The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams - OPTIONAL

Williams, Avery  The Alchemy of Forever Simon and Schuster, 2012. $16.99  246 pages. 

Content: Language: PG-13 (11 swears; 2 Gods); Sexual Content: PG; Violence: PG.  

Sera has lived on earth longer than six hundred years with her boyfriend Cyrus.  When she and Cyrus first met at a masquerade ball, they had an instant connection but their relationship was quickly sealed for eternity when she is stabbed by a highway robber and Cyrus administers an elixir that allows her to live forever as long as she changes bodies every ten years.  Cyrus finds Sera bodies over time by taking the lives of homeless people or drug addicts, and over time he becomes extremely possessive.  Sera is done living this kind of life and has decided that this time when Cyrus tries to change her spirit into another body that she will just die instead.  As she runs away from Cyrus and tries to die, she witnesses a car accident and finds herself inside the body of the teenage girl, Kailey, from the accident.  Kailey’s family is so relieved that Kailey appears safe from her accident that Sera decides to live as Kailey.  In the meantime, she feels a connection to the next door neighbor boy and starts to understand what real love feels like.  However, Cyrus will not give up on Sera and is determined to find her.  

I thought the idea of this book was super creative and I liked the main character, but I hate that the ending leaves the reader hanging.  If it had more of an ending I would give it and advisable rating.  

MS, HS-OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.