(ARC) Review: THE ALMOST GIRL by Amalie Howard

The Almost Girl
by Amalie Howard
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Format Acquired: ARC from Publisher
Published January 7th 2013 by Strange Chemistry
Purchase: Amazon / Kobo / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

Seventeen-year-old Riven is as tough as they come. But 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?

MY REVIEW

(I received a physical ARC of this book from the publisher. This in no way affected my review. Big thanks to Caroline and Leah of Strange Chemistry!)

Watch out, guys! We got a new badass heroine over here!

Meet Riven, the Almost Girl. Why 'almost'? I also asked the same question before I read the book. At first, I thought she's born as a man (LOL) or like Pinocchio who was just created then later on became real. I imagined so many things already just by reading the title! (Not to mention the book cover) Is she some kind of a cyborg?

The Almost Girl is about a girl named Riven, who came from Neospes to Earth to accomplish a mission. The mission is to find Caden, the clone of Prince Cale to save the prince from dying. She wanted to save him not only because if his royalty, but also because he is her bestfriend. They've known each other since childhood. And this mission should be accomplished without Shae, her sister, getting in her way. So she did everything she could not to be seen, followed, or tracked by her sister.

I like Riven. A lot. I can't really explain why but maybe because we're kinda alike in some traits. She's not so girly, the silent type but thinks too much in the inside, sometimes cold, and pretty much sarcastic an some times. She also has good leadership skills. So like me! Born to be leaders! And I love how her character grew in the story. Yes, it took me a few weeks to finish this, because I think the pacing is slow, but Riven kept me going on. Riven, and Caden (or Cade).

Cade, hmmm. Well, I also like him. Hehehehe. The way he's described, he's gorgeous. Not exactly the 'nice guy' type, but the 'punky type'. He's into motorbikes! I adore guys who rides motorbikes rather than cars. I just can't think of a reason why he would go out with that bitchy girl Saddie. Then all of a sudden he would be showy about the way he feels for Riven. He actually kissed her while Saddie is still his girlfriend! I like it but I also hate the idea of flirting with other girls while you're still going out with another.

But the character I love most in the story is Shae. She's an ideal sister. For me. I liked her from the moment she appeared in the book. And the way she sacrificed herself for her sister who was likely to kill her? Impressive? Quite. Touching? Yes. She made me cry. I love her and I miss her.

Overall, this book is pretty good. I may not be that impressed from the previous book I read that was also written by Amalie Howard, but this book, The Almost Girl, made me think twice about her writing. I enjoyed reading it, I like the twists and turns, I like the characters and I'm hopefully looking forward for a sequel.

MY RATING

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amalie Howard

AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or being a tomboy running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. Traveling the globe, she has worked as a research assistant, marketing representative, teen speaker and global sales executive. In between writing novels and indulging her love of reading, Amalie is also a books review editor for TheLoopNY, and blogs at amaliehoward.com. She is represented by the Liza Royce Agency.

Her debut novel, BLOODSPELL, was selected as a Seventeen Magazine Summer Club Read. She is also the author of The AQUARATHI series from Harlequin TEEN (WATERFELL Nov 2013 and OCEANBORN Aug 2014), THE ALMOST GIRL from Strange Chemistry Jan 2014, and ALPHA GODDESS from Skyhorse/Sky Pony Press Mar 2014.

For tour and upcoming events, check out amaliehoward.com for more information.

Author Links:
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