Description:
All her life Fern has been told she is blind to reality—but, what if she is the only one who can truly see?
Fern Johnson is crazy. At least, that’s what the doctors have claimed since her childhood. Now nineteen, and one step away from a psych ward, Fern struggles to survive in bustling Los Angeles. Desperate to appear normal, she represses the young man flickering at the edge of her awareness—a blond warrior only she can see.
Tristan was Fern’s childhood imaginary hero, saving her from monsters under her bed and outside her walls. As she grew up and his secret world continued to bleed into hers, however, it only caused catastrophe. But, when the city is rocked by the unexplainable, Fern is forced to consider the possibility that this young man is not a hallucination after all—and that the creature who decimated his world may be coming for hers.
About the Author: As the daughter of missionaries, KARA SWANSON spent sixteen years of her young life in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. Able to relate with characters dropped suddenly into a unique new world, she quickly fell in love with the speculative genre and was soon penning stories herself. At seventeen, she independently published her debut fantasy novel, Pearl of Merlydia. Her short story is included in Kathy Ide’s 21 Days of Joy: Stories that Celebrate Mom. She has published many articles, including one in the Encounter magazine, and she received the Mount Hermon Most Promising Teen Writer award in 2015 My Review: 5 stars!
This book is very different from any other I’ve read to date and I have to say that I loved it! The cover caught my eye the moment I saw it, and I was even more intrigued after reading the cover blurb. Someone who could see what others could not? An imaginary friend that’s “real”? Color me curious! I couldn’t resist diving into this story and once I did, I read it in one sitting!
I’m not always a fan of books written from the first-person perspective, but Ms. Swanson did an excellent job! I loved her writing and was actually pulled in from the author’s note at the beginning! I hadn’t even read the opening line and just knew it was going to be a great book! I enjoyed Fern’s perspective and actually found myself laughing a time or two, at her sarcastic comments. I don’t want to say much and chance giving anything away, but I do have to say that I really enjoyed how Ms. Swanson created this fantasy world that seemed completely legit. I could easily picture everything Fern saw and often felt I was right there beside her, racing against time and struggling to make sense of everything that was happening. I felt as though I had made a new friend by the time I turned the final page. And I can honestly say that I was so absorbed in this story that when I looked up after finishing it, I was a little surprised to find myself on my couch and not standing in Fern’s kitchen, or seeing the destruction that had been wrought. And I loved that! If a book can hold my attention so completely, it was definitely a good book, in my opinion, and probably worth a reread or two.
My only “negative” comment, which is also a compliment to the author, is that I wanted it to be longer! I know it’s listed as a “novella,” but I always want the books I so enjoy to be longer! I didn’t want it to end! Though Ms. Swanson did an excellent job with the ending, too! At first, I was pretty upset, because I hadn’t realized I had one more chapter to go. By the time I finished the final chapter, it was all good and I was grinning, despite knowing I now had to figure out how to be a functioning member of society again. I don’t know how anyone could expect me to, [insert useful life skill here], after having my heart ripped out by a fictional character and then returned! But, unfortunately, I know they do, so I’ve pulled myself together and am planning to start a petition for another book from this amazing author!
Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by! If you'd like, you can also find my interview with Kara, here.
To celebrate her tour, Kara is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card!! Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!
And be sure to stop by the other stops on this blog tour (listed below) to earn extra entries!
June 27: A Baker’s Perspective
June 27: A Simply Enchanted Life
June 27: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
June 28: Kristin’s Book Reviews
June 28: Christian Chick’s Thoughts
June 29: Fiction Aficionado
June 29: Genesis 5020
June 30: Smiling Book Reviews
June 30: The Fizzy Pop Collection
July 1: Blogging With Carol
July 1: remembrancy
July 2: Inklings and notions
July 2: Ashley’s Bookshelf
July 3: Zerina Blossom’s Books
July 3: Margaret Kazmierczak
July 4: Book by Book
July 5: Dragons Read History
July 5: Through the Open Window
July 6: It’s Storytime with Van Daniker
July 6: Baker Kella
July 7: Pause for Tales
July 7: Edits and Reviews By Leslie
July 8: Books, Books, and More Books.
July 8: Pursuing Stacie
July 9: Reader’s cozy corner
July 9: A path of joy
July 10: Neverending Stories
July 10: Henry Happens
P.S.
You can also purchase a copy of the book on Amazon for $2.99 or read for free with Kindle Unlimited! Just thought I'd throw that out there. :)
Sarah, I LOVED your review. I so enjoy when I am reading a book to be totally swept away and feel so a part of the story that I forget the real world around me. Glad to hear that "The Girl Who Could See" is that kind of book and defintely one to read :)
ReplyDeleteYay Sarah! Was this your first Celebrate Lit one? Glad you liked the book so much. I'll have to add it to my TBR pile
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I'm excited to read this one!
ReplyDeleteExcellent review--now I want to read this. I've read books with similar story lines, but nothing like what this book promises. And 5 stars is hard to pass up!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I loved this one also. :)
ReplyDelete