The Almost Girl Review

The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard


Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Riven is as tough as they come. Coming from a world ravaged by a devastating android war, she has to be. There’s no room for softness, no room for emotion, no room for mistakes. A Legion General, she is the right hand of the young Prince of Neospes, a parallel universe to Earth. In Neospes, she has everything: rank, responsibility and respect. But when Prince Cale sends her away to find his long-lost brother, Caden, who has been spirited back to modern day Earth, Riven finds herself in uncharted territory.

Thrown out of her comfort zone but with the mindset of a soldier, Riven has to learn how to be a girl in a realm that is the opposite of what she knows. Riven isn’t prepared for the beauty of a world that is unlike her own in so many ways. Nor is she prepared to feel something more than indifference for the very target she seeks. Caden is nothing like Cale, but he makes something in her come alive, igniting a spark deep down that goes against every cell in her body. For the first time in her life, Riven isn’t sure about her purpose, about her calling. Torn between duty and desire, she must decide whether Caden is simply a target or whether he is something more.

Faced with hideous reanimated Vector soldiers from her own world with agendas of their own, as well as an unexpected reunion with a sister who despises her, it is a race against time to bring Caden back to Neospes. But things aren’t always as they seem, and Riven will have to search for truth. Family betrayals and royal coups are only the tip of the iceberg. Will Riven be able to find the strength to defy her very nature? Or will she become the monstrous soldier she was designed to be?

Lisa's Review - 3.5 out of 5 stars

I really struggled with a rating for this book! After finishing it, I was torn between my thoughts on it, as part of me really enjoyed the way the story was written, and I quite liked Amalie Howards style. The other part of me was torn in the other direction as I feel there was so much of this story that went over my head as I didn't understand what was going on in some places and also the story seemed to be slightly frantic in places.
So I have gone for a rating in the middle, veering slightly towards the higher end with the extra .5 as I enjoyed the ending.

The first half of this book was a let down for me, and a few times I almost gave up. The usual High School setting and Riven's sulky loner attitude were hard to get to grips with and made this somewhat of a slow burner. I stuck with it though, and I am glad I did as the second half, the setting switches to
Neopses, a parallel universe where Riven is really from. She came to our world to find Caden, the brother, or 'clone' of Cale, who is dying and needs his clone to save his life.

I struggled to connect with Riven as the main character during the first half, although you get an insight as to why she is so cold and hard, it doesn't make her a very easy MC to get on with, When she pairs up with her sister, and then gets to Neopses, was when I started to like Riven, and the depth of the character came out, which I also found helped the story flow better.

I have a feeling there might be more to come from Amalie Howard and Riven, and I look forward to reading it if there is, as I think another instalment after The Almost Girl might be even better than this book.

Links

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17397481-the-almost-girl?from_search=true

http://amaliehoward.com/

Purchase Links

Amazon UK  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Almost-Girl-Riven-Amalie-Howard/dp/1908844795/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388497205&sr=1-1&keywords=the+almost+girl

Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Almost-Girl-Amalie-Howard/dp/1908844809/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388497182&sr=1-1&keywords=the+almost+girl

B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-almost-girl-amalie-howard/1115123714?ean=9781908844804

KOBO http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/the-almost-girl