Book Review: Gift by Andrea J. Buchanan

Daisy is a fifteen year old sophomore at Castle Creek High. She lives alone with her mother in a nice trailer park, really more like “a ‘community’” of small “modern, eco-friendly, pre-fab construction” modular homes.  Daisy has only ever known a life where it has been just her mother, herself and their cat Romeo. She never knew her father and her mother never talks about him. She has also never really been comfortable enough in her other schools to make a real friend because she has a secret. She has a gift that sets her apart from others. A gift that she does not yet fully understand.  

This past year has brought some positive changes to Daisy and her mother’s lives. As Daisy has grown older, she has finally found ways to help control her gift enough that her mother does not need to worry as much about her. Her control allows her enough confidence to finally begin to hope she will be able to live life as a relatively normal teenager for a change. The pair seemed to have settled well into a life in Southern California. Her mother has a good job as a nurse. Their home is cozy enough for the two of them and Daisy has finally found a best friend who she could trust sharing her secret with. Daisy has even met a boy. However, Daisy’s world is about to be shaken up once again when she befriends a girl named Vivi. Vivi also has a secret; one that has already put Vivi’s life in jeopardy and will also threaten Daisy and Danielle's lives too. 

Will Daisy be strong enough to save them all or will her gift be the reason they will all be destroyed?

Ms. Buchanan produces a solid story with a steadily paced narrative. I would readily recommend this book for readers younger YA readers.

What I liked about the book:

• Its paranormal elements were tethered very well to a real world scenario, making it easier for a reader to believe it could happen.
• The dialogue between the teenagers, especially Danielle’s rants, and their emotional turmoil was very realistic. 
• There is none of this teenage soul mate romantic nonsense that pollutes many books in the YA paranormal genre.  
•  The historical research that the group does to try and understand what is happening and why. I am a history dork and the historical part is always my favorite in tales of the supernatural.

What I was less fond of:

• The need to suspend your belief, not about the supernatural events but about the way Daisy’s mother is so oblivious to her daughter’s actions and what is really going on in her life. 

•  The plot was a little too simple for my tastes but again, a perfect read for younger YA readers. 

ISBN-13: 9781453220238