Spark

Spark by Rachel Craw (Walker Books)

PB RRP $19.95

ISBN 9781922179623

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Evie’s mother has recently died. She now lives with her aunt Miriam, her mother’s twin. She has so much to contend with: her grief, the incredible change in body and mind that she doesn’t understand, and her feelings for her best friend Kitty’s twin brother Jamie, that have resurged with his return.

Priming, Spark, Kinetic Memory Transference, Harvest, and Stray, is language that belongs to the Affinity Project. Evie has to learn about all this and what it means. Her altered DNA from an inherited synthetic gene has kicked in and the strange feelings that overwhelm her can now be explained. She has become a Shield, and the protector of her best friend Kitty from the unknown Stray that has threatened her life.

As Evie must fight her fears and doubts about this new person she has become, and the responsibility that goes with it, while countless scenarios unfold around her. Secrets about her family come to light in rapid sequence. Life becomes an emotional battleground as she seeks to uncover the Spark’s identity, and unravel her tangled feelings.

Mystery, suspense, romance and intrigue fill the pages. Spark is the first of a riveting trilogy. It contains all the elements of a perfect mystery thriller, spiced with a sizzling attraction between the two main characters that zaps like an electrical charge on the pages. The fantastic characters and their individual lives and dilemmas create a page-turning frenzy. You’ll love the bad characters as much as the good. I can’t wait for Book 2: Stray and Book 3: Shield, which are coming soon.