Genre: Publication Date: July 30, 2013 Published By: Razorbill Website Earthbound on Goodreads Aprilynne Pike Website My review copy: Purchased
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Tavia Michaels is the sole survivor of the plane crash that killed her parents. When she starts to see strange visions of a boy she’s never spoken with in real life, she begins to suspect that there’s much about her past that she isn’t being told.
Tavia immediately searches for answers, desperate to determine why she feels so drawn to a boy she hardly knows. But when Tavia discovers that the aunt and uncle who took her in after her parents' death may have actually been responsible for the plane crash that killed them--and that she may have been the true intended victim--she flees for the safety of Camden, Maine, where the boy she sees in her visions instructs her to go.
Now, Tavia is on the run with no one to trust. No one, that is, except for her best friend and longtime crush, Benson.
Tavia feels torn between the boy who mysteriously comes to her at night and the boy who has been by her side every step of the way. But what Tavia doesn't know is that the world is literally falling apart and that to save it she will have to unite with the boy in her visions. Only problem? To do so would mean rejecting Benson's love. And that's the one thing Tavia Michaels swore she'd never do.
(Goodreads)
I know it's true, and I know I should be as freaked out as Benson. But somehow I'm just . . . not. "He's not some creepy old man. He's like, our age. Or close to it."
"Oh, good point," Benson says, but his tone is flat and dry. "Because the rule book says that all dangerous stalkers are ugly and old."
Of course I could never wish such a thing on Benson. I'm completely happy for him, I realize as I put the picture back. I'm glad I can be. Elizabeth says empathy is the most important part of being human.
And there's that familiarity. I cant shake it.
Hopefully once we find him in Camden, I can sort it out. Maybe I do know him. Maybe I've always known him.
I want to cry, but I'm past the point.
He's gone.
I'm alone.
And a part of my heart I never knew shatters
Earthbound had me picking it up because of its attractive cover, and diving in because I know that I will be pulled into Pike's writing. To be honest I didn't even read the synopsis, I went into this book strictly because of the cover and the author. Turns out this decision worked for me this time, and I ended up enjoying the mythology that was within the pages. It was something that I had not experienced and I love when I find that in YA.
Reading Earthbound was a bit like putting a puzzle together. You know all of the pieces are there and they are even sorted out nicely, but you have to figure out how to put them all together. It's not confusing just a progression of the story and Tavia. I actually enjoyed the pacing of this story even though it was not constant, but it was interesting even when it slowed down. There were a lot of twists and turns, most that you didn't see coming but a few that I personally suspected. However, all these little things made for an interesting plot that I did not expect, and yet they are the reason that I ended up rushing to finish the book. The only place that the book really lacked was the world building. Some things were really great and you got a good feel for where you were and other times it was simply the characters that stood out and everything else didn't matter. I'm really not sure if this is a complete downfall but I know at times I wished there was more to the surroundings.
Tavia was a good heroine and I enjoyed reading about her. Her entire life was turned upside down in a matter of moments, including not only her parents but her memory as well. She wasn't immune to what happened to her and in fact she questioned often why she was the only one to live. There was a lot of detail put into Tavia, her thoughts, and her reactions. There was no problem picturing her and I enjoyed that she was consistent. Tavia wanted more and to feel whole again but she wasn't going to take everything coming at her without questioning. She questioned even when she didn't know how good it was for her own mental health. It was at these times I found myself most pulled to her. She didn't want to believe the impossible but sometimes that is the only answer, and she learned this as she went. I enjoyed that she would listen to her guts and felt the emotions that were hitting her touch her, but not prevent her from trying to figure out why it was all happening.
The romance is a tricky thing to describe. There were times I felt that the triangle was going to be too much, and other times I simply felt that it did not exist. Benson was meant to be the typical sweet and yet nerdy guy that the heroine falls for, and yet I can't help but feel that he fell a little short in that department. Yes, he was an intern at the local library and loved books but I believe that is about as far as his nerdish personality. Beyond that I found he was protective of Tavia and accepting of what she had to say. Sometimes he came off hesitant but there is a lot of things going on and honestly not questioning would have been suspicious. Quinn was the one that made a possible triangle, but he was also a wild card. He never really stuck around and you never really get to know him. The biggest thing he has going for him is the fact that Tavia seems pulled to him for reasons even she doesn't know. To be honest I'm not sure I was hot or cold with either guy, but more indifferent to both providing they didn't create a useless triangle.
Earthbound was so far from what I expected to be reading and yet I found myself excited that I had Earthquake to pick up right after finishing this one. I may not have gushed but I did really enjoy this book and its budding concept that I had not run into before. If you are a fan of mythology I have no doubt that you will enjoy this book, provided that you can accept the semi love triangle that happens. I personally look forward to seeing where this series goes and how the story will develop after the whammy of an ending.
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