Spark

by Melissa Dereberry

"I know what you’re thinking, so let me be I am not an angel or a demon. I’m not a vampire, an alien, or a ghost. I’m not even a wizard. Good. Now I have your attention. I am none of these things . . . I am something else..." What if you lost four years of your life? Worse, what if you found out that your deepest fears are You really are different than everyone else . . . but would have never dreamed how? And finally, if you could change the past, would you? Tess Turner wakes up in a hospital bed, and discovers that she’s been in a coma for four years after a freak accident at her 13th birthday party. Confused and overwhelmed, her situation gets even worse when her parents deliver the devastating news that her best friend Dani was killed that day. Even though many of her classmates are still around, Tess must learn to navigate a new school and make new friends. When she feels drawn to the mysterious, handsome Zach Webb, none of her friends approve. Zach claims to know untold details about her life and Tess is suspicious, yet she is unable to resist his charm. Playing along to see if he really knows “everything about her,” she finds herself drawn into the adventure of a lifetime that will compel her to make an important choice. Given the opportunity to change the past, she must face the consequences her actions would have on the future. Sequel is now available! The Spark Saga Continues.

Genres: Ebooks, Young Adult, Science Fiction

198 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2012

Reviews

[Gabs · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review (and others) can be found on My Full Bookshelf

This was kind of bad. Not terrible, but not...good. Which is sad, because when I started reading the book, it was pretty well written and really captured my attention.

However, the love interest in this book, Zach, comes off more as a stalker than romantic, a trend I have been seeing way too much of in the YA genre. I don't know when this weird obsessed boy thing became considered romantic, but can we just put an end to it right now please? Even if he hadn't been creepy, the notes he sent the main character, Tess, sounded very unrealistic. Also, the love between them blossoms much too quickly. They go on basically one date (I am not even sure it could be considered an official date, really) and suddenly he is declaring his love for her and she is declaring her love for him and I am banging my head against a wall.

Also, when Zach claims he 'knows everything about her,' and then sends tries to prove it to her by sending an e-mail telling her that on her thirteenth birthday, she was swinging and then went into a coma because a freak electrical storm hit, she (literally, this is a quote) thinks, "Maybe Zach was some sort of alien, someone with supernatural abilities." That is not what I would conclude if someone claims that they know everything about me. First, that would have been all over the local news, both when she went into the coma and when she miraculously came out of it four years later. I would probably think that he was just trying to mess with me and had heard that from a local news station. Worst case scenario, I would suspect him of stalking me. I would not automatically think that he was an extraterrestrial.


The plot was okay, but nothing that truly blew me away. All of the plot twists I could see coming very early on. There were blatant hints throughout the storyline.

So, I will not be recommending this book. If you want a time-travel story that is really good, you could try The Root Cellar, which is more historical fiction, but still really fun to read.

[Kendall {Book Crazy} · Rating 3 out of 5]

The synopsis makes this book sound so good but it was quite different to what I was expecting but I really liked it! I actually thought that this book was a contempory to start with but it turns supernatural quite quick! The plot was interesting but I couldn't really get into it! Tess Turner was the main character of Spark and I seemed to like her more and more as I progressed through this book! I felt really sorry for her as she had been through a lot and she had such a lot to deal with! Zach Webb was the love interest of Tess and I liked him. He was a mystery at the beginning but he started to unravel as the book progressed! I really loved Tess and Zach as a couple and Zach was so sweet and protective of Tess! Cricket was such a great friend to Tess and I loved her! I must say that I did skim through the chapters that were written in file format as I like Tess I didn't understand about half the words in them but they were essential to the story! I actually had to stop reading this book about 70% in as I just couldn't continue reading it! I couldn't get into it and I felt myself losing interest! The characters were amazing though! I also like the cover as well!

This review can also be found here: http://bookcrazy123.blogspot.co.uk/20...

[A.D. Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by the sci-fi elements of Spark. Dereberry has carefully interwoven principles of science, poetry, and rich analogies into this exciting mystery. The story centers on the struggles Tess Turner faces after waking up from a four-year coma, with emphasis on the relationships she builds in her “new life.” She finds herself falling for the incredibly handsome, but weird guy, Zach Webb … but someone else finds a way to his heart. Tess tries to use her knowledge and special abilities to reconnect with Zach. Can true love overcome the obstacles?
I noticed a few issues with the editing, such as past/present tense usage, but overall this is an exciting read, that will keep you in suspense. I highly recommend this book for teens, young adults, and anyone who enjoys mysteries and science fiction.
A.D. Spencer, Author of Enlightened

[Vicki Scullion · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the time travel premise of this book. Unfortunately, the action was very slow to start and it took a long time to get to the main plot. The main character was likable and well-developed, but she snapped out of a four year coma and moved on with her life too easily. However, I found myself disliking the 17-year-old best friend, Dani. The connection between the changes in Dani and Tess' long coma aren't made clear. Is Dani unstable because Tess wasn't around?Also, I totally did not understand what the high school "dental" security system added to the plot. Interesting book, but I think some revision would help the reader connect some of the dots more easily.

[Kelly Stokes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a freebie for the Kindle last week. The description of the book interested me! I thought it might be interesting to read about a character who woke up from a coma she was in for four years! I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the subject matter for this book also involved time travel. The book was written for young adults but adults will enjoy it too. I could not stop reading this book. It was a quick read and thoroughly enjoyed. I highly recommend this book. I give it 5 stars!

[Tia · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a waste. The book ticked me off and made me think I wasted a lot of time. She should of just left well enough alone, obviously Dani was a shitty friend and if she would of just left her dead, then she could of had Zach. Instead she was obsessed with bringing Dani back and thus ruined her whole life pretty much. How frustrating. I wouldn't read this book EVER again.

[Tynaia Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting twist and turn of events in the story

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really got into the first part of this book but once the second part got under way it lost my intrest.