Grasping at Eternity by Karen Amanda Hooper

Grasping at Eternity by Karen Amanda Hooper
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publication: May 25th, 2012
Publisher: Starry Sky Publishing
Page Count: 328
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Leave it to Maryah Woodsen to break the one rule that will screw up eternity: Never erase your memories.

Before entering this life, Maryah did the unthinkable—she erased. Now, at seventeen years old, she’s clueless that her new adoptive family has known her for centuries, that they are perpetually reincarnated souls, and that they have supernatural abilities. Oh, and she's supposed to love (not despise) Nathan, the green-eyed daredevil who saved her life.

Nathan is convinced his family’s plan to spark Maryah's memory is hopeless, but his love for her is undying. After spending (and remembering) so many lifetimes together, being around an empty version of his soulmate is heart shattering. He hates acting like a stalker, but has no choice because the evil outcast who murdered Maryah in their last lifetime is still after her.

While Maryah’s hunter inches closer, she and Nathan make assumptions and hide secrets that rip them further apart. Maryah has to believe in the magic within her, Nathan must have faith in the power of their love, and both need to grasp onto the truth before they lose each other forever—and discover just how lonely eternity can be.

X-MEN meets MY NAME IS MEMORY in Karen Amanda Hooper’s latest young adult release.

I hadn't heard much about this book, so when going into it, I wasn't expecting much. The concept sounded very interesting. I love the idea of reincarnated souls and--dare I say--soul mates. Usually, with something like that included in the synopsis, I don't think that I'd pick it up. However, there was something that made me want to give this book a try, and I'm glad I did because this books was fantastic.

I crack this book open and find myself utterly invested in the plot in a matter of minutes. Right from the start, this book had me hooked. I just wanted to know more about what was going on and why. Even when readers first meet her twin brother Mikey, you could feel the connection between them. Being a twin myself, I connected with Maryah almost immediately and loved the relationship she had with him.

Speaking of Maryah, I thought that she was a very real character. Sometimes, I feel like the main character is too accepting of being introduced into the supernatural. It's very difficult to find the right balance between denial-and-eventual-acceptance, instead of denial-and-complete-reader-annoyance. And this book had it! I didn't find Maryah to be too accepting or too annoying when she learns about who and what she is. Never once did she truly give up and I thought that she was sweet, even after everything that had happened to her.

And if you haven't figured it out yet, the premise for this book is absolutely magical. Everyone has a soul that, after it leaves the body, decides whether it wants to remember or erase their memories when they reincarnate. And there's this chance that if you choose to remember, you get these powers and you get to do all sorts of cool stuff. Honestly, if this were true, I'm POed my soul's never wanted to remember!

Anyway, I liked this book a lot. All of the characters were very dimensional and they all brought the story to life in my head. Very rarely do I come across a YA paranormal that didn't have that distinct taste of cliche and overdone plots. I do recommend this book and I hope that others will enjoy it as much as I did.

4 Splashes