Seeing Night Review is the next stop in the Undertow by K.R. Conway Tour.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
GENRE: Young Adult
THEME: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
RECEIVED: Tour
BLURB:
Luckless Eila is unknowingly the last of her kind: Rare. Gifted. Breakable. Stunning Raef is her kind's historic enemy: Soulless. Lethal. Lost. A legendary death 160 years before would set their lives to collide, forcing a beautiful killer to become a savior, a simple wallflower to become a warrior, and ruthless destiny to become a death sentence.
High school senior Eila Walker knows that good luck skips over her like an Easter Bunny on Speed. So when she inherits her grandmother's million-dollar Cape Cod home, she is downright shocked. And yeah, her new town isn't perfect: the cheerleaders are heinous clones, the local undertow can kill ya, and her Great Grams was supposedly fried by lightning in the harbor square. Still, Eila is hopeful her luckless days are in the past . . . until history decides to repeat itself.
A self-proclaimed loner and previous-social reject, Eila thinks she's hit the jackpot when drool-worthy Raef O’Reilly becomes her friendly, yet weirdly protective shadow. But being hauled beneath the waves by an unnatural undertow slams the brakes on bliss – especially when Raef storms to her aid with coal-black eyes and iron-like strength.
Eila, entirely freaked, demands an explanation and Raef comes clean, revealing that neither of them are average humans but rather the genetic remnants of an angelic pissing-match gone wrong. Eila supposedly can channel the power of human souls, while Raef is quite adept at stealing them. Even worse, the legend about her ancestor isn't such a myth, since Eila’s grandmother was one kick-ass warrior until her lightning-like power backfired. A power that is written all over Eila's DNA.
Now sought by Raef’s own family for her destructive ability, Eila must trust him to watch her back. But when a quest for information goes terribly wrong, Eila is suddenly left with only two options: become a weapon for the enemy or follow in her Gram’s fearless footsteps to save those she loves. Unfortunately she needs a willing enemy to ignite her suicidal energy and the only one she trusts has been guarding her butt and scorching her lips.
High school senior Eila Walker knows that good luck skips over her like an Easter Bunny on Speed. So when she inherits her grandmother's million-dollar Cape Cod home, she is downright shocked. And yeah, her new town isn't perfect: the cheerleaders are heinous clones, the local undertow can kill ya, and her Great Grams was supposedly fried by lightning in the harbor square. Still, Eila is hopeful her luckless days are in the past . . . until history decides to repeat itself.
A self-proclaimed loner and previous-social reject, Eila thinks she's hit the jackpot when drool-worthy Raef O’Reilly becomes her friendly, yet weirdly protective shadow. But being hauled beneath the waves by an unnatural undertow slams the brakes on bliss – especially when Raef storms to her aid with coal-black eyes and iron-like strength.
Eila, entirely freaked, demands an explanation and Raef comes clean, revealing that neither of them are average humans but rather the genetic remnants of an angelic pissing-match gone wrong. Eila supposedly can channel the power of human souls, while Raef is quite adept at stealing them. Even worse, the legend about her ancestor isn't such a myth, since Eila’s grandmother was one kick-ass warrior until her lightning-like power backfired. A power that is written all over Eila's DNA.
Now sought by Raef’s own family for her destructive ability, Eila must trust him to watch her back. But when a quest for information goes terribly wrong, Eila is suddenly left with only two options: become a weapon for the enemy or follow in her Gram’s fearless footsteps to save those she loves. Unfortunately she needs a willing enemy to ignite her suicidal energy and the only one she trusts has been guarding her butt and scorching her lips.
REVIEW:
Such a great start to a new series that I will definitely be continuing. This one brought me back from my small hiatus from young adult books. I felt like I was getting too much repetition in the genre and am so glad I retuned with such an awesome read. I applaud K.R. Conway for an original plot line with a lot of history, romance, mystery and paranormal goodies to keep me reading in one sitting.Undertow follows Eila Walker who has just received some surprising news. She has just inherited a million dollar home in Cape Cod, without much thought she and her guardian Mae head there to start their new lives. But when Eila starts to get comfortable with her new home, she realizes she has some history in this small town. The home she lives in belongs to her 4th generation grand parents, thus making her wonder how she got this home and who knew who she was. But that’s only the beginning as she soon discovers her grandmother’s memories are connected to her and some powerful beings are after her. With the help of her new friends and the very protective Raef, she discovers she has the power to stop history from repeating itself.
Eila is a down to earth kind of girl, one that normally doesn’t get along with the cool group but just tries to get through the days. Being connected to old money and a inheriting a famous estate doesn’t make her popular with some of the kids, she makes friends other outsiders like herself. But after an accident at the beach and a creature tries to drag her under the water, her friends let her know she is the last of her kind to a very powerful family. Eila’s character has a lot to take in; she has some major history about her family that she never knew existed. Plus an ability she doesn’t understand, along with a dangerous enemy that would be more than happy to take her life. Even though she took all this insane information really well, I felt her demeanor and determination to keep her friends and family safe made her a real likable character. I was rooting for her from beginning to end and loved discovering more about her lineage.
Raef is one of those guys that you know all the girls at school are dreaming about secretly. He’s strong, very good-looking and very protective of Eila, even though she doesn’t know he’s protecting her at the start. That is until he tells her the truth. He has a whole secret about himself that was an excellent twist. What I loved most about his character is that he doesn’t hide his feelings; he cares for Eila and shows it with his devotion to watch over her, find answers and fight off the bad guys. He’s like a big teddy bear that you just want to hug and know will keep you safe. I really enjoyed his chemistry with Eila; they seriously had a great connection and some cute scene together.
Overall this is one of my new favorite series that I can’t wait to continue. Conway created a whole back-story that all start 160 years ago and I can tell there is still much more to learn. The secondary characters are just as good as the main protagonist, with her two school mates MJ and Ana being great sidekicks with some interesting tricks up their sleeves, and Kian a playboy big brother type that helps Raef keep Elia safe. They all have great stories about themselves that I’m hoping we get more insight on in the next book. This series has it all, with paranormal elements, suspense, great villains and of course romance. This is a book to add to your list to read asap!
RECOMMENDATION:
This is a young adult novel that will have you asking for more. Fans of Maurissa Guibords Revel and Jennifer Esteps Mythos Academy series will want to get their read on with Undertow by K.R. Conway.
I have been a journalist for 15 years and serve on the Board of Directors for the Cape Cod Writers Center. I also drive a 16-ton school bus because I am ENTIRELY NUTS.
In addition to working jobs that should come with a warning label , I hold a BA in Psychos (Forensic Psych), torment the tourists about Jaws, and occasionally jump from the Town Neck bridge in an attempt to reclaim my youth.
I live on Cape Cod with two smallish humans who apparently are my kids, my fishing- obsessed husband, two canines (adept at both flatulence and snoring), and a cage-defiant lovebird that sleeps in a miniature tent. Nope - that's not a type-o. The bird is quite the indoor camper.
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