Watched by Sharde Richardson (Review)

Genre:	Young Adult, Paranormal Romance
Publication.Date	May 30th 2011
Pages:	345
Published By:	Jolt
Website	Sharde Richardson |
	Watched - Goodreads
My review copy:	From the author ❤
Where to get:	Barnes and Noble | Amazon | Book Depository

     Mikayla doesn’t want much: just to rock out to her favorite band, become the next Kwiki Stop video gaming champion, and keep her Q-tip habit under control. What she does want is the sight of the sudden inexplicable dark auras around everyone to stop. Problem is, those auras are demons and Mikayla is the last trait holder with the power to ban them. Which is a total buzz kill.

To make matters worse, the town folk of Sulphur Springs don’t look the same, and her classmates are a little dark in the eyes. There are murders, suicides, reckless skinny-dipping, gratuitous use of Q-tips, and newfound powers that Mikayla must learn to control.

Her past becomes present when a shape-shifter tells her what her true identity is, and how to keep the demons of Hell from nipping at her Converse. Through him she’ll discover who to trust, who to kiss, and how valuable her abilities are to the right beings. Because the evils of Hell aren’t staying down without a fight.

Or without her soul.

(goodreads.com)

I looked over my shoulder for the screeching bird. A ginormous freaggin’ black bird flapped on the ground near a tree. I sucked air through my nose like I couldn’t get it in fast enough, hopped down and walked over. “Jeez, aaaren’t you s-s-supposed t-ttooo fly t-to Florida or sssomething like that during wa-wa-winter?”

 You see, I suffered from a condition in which bitchiness was a side effect at the mere mention of bullshit. “Sure. Just excuse me while I think of a polite way to say hell no.”

“You think this could be the start of some psycho serial cannibal killer’s wet dream? You know, like the little Irish man in that movie Back Two Tha Hood.” I shrugged. Chevy tugged at his ear. “I hope not, because I need my heart. And my penis. Probably my penis a little more than my heart.”

 I saw a special on the History channel once, said ‘educate’ stemmed from the root word ‘punish’ in ancient Egyptian.

“Man up, Chevy,” I insisted. “You’re acting so tweetable right now. Hashtag: growapair.”

Bea began a series of finger points and head nods around the room. “Warlock, witch, witch, Demoted, werebear, leprechauns—ugh, never get in a relationship with a leprechaun, can we say ‘possessive’. Oh, and never party with the Fae either, man. They go rock star hard and by the end of the night, you’ll be licking the nipples of a unicorn. Mind blowers,”

In the end, we were all just freaks. We went through the motions at school, attending classes on subjects that would never be applied in real world applications, eating processed cafeteria food, and staring at each other wondering if it was okay to smile. Could we smile? Should we smile? We waited for the puppet master to pull the strings, but what would be the point when someone always burst into tears. It was all some sinister test in will power. Of which most of us failed.

         

     Watched by Sharde Richardson is the perfect example of how you shouldn’t judge the book by its cover. I absolutely loved the cover from the moment I first laid my eyes on it – it’s fabulous, dreamy, colorful and just looking at it makes me happy. Judging by the cover I expected some sort of a fairytale retelling. I thought something along the lines of a big, bad wolf and red riding hood. I did not at all expect it to be a thrilling demon story with kick-ass characters and wild, breath-taking twists! This book rocked my socks! 

     The main protagonist of the story is Mikayla, a snarky teenager with a weird q-tip habit, known in town as “the girl with the stutter”. Although she doesn’t remember anything that happened to her before her thirteenth birthday, she considers herself to be just another teenage girl, no more, no less. 

     The story kicks-off with a total jaw-dropper. I actually had to re-read the first chapter twice to make sure I got everything right.  Mikayla is about to go ice-skating to celebrate her seventeenth birthday, when suddenly a weird looking stranger appears right in front of her and attacks her with a knife. Stabbed, Mikayla passes out and wakes up in the local hospital. But that’s just the beginning of it! Ever since her near-death experience, Mikayla can see weird auras around people. These auras, as it turns out, are the signs of demons and Mikayla is able to see them because she is a demon Hunter! That’s not all, though! There’s another weird fella following her around, only this one seems to be rather friendly and far more handsome! Plus he seems to know a lot about Mikayla and her newly acquired ability. There’s a lot more going on and the story just keeps on getting crazier with every chapter! 

     It is an absolute MUST READ for any YA fan. Now, I am about to say something that will send hordes of Cassandra Clare’s fans chasing after me with pitchforks, but you know what? I actually liked it better than Cassie’s Mortal Instruments. Don’t get me wrong, Mortal Instruments series is awesome and I love it, but this book.. This book is just phenomenal! It’s a wild thrill ride right from the get-go. It’s also snarky, sharp and filled with hilarious quotes. The characters are really, really great. Mikayla is bright, tough and witty. She’s the kind of girl you would love to have as your best friend. She’s just endlessly awesome. The story is told from her first-person perspective and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It was so fun to see the world through her eyes. The way she thinks and the things she says.. top notch! I was constantly highlighting quotes from this book! The whole book is like a giant, insanely hilarious quote. You just have to read it! 

    And one more thing I’d like to talk about is the romance part of this book, which is very subtle and almost non-existent. Sharde Richardson brilliantly laid the foundation for something that could be a really beautiful romance, but she didn’t force it. Instead she focused on developing her characters and letting us get to know them better. I can’t express how thankful I am for that, Sharde! I am so fed up with all the cheesy love stories in YA novels. This was a great refreshment! 

The bottom line is: Go get yourself a copy. Period.