Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike - OPTIONAL

Pike, Aprilynne Earthbound, 338 pgs.  Razorbill, 2013.  $17.99  Content: Language: PG-13 (47 swears); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13.  

Tavia is the only survivor of an airline crash that took her parents.  After much brain surgery, she is now living with some distant relatives and working through her issues with her therapist.  The biggest light in her world is her best friend, Benson, a college student who works at the local library.  Tavia starts seeing a boy, Quinn,  who keeps telling her to follow him, but he is a ghost or something that is not quite there, which confuses Tavia and makes her aware that the world is not what she thinks.  After overhearing a cryptic message from her caretaker, she goes to Benson and they make a plan to try and figure out what Tavia’s secrets are.  

This is the first book in a new series, so there is a lot of world building and at times it is slow and boring, but I kept reading because I wanted to know what Tavia’s secrets were.  I’m interested to know what happens to all of the characters, because this book left me hanging.  I was frustrated with Tavia’s insta-love for Quinn and how she ignored her caretakers when they were trying to explain what was going on.  The ideas in this book are original enough, and there’s nothing really wrong with this book, but it’s not a must read either.  

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