Format: Paperback
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 272
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 272
Age Group: Young Adult
Challenge: Debut Author Challenge 2012, 100+ Reading Challenge, Read and Review Challenge
Buy this book: Amazon UK
Buy this book: Amazon UK
Synopsis [Amazon UK]
By the time seventeen-year-old Delaney Maxwell is pulled out of the icy waters of a frozen lake, her heart has stopped beating. She is in a coma and officially dead. But Delaney pulls through. How? Doctors are mystified. Outwardly she has completely recovered. But Delaney knows something is very wrong. Pulled by sensations she can't control, she finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her brain predicting death or causing it? Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who lost his whole family in a car accident and emerged from a coma with the same powers as Delaney. At last she's found a kindred spirit who'll understand what she's going through. But Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature - or something much more frightening?
The cover...
The cover is simple yet elegant. It shows the image of Delaney, on that icy cold day wearing her red parka jacket not knowing her fate, perfectly. It would have been great if the title was all icy or something though.
How did I find out about this book?
I bought this book for the Debut Author Challenge that I am participating in.
What is this book about?
Whilst on the way to play a game in the snow with some friends, a girl called Delaney loses her balance on an iced over lake causing the ice to crack and Delaney to fall into the icy water below. Delaney was under the water/unconscious for eleven minutes, enough to kill her, but something keeps her alive and changes her life in a way she could never imagine.
My opinion...
The character of Delaney Maxwell is like that of any other young teenager who wants to be the best and have fun with it. However, her life changes the day that she and her best friend Decker decide to cross the icy lake to get to their friends instead of going around it.
The fact that Delaney has experienced something terrifying and miraculous yet is still able to consider doing school work is beyond me? She comes across as being worried for her life and yet there still has to be that mention of school and how she wishes to be Valedictorian, and get good grades, it makes no sense to me. I get that you would want to be successful but not when it has only been a week or so since you came out of a life threatening coma! I see that school can become a distraction for Delaney but it gets to the point where that is all she thinks about.
It seems that for the first 60 pages or so, it firstly defines what happened to Delaney and then it goes on a path of discussions of school, a will they won't they relationship between Delaney and her best friend Decker and a controlled zombie like state (this is what I imagine) every time Delaney feels the 'pull'. Another aspect is that of people owing others - mainly that of Delaneys' debt to all of her friends for saving her life. They all played a part in saving her and now she owes them for this privilege, all I kept thinking here was 'I'm not jealous of those friends!'.
Whilst on the way to play a game in the snow with some friends, a girl called Delaney loses her balance on an iced over lake causing the ice to crack and Delaney to fall into the icy water below. Delaney was under the water/unconscious for eleven minutes, enough to kill her, but something keeps her alive and changes her life in a way she could never imagine.
My opinion...
The character of Delaney Maxwell is like that of any other young teenager who wants to be the best and have fun with it. However, her life changes the day that she and her best friend Decker decide to cross the icy lake to get to their friends instead of going around it.
The fact that Delaney has experienced something terrifying and miraculous yet is still able to consider doing school work is beyond me? She comes across as being worried for her life and yet there still has to be that mention of school and how she wishes to be Valedictorian, and get good grades, it makes no sense to me. I get that you would want to be successful but not when it has only been a week or so since you came out of a life threatening coma! I see that school can become a distraction for Delaney but it gets to the point where that is all she thinks about.
It seems that for the first 60 pages or so, it firstly defines what happened to Delaney and then it goes on a path of discussions of school, a will they won't they relationship between Delaney and her best friend Decker and a controlled zombie like state (this is what I imagine) every time Delaney feels the 'pull'. Another aspect is that of people owing others - mainly that of Delaneys' debt to all of her friends for saving her life. They all played a part in saving her and now she owes them for this privilege, all I kept thinking here was 'I'm not jealous of those friends!'.
In reference to the characters, I warmed to Delaney and Decker's relationship rather to Delaney herself. The way in which they were able to have a conversation full of wit and humour was a main reason why I was so drawn to it. They've been best friends for years so when they start to get jealous of each others' relationships it slightly takes them by surprise but it was fun to find out what happens between the two of them and how their relationship has its positives and negatives. I think this is the reason why I carried on reading the book, I wanted to know what would happen between them! However, Delaney's relationship with her parents, especially her mother, was rather strange. Her mothers actions after the accident are not entirely motherly and the reference to her own parents to somewhat explain that was weird and made it seem like this book should have some form of sequel (maybe it does?). The character of Troy creeped me out from the beginning and made me think 'what is your purpose?' and I was quite disappointed in what I found out in regards to him.
Don't get me wrong, the book was ok, I just wanted there to be some sort of closure in regards to Delaney's 'power'. Throughout the book she wants to save people so what now? It doesn't really make any sense for this to be a standalone book. It seems like there are two different stories going on in this book, both starting off with Delaney's accident. The first is that of how Delaney's life changes through school, home and her love life and the other is the power in which Delaney obtains through the accident.
I think the message of the book however is powerful. The question of 'If you had one day left to live, what would you do?' is a question worth finding out the answer to.
If you enjoyed this book: what to read next...
Don't get me wrong, the book was ok, I just wanted there to be some sort of closure in regards to Delaney's 'power'. Throughout the book she wants to save people so what now? It doesn't really make any sense for this to be a standalone book. It seems like there are two different stories going on in this book, both starting off with Delaney's accident. The first is that of how Delaney's life changes through school, home and her love life and the other is the power in which Delaney obtains through the accident.
I think the message of the book however is powerful. The question of 'If you had one day left to live, what would you do?' is a question worth finding out the answer to.
If you enjoyed this book: what to read next...
There is a short story in relation to this book highlighting Decker's side of the story title Eleven Minutes. I think it is great that the author has taken into account what Decker was feeling the days in which Delaney was in a coma/on deaths door, however, it would be great to know his take on more of story.
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