Review for Spectral

Convinced she’s a part of the witness protection program, sixteen-year-old Jewel Rose is shuffled around the globe with her family like a pack of traveling gypsies. After arriving at lucky home twenty-seven, she stumbles upon a mysterious boy with magical powers claiming to be her guardian . . . and warning of imminent danger. Despite the obvious sparks between them, Jewel discovers a relationship is forbidden, and the more she learns about dark, brooding Roman, she begins to question who she can even believe—the family who raised her, or the supposed sworn protector who claims they’ve been lying to her all along. 

As she struggles to uncover who her family has really been running from, she is forced to hide her birthmark that reveals who she is. With new realities surfacing, unexplained powers appearing, and two tempting boys vying for her heart, Jewel battles to learn who she can trust in an ever growing sea of lies, hoping she’ll make it through her seventeenth birthday alive.

My thoughts:

This book is filled to the brim with action.  I don't recall a single moment the story lagged.  The way each member of a witch coven has their own special power made the story unique.  The characters were a little bland for my taste.  Jewel was hard for me to get attached to.  I mostly just felt sorry for her up until the last 2 chapters.  Some answers came to her a little too conveniently.  Roman was easy to like, but so was Chase.  That was a bit frustrating, but I was so relieved there wasn't the over done love triangle.  I kept visualizing Boris & Natasha from the Bull Winkle cartoons for Uncle Boris & Aunt Eva.

 Just like Jewel, I never could figure out who she should trust until the end.  I liked that I couldn't predict the outcome precisely.  I'm not sure if this book will be part of series.  There wasn't a cliff hanger ending to indicate that it is.  

I rate it 3.7

Review copy provided by Tribute Books.