Blog Tour and Review - Spectral by Shannon Duffy

Today is Waiting For Wentworth's turn on the Spectral Blog Tour!!

Spectral by Shannon Duffy

ebook, 242 pages
Published April 10th 2012 by Tribute Books

Synopsis:

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 Review:
3 Stars

Before reading Spectral I had no idea what a 'spectral' was. The author does a great job with the reveal. Learning about Jewel and what it means to be a spectral was quite intriguing. I thought it was very unique and I loved the mystery behind that part of the story.

Jewel was likable, for the most part. She was understandably upset when she found out she wasn't who she thought she was. The reader gets to follow along as she learns who she can trust on her way to discovering the truth. Jewel starts off being a bit naive and dependent on others, but that definitely changes towards the end of the book when Jewel becomes more self-sufficient and realizes she can take care of herself.

I wasn't overly fond of Jewel's family. They were vague and cryptic and very secretive, and you just knew something weird was going on. I did love Jewel's relationship with her younger brother. She was very close to him and very protective of him, which I found believable due to their lifestyle.

There was a bit of a love triangle, which I didn't mind in this story. But I wasn't a fan of the insta-love with not just one guy, but two. In the same day. At least she liked them for different reasons, but still... their relationships could have developed a little more slowly. However, both guys were great stand up take charge sort of fellas, and I can understand why Jewel was drawn to both of them.

Spectral is very exciting, with plenty of action packed scenes and quite a few plot twists that kept the story interesting. Want to know what else it has? Plenty of witchcraft and ass kicking characters! The story itself moves along at a nice pace. It's never dull or boring around Jewel! She had so much happening in her life and so many changes going on around her, yet she learned to be brave and strong throughout it all. Overall I thought this was a great paranormal book.

I received a copy of Spectral in exchange for an honest review courtesy of Tribute Books Blog Tours and Shannon Duffy.

Purchase Spectral:
Kindle / Nook / Google / Smashwords / PDF / iBookstore

Spectral Website
Shannon Duffy Blog
Tribute Books
Shannon Duffy on Twitter
Tribute Books on Twitter
Spectral Twitter hashtag: #Spectral

Shannon Duffy's Bio:

Shannon Duffy writes young adult and middle grade fiction. She grew up on the beautiful east coast of Canada and now lives in Ontario, Canada. She is the mom of one boy, Gabriel, her angel. She loves writing, reading, working out, soccer, and the sport of champions-shopping. She is the author of the young adult paranormal romance, SPECTRAL. Her upcoming middle grade fantasy novel, GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA is scheduled for a January 2013 release.