Release Date: May 17, 2016
Publisher: Soho Teen
Pages: 245
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Summary
In 1916, Emma O'Neill is frozen in time. After sampling an experimental polio vaccine brewed on a remote island off St. Augustine, Florida, she and her family stop aging--as do the Ryans, her family's business partners. In a way, this suits Emma fine because she's in love with Charlie Ryan. Being seventeen forever with him is a dream. But soon a group of religious fanatics, the Church of Light, takes note. Drinking the elixir has made the O'Neills and Ryans impervious to aging, but not to murder--Emma and Charlie are the only ones who escape with their lives.
On the run, Emma is tragically separated from Charlie. For the next hundred years, she plays a cat-and-mouse game with the founding members of the Church of Light and their descendants. Over the years, a series of murders--whose victims all bear more than a passing resemblance to her--indicate that her enemies are closing in. Yet as the danger grows, so does Emma's hope for finding the boy she's certain is still out there...--Goodreads
The Rundown
At a glance, this book has everything I love: romance, history, and splash of suspense/thriller thrown in.
What I got was...not what I expected? Anti-climatic? A big dose of "hmmm..."?
The thing is that it started out great. Two teens, Emma and Charlie, hopelessly in love and immortal at seventeen, a year before the US enters World War One. I mean, how cool would it be to go through the 20th century together? The fashion eras, the cars, the fads...off topic.
They were tricked into drinking a tea made from flowers growing in the Fountain of Youth of legend, told it was a natural cure for polio. Right about the time both families realize that something is wrong, that they're not aging, so does a fanatical church group. Their immortality becomes the evil the Church of Light is committed to exterminating.
And they succeed in burning both families alive--all except for Emma and Charlie. Charlie encourages Emma that they need to go in different directions to confuse the murderous congregation. Emma is very much against this, but Charlie leaves her standing in a road alone all the same.
From there, the story goes back and forth between past and present following mostly Emma. Charlie's journey over the last century gets some page time about halfway through the book.
At this point, I was still hooked. I loved seeing what Emma and Charlie had done with their endless days since 1916. I wanted to know what the Church of Light had morphed into and the significance of girls who looked just like Emma found murdered (and so did Emma, who is a licensed PI in the 21st century). Would Emma and Charlie ever find each other? How would they reunite?
So I'm edge of my seat with an honest to goodness page turned when we get to the big moment. What all this was building up to, the final showdown with what's left of the Church of Light and an end to the murders. And instead of an explosion of a climax, it was more of like throwing one of those snap poppers on the ground. Not even a sparkler's worth of excitement for all of that buildup.
All of that build up just to end in blah.
Majorly bummed.
This was such a fun, twisting, totally plot driven book that tapered off to the equivalent of being at an ice cream sundae bar and walking away with just a bowl of vanilla. No sprinkles. Not even a cherry. Just...hmmm...
For two people who loved each other for over a century and faced down a murderous cult, I expected a sizzle of and ending and instead just got a fizzle (I'm rolling my eyes a little for typing that, but hey, my blog my rhymes).
Rating: 3 Stars. Just meh, but if you're looking for a quick read thriller, give it a go.
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