The Holders ARC review

The Holders by Julianna Scott

Book Synopsis.

17-year-old Becca spent her whole life protecting her brother from, well, everything. The abandonment of their father, the so-called 'experts' who insist that voices in his head are unnatural and must be dealt with, and the constant threat of being taken away to some hospital and studied like an animal. When two representatives appear claiming to have the answers to Ryland's perceived problem, Becca doesn't buy it for one second. That is until they seem to know things about Ryland and about Becca and Ryland's family, that forces Becca to concede that there may be more to these people than meets the eye. Though still highly skeptical, Becca agrees to do what's best for Ryland.

What they find at St. Brigid's is a world beyond their imagination. Little by little they piece together the information of their family's heritage, their estranged Father, and the legend of the Holder race that decrees Ryland is the one they've been waiting for. However, they are all--especially Becca--in for a surprise that will change what they thought they knew about themselves and their kind.

She meets Alex, a Holder who is fiercely loyal to their race, and for some reason, Becca and Ryland. There's an attraction between Becca and Alex that can't be denied, but her true nature seems destined to keep them apart. However, certain destinies may not be as clear-cut as everyone has always believed them to be.

Becca is lost, but found at the same time. Can she bring herself to leave Ryland now that he's settled and can clearly see his future? Will she be able to put the feelings she has for Alex aside and head back to the US? And can Becca and Ryland ever forgive their father for what he's done?

My review.

My rating 5 of 5 stars.

First off let me just thank Strange Chemistry for sending me this ARC. I was rather shocked to find it in with the book I had requested, but it was a nice shocked. There was something about the cover and the synopsis that drew me straight in and despite the fact I was supposed to be reading something else I couldn't help myself.

This was an amazingly quick and easy read, written so well that you are swept up in the story and don't realise how much you have actually read (360 pages in total), I would look up from the book and realise that whole hours had passed. Julianna Scott has created a world that is different to ours, but fits almost seamlessly into ours and explains the differences in a way that the reader doesn't become confused. We learn right alongside Becca with the same ease as she does.

For the first time in a long while I became invested in the characters in this book as though I had been reading about them for a long time. So much so when Becca and Jocelyn have their discussion near the end of the book I was in tears and almost as emotional as Becca. This is a world I can become involved with, and these are characters that are already dear to my heart. I cant wait to read more about Becca and her new found family.