Grasping at Eternity: A YA romance

Grasping at Eternity by Karen Amanda Hooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First thought: This should be a guilty pleasure book. Second thought: No! There's nothing to feel guilty about!

And there really isn't. A book doesn't have to be an in-depth, overly detailed 500-page tome to be worthy of five stars. I just friggin' enjoyed this book. I'm sure someone can pick out a bunch of weaknesses, but I don't feel like it, because I want to continue enjoying the series (as I write this, I admit, I already bought, read, and loved the second book in the series). It's just a fun, interesting, romantic book (ok, so I wouldn't recommend it for guys, maybe), and a fast read. Maybe I felt slightly guilty about the five stars because there was so much romance in it, but hey, I'm a girl, and I can't help but love a well-done romance. Note the well-done part. I do have standards. :)

I guess that was my favorite part of this book. Maryah's romance with Nathaniel has such a good balance between the slow development that should be natural to a romance, and the instant love that comes with having a soulmate that you've been with over multiple lives/reincarnations. I like the fact that Maryah was hesitant about being with him, but at the same time couldn't really be interested in anyone else.

As for the rest of the plot, I found it pretty interesting too. It gets off to a fast-paced start with several murders, leaving Maryah in a vulnerable state. She struggles to remember who she is amidst a group of people who claim to know her better than she knows herself. She feels like a normal teenager, but she soon finds out she's not as normal as she thinks--both a good and bad thing. She has to quickly come to terms with who she is in order to help those she cares about.

If you like modern fantasy romance, but you're tired of vampires, werewolves, and love triangles, I'd definitely recommend this book/series.

This digital copy of Grasping at Eternity was given to me by NetGalley & All Night Reads in exchange for an honest review.

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