Review + Giveaway: Visited

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Visited by Janine Caldwell

Publication Date: May 25th, 2013
Genre: Young Adult Coming-of-Age Fantasy
Source: Received for free in exchange for an honest review
Amazon/Barnes and Noble

Seventeen-year-old Joanna Murphy has lost faith in her life. Vying for her mom’s attention, she’s resentful of her stepdad’s intrusion to their family. Her best friend, Tommy, has no clue she’s in love with him as he dates girl after girl without noticing how it tortures her. The final kicker, though, is God’s sick joke to make her freakishly tall when everyone knows boys prefer petite girls.

Then in a bizarre accident Joanna meets James, a breathtaking teen who appears to her after an unusual falling star sighting. Suddenly, her dream for an alien encounter becomes all too real. But when she finds her life has been made unrecognizable, she’s forced into an explosive study of the original design for her life that just may have her regretting every wish she ever made.

Visited was a magical story that took me on a sweet ride to the world of teen insecurities. While I had some minor problems with the book, it is definitely a worth-while I read Visited in one sitting, as it was a fast and pleasantly absorbing title. I feel obligated to pint out that this is in no way dark YA, and I would point beginners to the genre of young adult, or middle-grade lovers toward this book, as averse to fans of heavier YA.

Joanna Murphy, the star of this story, and I got along pretty well, except for one thing. She was sweet, real, and had character growth. She learns a lot of valuable lessons and by the end of the book I was happy with the growth in her personality. However, I felt like she fourteen instead of seventeen most of the time. Her voice, action, and delightful personality all seem like they come from a younger high-schooler.

The plot is engaging, and overall, Visited is a book you will smile through. However, the magic aspect are used sparingly, which I was glad of, there are some novels that if authors overdue the fantasy characteristic the story seems muddled, (or vice versa.) Thankfully, Visited was the former. There was enough fantasy that it kept me on my toes, yet it did not overwhelm me.

Most of the story focuses on Joanna getting over problems with family and friends. I thought these lessons were sweet, but not particularly interesting. I am an avid reader for a kid of my age, so a lot of these, simply put, juvenile problems were ones I have encountered in many novels, so these being the main focus was not the most mind-grabbing of plots. However, these problems are real problems for some teens/tweens, and it was sweet to see family and friendships being put together, allthough the some things moved pretty quickly.

Overall, I genuinely liked Visited, despite my little complaints. The book is well-written, sweet, and has a great main character. It is quick, and it an awesome clean read for anyone looking for a break, and, as I stated in the starting of this review, an amazing read for anyone transitioning from Middle Grade books. I especially loved the ending of Visited, as I saw everything being wrapped up, plus there was a nice twist included! I would love to read more by this author, as I was left happy with Visited.

3.5/5 Stars 

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Good Luck! Thanks for reading!

-Emily