house's secrets, and stop the course of history before it is cemented forever. 

I Give This ...

This peaked my interest right from the start.  A little mix of history, ghosts, and maybe magic.  I was a little weary that maybe I was setting myself up for failure.  That and the fact that this has multiple authors had me a little hesitant.

There was no need to worry about all that.  This was really a great book.  Sarah gave an interesting voice to this story.  She has a very rocky relationship with her mother.  Her mother has deep dark secrets that are effecting every relationship she has ever had.  We learn about these gradually as Sarah explores the secrets the house has to offer.  And there are many.  Sarah proves to be extremely strong.  She manages to bring her family back together in ways I didn't even think possible.  And along the way she learns a lot of herself and her family.

As much as I enjoyed Sarah, I think the house itself is an important character to acknowledge.    With as much that has happened to its inhabitants, the house has a lot of stories to tell.  They are not at all pleasant.  While there are no true ghosts in this story, there are definitely parts that rival horror stories.  I think Sarah did a great job considering for awhile she did not realize what was happening to her.  

The chain of events is intense and as history unravels we learn the events that have brought us to were the family is today.  Completely not what I was expecting.  I loved it!  

 
 

 

A story that was surprising in events.  I will be looking forward to what these authors offer next. I recommend this to anyway that can stomach a good scary story!