Welcome to my stop on the Into the Blind Blog Tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. Click here to follow along with the full tour schedule.
Title: Into the Blind
Author: Helen Rena
Publication date: June 2014
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Review copy
Purchase: Amazon
In a world where everyone is gifted, be it in dancing, lightning-bringing, or death-giving, Ever is born...all-powerful.
For this gift, she is kidnapped and trafficked at birth. Fifteen years later, Ever still hasn't seen even a glimmer of her powerful gift. Locked in an abandoned mall in New York City, she's fighting to survive her captivity, her brutal guards, and the other gifted kids in her cell. She would do anything to escape.
Fox is gifted with time manipulation. Like Ever, he hasn't come into his gift yet; like Ever, he hates the mall; and like Ever, he longs to be free. But there's only one thing he values above his freedom - it's Ever's love...
...yet, when the two make a desperate attempt to escape, this attempt proves so dark and twisted that it just might destroy Ever's love for Fox.
Praise for Into the Blind:
"A thrilling story...a must-read for the adventurous of heart!" ~ Gina Henning, author of Going Pecans
"...genuinely original and engaging..." ~ Jeanne Dallman, author of The Hour of Separation
"...unique voice...unique world...unique premise..."
~ Jon VanZile, editor of Dragon Tree Press
Into the Blind is a glimpse into a different world where everyone is born with a talent, and babies are kidnapped and raised by "guards" until they're old enough to come into their power. The guards are sadistic and abusive, and I felt infinitely sad thinking about these children being bought and sold, then raised in what amounts to be a prison. Sadly, child trafficking in real life does exist, and this book did remind me of that.
Ever, the main character, is blind but can see through the eyes of others around her. She has the most special talent of all: she's a heart child and can channel feeling into any person anywhere in the world. When she comes into her power, she can make people adore her or writhe in pain. I felt connected to her right away.
Fox, Sinna, and Demi are "raised" alongside Ever. I really didn't like Demi - she treats Ever horribly, which I think stems from jealousy of her. Sinna and Demi are in a relationship, but I think Sinna cares more about Ever than Demi would like. Fox is the leader of the group. He's worked out an escape plan, and each of the four has a role to play to make it happen.
You get to know these characters and quickly become emotionally connected with them. Though I'm not fond of Demi, I also felt for her and didn't want to see anything bad happen to her. To say you're on the edge of your seat while reading Into the Blind would be an understatement. I felt as though I was on an emotional roller coaster, and the suspense was thick enough to be palpable.
Into the Blind reminded me of the show Heroes (which I still miss like crazy!) except with a darker twist. I loved Ever right away. She seemed younger than her years and innocent though she was surrounded by the evil of the guards and her captivity. I think the love between Fox and Ever saved her. I can't say in the end if it destroys her or not - you'll have to read and decide for yourself!- but with the twists and turns plus the action and emotional pull, you'll race through to the end.
My Rating:
Helen Rena loves reading and writing novels. And short stories. And flash fiction. She has a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, and a vast collection of books and green bottles. She is still not sure why green bottles. She lives in Southern Oregon with her husband and two children. Please visit her at http://helenrena.com.
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Hi, Jennifer, this is such a lovely review. It's so amazing when a reader gets your book exactly as you meant it. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Helen! :)
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