Auracle by Gina Rosati

Release Date: August 7, 2012
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Pages: 304
Series: n/a
Review Source: ARC for review from Raincoast Books

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
16 year old Anna Rogan has a secret she's only shared with her best friend, Rei; she can astrally project out of her body, allowing her spirit to explore the world and the far reaches of the universe.

When there's a fatal accident and her classmate Taylor takes over Anna's body, what was an exhilarating distraction from her repressive home life threatens to become a permanent state. Faced with a future trapped in another dimension, Anna turns to Rei for help. Now the two of them must find a way to get Anna back into her body and stop Taylor from accusing an innocent friend of murder. Together Anna and Rei form a plan but it doesn't take into account the deeper feelings that are beginning to grow between them.

My Thoughts:
I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when I started ‘Auracle’, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. I loved the spunkiness and determination of the main character, Anna. Okay, I also adored the best friend love going on, because Anna and Rei are all kinds of adorable, even before they realize it themselves. Rei was a fabulous character just on his own. I can see that people might think he’s too perfect, but I liked how Anna adored him and yet didn’t completely idolize him; she adored her best friend, the guy who was always there for her, but she still made fun of him internally for all his quirks. These two felt like real BFFs, and the romance angle that slowly occurred just felt natural, especially after all the events of the book.

I kind of liked how Anna’s gift of astral projection didn’t have to be explained, it just was. This requires some suspension of disbelief, of course, but it felt like a natural part of who Anna was. Of course Anna’s ability leads to trouble when Taylor takes over her body. I can’t remember the last time I disliked a character as much as I disliked Taylor. She was so horrible and selfish, almost too much so. I guess there really are bad people out there, though, and I liked how there was a tiny glimpse of good toward the end.

This was a quick read for me because I really enjoyed Anna and Rei, and I couldn’t wait to see how (or if!) they would finally manage to oust Taylor from Anna’s body. While possession isn’t necessarily a unique storyline, the astral projection and Gina Rosati’s calm and breezy writing style make it quite different. Recommended to fans of both contemporary and paranormal YA.

The Cover:
I know it's just a lens flare or something of the sort, but I do really like the feel of the image, and the image itself.

Rating:
[4/5]

Find Auracle by Gina Rosati on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.