Author: Rachel McClellan
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc (February 7, 2012)
Source: NetGalley ARC
From GoodReads:
Llona Reese is used to living on the run. After the Vykens killed her parents, she knew they would eventually come for her too. She can’t take any chances. But when she starts to make friends for the first time in her life, she gets careless and lets her guard down. Big mistake.
As an Aura, Llona can manipulate light and harness its energy. But if she wants to survive, Llona will have to defy the Auran Council and learn to use her power as a weapon against the Vyken whose sole desire is to take her light. Now she’s caught in something even bigger than she can understand, with a power she can’t wield, and no one she can trust, except, just maybe, a mysterious stranger.
In this breathtaking and romantic adventure, Rachel McClellan delivers a truly mesmerizing story that will keep you guessing to the very end.
There is so much to be said about McClellan's beautifully written Fractured Light. While there is no shortage of Paranormal books on the market right now, McClellan manages to create something that is completely new and different while fitting solidly into the genre and market.
Llona is a girl that knows there is something about her that is different. She is an Aura and has the ability to harness light and the power it contains. Unlike other Auras, though, she lives smack dab in the middle of the real world and has to deal with real-world issues. Llona grew up different and that difference makes her a powerful adversary for those who want to see her gone. Can Llona find a place in the "regular" world and the world that is unique to the Auras and their Guardians.
I have read a lot of paranormal YA literature in the past couple years. More, probably, than I should admit. And, as much as I've read, sometimes it's hard to find something unique in the stories - but Fractured Light was still unique and told a completely new story in a crowded genre. McClellan's writing is crisp and focused, with each chapter leading the reader deeper into the world she has created.
One of my favorite parts of Fractured Light is the idea that there is magic working around us all day every day. There is a beautiful simplicity to that magic and a haunting reassurance that the unexplainable exists and cannot be defined. We live with magic inside us - and every person has the power to either make it shine or squash it down.
Thank you so much for the great review. Usually I don't comment as I don't want to seem like I'm stalking my own reviews (every author secretly does :) ), but I just had to comment on your last paragraph. You nailed the heart of Fractured Light. If you're not already a writer, you should be. Seriously cool.
ReplyDeleteOh, and On Writing is one of my favorite writing books, too. My other is Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Mass. You should check it out.
Hope to cross paths with you again,
Rachel McClellan
I really enjoyed this YA novel. Something about Llona drew me in from the beginning. She is living with her Uncle as her parents were killed (at different times) by a Vyken. A Vyken hunts Auras because if they drink the blood of an Aura then they can walk in day light. Problem is, you don't really know who they are.
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