Book Review- Human Blend by Lori Pescatore
Paperback, 234 pages
Published June 10th 2010
by CreateSpace
ISBN 1453765131
3.5 stars
Marion, Virginia seemed like a nice place to live a normal life, but she is not a normal girl. Laney has special abilities that keep her looking over her shoulder as she makes her escape from the men who had kidnapped her. A young doctor’s interest is piqued when he witnesses her mysteriously curing a young child’s illness. He befriends her due to his growing fascination with uncovering the true nature of her abilities, but not without harboring secrets of his own. Laney’s budding relationship with a local boy puts both of them in danger when the men she was hiding from find her. All of their lives will change forever as ancient secrets become unearthed.
I have really mixed feelings about this book. From the beginning the relationships seemed WAY too rushed until you find out a little tidbit of info. near the end. However, there were several points during my read that I almost put the book away and didn’t finish due to content. I really wouldn’t want my teen reading this book. While pitched as YA fiction with 18 year old main characters, I think it is written more as adult romance. The flashbacks to Laney’s previous life I skimmed right past and didn’t read because of how violent they were. I understand her past was hard and she is on the run but do why the need to elaborate so much?
That being said, Human Blend does have a very interesting storyline that kept me intrigued enough that I did finish the book. Lori’s writing felt a bit choppy at times but the basic premise of the plot and the personalities of the characters are a winning combination. She takes a new slant on two paranormal creatures that come into contact with each other when Laney takes a volunteer position in a hospital. It has your love triangle going on but the relationships were complex and the author keeps you guessing through the whole book. I felt connected to the people and liked the new mythology introduced. Sometimes I wish that books came with filters like TV and movies do, because I genuinely would have loved this one without the sex and violence. This is a trilogy, so I am hoping the next two books are age appropriate. I can only give it 3.5 stars since I bordered between liking it and hating it all at the same time.
I’ll let you decide as I am giving away my signed author copy to blog readers age 18 and older. You can read other Human Blend reviews on Goodreads here. Simply comment below to enter our giveaway which is International and ends December 29, 2010.