Jaime's Review of Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby

Her mom is dead.
Ghosts follow her around.
Her best friend is an elephant.
And she’s about to meet the biggest game changer of all: a boy. With a secret.

When circus-dwelling Gemma Flannery learns she will be attending public school for the first time in her seventeen years, little does she know that fitting in with her 12th-grade classmates will be the least of her concerns. A pro at hiding her knack for seeing the dead (“shades”), Gemma is grieving the recent suicide of her mentally ill mother, a process eased by the introduction of her first real love interest, the charming and painfully handsome Henry Dmitri, who is harboring his own collection of dangerous secrets. Together, they will be presented with a frightening challenge: to assume their roles as heirs to a 3000-year-old magical text, the AVRAKEDAVRA, a book the über-rich, sleight-of-being master Lucian Dmitri would do anything to get his hands on. As each terrifying layer in her new reality melts away, Gemma unearths truths that her quiet, nomadic life with the Cinzio Traveling Players is not at all what she’d always cherished. Gemma and Henry must rely on each other to stop Lucian’s diabolical plotting that will bring the world to its tired, scab-riddled knees, and are sent on the flight of their young lives, to save themselves, their families, and the world from the darkest kind of destruction.

Let the chase begin.


Jaime's review...

I received an advance copy of Sleight to review from the author Jennifer Sommersby and was very excited to dig into this book. I love stories that have magic in them and I also love the circus setting.

In a nutshell Gemma is grieving her mother's death when her whole life us upended. She soon comes to learn that her travelling circus life will stop that she has to attend a real high school and deal with all that comes with it. She is a very strong character and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty if she has to but, she is reluctant to deal with the ghosts (or "Shades" as they're called in the book) or her destiny to save the world.

Enter Henri Dmitri gorgeous and smart. Gemma and he are instantly drawn towards each other although everyone else wants to keep them apart. They must figure out their strange connection and why Henry's dad Lucien wants them dead over a book called the AVARA-K. Their story of love and loss will have you reading late into the night.

I loved this book! Gemma's character reminded me of myself when I was younger. I did have a bit of a hard time with Henri at first he is just too nice but, throughout the book I found myself falling in love with him just like Gemma. There's also a boy named Ash who I really really like. Jenn I think I'll keep Ash for myself. I loved the characters in this book Marlene, Ted, Junie, Ash, Gemma, Henri, and uncle Irwin he was an awesome uncle who made me laugh. I also liked how the circus was used as a main part of this first book seeing as we'll be headed somewhere else for book 2. Jenn's writing is so easy to read you just melt into the story and you actually feel for all the characters. I could smell the circus, taste the Jack Daniels, and feel their genuine pain. I am anxiously waiting for book 2. So if you like a good love story with twists, turns, and magic go buy this book! Thank you again Jenn for the Advance copy!

http://www.amazon.com/Sleight-Book-One-AVRA-K-ebook/dp/B004TNI9VG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1302207361&sr=8-1