Strange in Skin (#1) by Sara V. Zook ~ #BookReview

August 21, 2018

Title: Strange in Skin

Series: Strange in Skin #1

Author: Sara V. Zook

Release Date: January 24, 2012

Publisher: Planettopia Publishing

Source: Copy for review from the author  

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | Book Depository

My Rating:  

Synopsis 

From the moment Anna James meets the strange prisoner Emry Logan, she becomes instantly obsessed and will stop at nothing to try to get another interaction with him. But going against her family and church aren’t without consequence. 

She is deemed a traitor as she quickly realizes that there’s more to Emry’s past than just murder. He has a special ability that is far from human that he only shares with her. Feeling this magical connection, Anna has to free her beautiful inmate so that they can be together finally, but someone else knows about Emry’s secret and wants Anna to stop digging for answers as she finds herself in the midst of a modern day witch hunt. 

The life of an innocent pastor’s kid suddenly is turned upside down in a war between good and evil as Anna begins to wonder which people in her life are on the side of good, and is she one of them.

I loved Strange in Skin and warning - I will probably say that a lot in this review! This book left me speechless! Going into the first few chapters, I thought I knew what was going to happen, but then it took a left turn and left me reeling from the new revelations for days. I was so surprised and never saw it coming, and I became hooked. Every time I picked up the book, I was excited to read what would happen next.

Anna lives in a small town where everyone knows everyone, and her father is a pastor. Needless to say, she's pretty sheltered from the bad things that are out there in the world; however, a chance meeting with an inmate at the county prison named Emry turns her life completely upside down and opens her eyes to possibilities of a life she never before considered.

At first I wondered why she was still living at home at her age, but I realized since she's so innocent and sheltered that it made sense. Soon though, Anna's personality begins to change almost overnight. She starts lying to her family and sneaking around, things she had never done before. I felt her guilt right along with her as well as her excitement with meeting someone new and mysterious. I stressed out along with her and saw how her lies could very possibly ruin her life.

I was frustrated by just a couple of the changes in her personality - mostly the fixation on Emry that seemed unhealthy to me - but at the same time I could identify with feeling like she couldn't truly be herself, yearning to be free but is trapped, the way she felt she had to act "normal" around her family so they wouldn't notice the changes in her. At the same time, I came close to worrying for her sanity because of the massive transformation she underwent overnight based on a quick meeting with a stranger in a prison. The stress she was under didn't seem worth it to me.  

Characters in this novel weren't always who they seemed to be, and that's part of the mystery and awesomeness of this story. I began to think something wasn't quite right with Buck and Anna's father, and I had several different theories while I read.   There's a lot of mystery and action, and I was miserable whenever I had to put the book down. I was on the edge of my seat! I needed to know what was going to happen next, and I had to fight myself not to skip ahead. I knew it was best to let the story unfold. It isn't too slow at all - I was just in a hurry! 

I had so many questions about Emry. I needed to know if I could figure out what made him tick and what made him so mysterious. I went back and forth with Emry - at times he seemed like he was telling Anna the truth while other times he seemed like there was much that he was hiding from her. The complete trust she placed in him made me nervous. How could she do that when she truly didn't know him? But just when I'd think he was a liar, I'd find out something else that would make me change my mind. I really love characters you can't figure out right away! This was a huge reason I looked forward to picking up the book every time I had a chance to read.

The times I unwillingly had to put the book down, I needed to separate myself from Anna and her life. I had to remind myself this wasn't my life, these things weren't happening to me - my stomach was that twisted up! I really did like Anna though the choices she made at times had me wanting to jump in there and give her some much needed advice!

Overall, I was emotionally invested in the story and the characters. It was an intense and thrilling read with shocking twists and turns I never saw coming. I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique, emotional, and action packed story!

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