Premonitions

Premonitions #1

by Jude Watson

Absorbing mystery and suspense from bestselling author Jude Watson, about a girl whose ability to see the past, present, and future is the key to solving the disappearance of her best friend Grace has premonitions. They've haunted her since her parents' death. She doesn't know how to deal with them, and doesn't want to. She never knows whether she's seeing the past, the present, or the future. It just comes to her. Then Grace's best friend disappears. And suddenly the premonitions that have been the bane of her existence become the only way to solve the mystery of where the friend has gone -- and how she can be saved in time.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Paranormal, Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller

241 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Vaibhav · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is special to me because this is the book which turned me - an ardent non-reader, a book hater - into a book-lover! It happened on one boring afternoon at my cousin's home in a small town in Madhya Pradesh, India. There was no electricity and nothing else to do. How I hated these family visits, but when you're a teenager, you don't have much of a say. So anyway, I stumbled upon Premonitions on my cousin's bookshelf and started reading it for the lack of anything else to do. Well it couldn't hurt right?

I was hooked after just a few pages. I could also credit it to my general interest to everything paranormal, other-worldly and mysterious. It has been many years since I read this one but I still recall the intrigue with which I kept on turning page after page to find out what happens to the little girl and finished the book on that same day!

So the story takes you into the life of a Gracie who sees these visions - soon to realize that these vision are Premonitions of actual events which have already happened or will happen in the future. The complications and emotional turmoil that this gift brings her make Gracie hate these visions, try to fight them off. But then it's these visions that help her get clues to a kidnapping, a possibility of saving a life. Gracie utilizes this strength to find out the truth and each new vision, each new premonition unfolds the story.

Anyone who seeks a good clean mystery with a healthy amount of young emotions would love Premonitions.

[Shayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because it fit the “published in 2004” prompt for the January Bingo Board in the LiterALLy BOOKish Facebook reading group. While this book is definitely dated in some ways (references to film rolls, everyone talking on computers instead of cellphones, etc), it was still an entertaining book. I thought the author did a good job using the Gracie’s premonitions to give background on the characters in a fast way to keep up with the action of the plot. Gracie was a little hard to like in the beginning, but has good character development and you end up liking her at the end.

The writing story and style is very similar to April Henry’s books. There are some passing references to drug abuse, alcoholic parents, and no one believing one of the girls about her mom’s boyfriend, but this was completely a middle grade book without anything questionable in it. Its a fast paced action book and I think middle school and high school readers will enjoy it.

[Jerald Vernon Torres · Rating 2 out of 5]

Premonitions (Premonitions Series #1)
Jude Watson
Two Stars
Genre: Young Adult

I made a scale to rate my enjoyment in reading a series. The scale is shown in the graph below.





The ladder graph is the representational graph I designed to illustrate my enjoyment in reading a book that is a part of a series. The higher the step on the ladder the more I enjoyed the book. I used this ladder so that I can assess whether the series is gradually becoming better or not.

The rating of Premonitions as shown in the graph is 2/10. I hope the series would get better.

PLOT:


Gracie has premonitions. They’ve haunted her since before her mother’s death. She doesn’t know how to deal with them and don’t want to. She never knows whether she’s seeing them past, the present, or the future. It just comes to her.
Then Gracie’s best friend Emily disappears. And suddenly the premonitions she fears are the only clues to solve where Emily has gone and how can she be saved.


THEME:


The central theme of the book is about family. Everything that is involved in the story is within the scope of family…Gracie’s personality, thoughts, and actions…the motive of Jonas…and the like.

According to American Heritage Dictionary,The family is a fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.

Certain things about family is stated in the book:
1. A family has a common language
2. A family shares a common folkways
3. A family is learned.

*But most of all, the best part of the book I read is within this sentence with seven words:

“YOU CAN”T JUST GET AWAY FROM FAMILY”

I want to quote a paragraph from Danielle steel’s Family Album. It is very related to the line that I gave.

“God places solitary in Families” Comforting words from the bible…families by blood, by obligation, by necessity, by desire…and sometimes, if someone is lucky by love. It is a word that implies solidity, a rock solid foundation, a place to go home, to grow out of, to grow away from…and yet to return and hang unto…the echoes never leaving one’s ears or one’s heart, the memories carved like painted ivory, from a single tusk, delicately colored in brilliant hues, and softer ones, faded sometimes, so dim as to be alone or forgotten…and yet never to be forgotten or left behind. The place where one begins and hopes to end…the thing one works hard to build on one’s own…the pieces like building blocks reaching high into the sky…family…what images conjures…what memories…what dreams.

REVIEW:


The premise is good. I actually enjoyed the first part of the book until everything becomes absurd. What happened in the book was unbelievable but I can’t blame the book because it is made for the age, in which I’m not the target market, for children (The book is a young adult ones but I prefer it to be a children’s book.)

Maybe I was a bit older now to enjoy the book, I think if I read this when I was a little younger I would love the book. Even though I am disappointed, especially, at the conclusion of where Emily had gone, I can say that the book is a good one. I read a few YA books and sometimes I was pissed reading it. To be honest, this is the second YA book I enjoyed, even it doesn’t hold on to till the end.

Jude Watson You’re fine

GOOD POINTS:
1. Good theme.
2. Good tension building.
3. Nicely written.
4. A good children book.


BAD POINTS:
1. The main character is flawed.
2. Unexplained events.
3. The last 2o chapters is unbelievable.

STILL LOOKING FORWARD FOR THE NEXT BOOK.


Recommended By: NOONE
Recommended to: Ashley and Arianne Torres

[Monique Mabin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good page turner. Once I started reading I didn't want to stop. If you love thriller suspenseful novels/movies you will love this book.

[Lauren Schoeneman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first time I read Premonitions was back in fifth grade; this year, I found myself thinking about it once again and decided to read it once more for the sake of nostalgia. Premonitions was our class novel back in the day, and it spoke to everything young me happened to love in a book; it had an interesting plot, it had supernatural elements that piqued my interest, and it had a fast-paced plot. Rereading the book this year, I find myself feeling more or less the same about these things.

Premonitions is a novel about a girl named Gracie who happens to experience, you guessed it, premonitions. At the start of the novel, we find out that Gracie lives with her aunt and cousin due to her mother's death, which is something she foresaw in her visions but happened to be unable to stop. Gracie wants nothing to do with these visions, but she can't stop them from coming, so she lives with them. When Gracie's friend Emily is kidnapped after a fight between them, Gracie feels responsible as she had seen that something would happen to Emily and she didn't try to stop her from leaving, and now she must use the visions that she's been trying to ignore in order to help save her friend.

As mentioned earlier, the book is fast-paced. Within thirty-seven chapters, the story is over, and the plot has been resolved neatly, leaving the reader with a satisfying conclusion. The plot is interesting enough that once Emily is kidnapped, you won't want to put the book down until you find out what happens to her.

Another thing that warrants mention are the characters; there are only two characters that get fully developed in this book; this isn't to say the others aren't interesting; it's just that they're not the focus of the book, and we don't spend much time with them. The main character Gracie is aloof, she's gone through loss, and as far as she's concerned, she doesn't quite fit in in her new life. Throughout the novel, as she goes through her investigation, she spends more time with her cousin and her aunt and starts developing a relationship with them, and by the end, she finds herself warming up to them and considering herself part of their family. The other character that is well developed happens to be the villain of the novel; you get to see different parts of his personality, and through his actions and Gracie's visions to his past, you get to understand his actions and sympathize with him despite not supporting his actions or his motives. Other characters, such as one of the suspects, are characterized as suspicious enough to warrant motive. Still, then once they're taken into custody due to the investigation, we don't hear from them again. The detective on the case makes the aforementioned arrest, but we don't hear from him again after we discover that the suspect they have in custody isn't the kidnapper. One of my least favorite parts of this book is the relationships between some of the characters. It's established that Gracie has been living with her aunt and cousin, but she barely speaks to them. Eventually, Gracie's cousin Diego gives her a book to help her with her abilities. Then after that, Gracie is roping Diego into the investigation as if they've always got along. The character relationships are far from terrible, but it would have been nice to see some more build-up for them.

Overall, Premonitions is still an enjoyable read. The plot is engaging and one thing I really love is that Gracie's premonitions give her clues but she doesn't always know what they mean. I love that she still has to decipher the meanings and that she just doesn't know or see all and she happens to be wrong about the meanings at times. It would be easy to just spell things out with the visions but Premonitions doesn't take that route which helps keep the mystery alive. Character relationships could use work but there is a sequel to this book and I'm hoping they get more fleshed out in that one.

TL;DR- 3/5, the book is solid but it does have a few problems that older readers will pick up on. This book is for elementary/middle grades and it does well keeping the attention of it's intended audience and therefore I can recommend it.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Premonitions is a sad story about Gracie whose father is gone and her mother has recently died in a car crash. Gracie moves to Seattle to live with her aunt, Shay and her cousin, Diego. As hard as they try to make her comfortable, Gracie is consumed with the loss of her mother and the guilt that her psychic abilities should have been able to save her. When Gracie's new friend, Emily disappears, Diego convinces Gracie that it is time to use her gift to help someone else. This leads Gracie and Diego into an investigation of Emily's life and those in it who might have had reason to take her and hurt her. The more Gracie uses her gift, the more she becomes aware of the feelings of those around her. Her visions become confusing because Gracie doesn't know whether she is seeing the past, the present, or the future, or even whose life she is seeing.
I found this story to be pretty depressing. Gracie's life is in shambles as are the lives of most of the characters she meets. In the end, much of Grace's story is left up in the air as are the lives of the other characters. The book seemed somehow unfinished and left me wishing for more closure. Maybe future books in the series will answer more questions.

[Raegan Justus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written by Jude Watson and it was great! It told the story about grace and how her best friend goes missing. It shows the adventure she goes on to find her friend. Grace has visions and she follows them because she feels that they are accurate, and some are. This book describes the feelings of being confused and lost. Grace meets new people and moves in with her aunt. She thinks she knows where Emily is, but she doesn’t know what she is about to get herself into. Grace goes into trauma and has visions about Emily. I believe the beginning of this book was addicting and very well written but then I got pretty confused and things moved very fast. It almost seemed unrealistic. This told an amazing story though and I would definitely read it again, but the same events were talked about for too long. I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars due to the long talking and addicting read. The theme of this book is to always believe in something even if it seems impossible and always have hope. Keep trying.

[Ethan Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gracie can see stuff about people that they don't tell. She can read thoughts too. Gracie's best friend goes missing. Her and her cousin Diego go looking for her, just off her visions. Soon she knows how to find her friend. She gets shoved and kidnapped on a boat. And this crazy guy is there and he is very dangerous.

creepy castle. John Johnson. big like a mountain. crazy as a physio man. the fearious fire liked the house.

I loved the whole book. it always kept me reading. I even stayed up till one to finish the book. I dis like the crazy guy.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about a mysterious kidnapping, turned into something far more sinister and dark. The protagonist, Gracie, is coping with the loss of her mother as well as these visions and feelings she unexpectedly experiences from others, the past, and the future. With her powers, she's able to solve the mystery of the kidnapping, and also gain a deeper insight into the culprit's mindset. A fun little thriller, with horrifying implications of child abuse and other dark themes in the backstories. Great middle school and early high school read.

[Margo Butera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thrilled that this book was so much like the YA horror that I read as a teen in the 90s! The writing was better though. The theme was strong, about family and loss. I loved that the main character's relationship with her Aunt Shay and her cousin Diego was developed over time. I could taste that feeling of summer thanks to the little details throughout. I'm definitely going to grab the second book!

[Jay DeMoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a dark and gritty page turner and I absolutely LOVED every moment of it! Gracie was such a well developed character and I loved the grief and angst that came alive on the page. I feel as though the grief was beautifully captured.

This book just really surprised me. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. But the best part of it all is that I felt so fulfilled at the ending. Great job, Jude.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was genuinely amazing. Some characters we didn’t get much background detail in them, but they were still part of important scenes in the book. I loved the way the plot was unexpected to me. I didn’t get to try and predict what was going to happen because when I got to those parts they were completely different. I love the details about the story villain and the background we get about their past. 10/10 read I recommend reading this. It goes by quickly with how interesting it is.

[Gary Gomes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Understood this author wrote some Star Wars related stories for children so that peaked my interest. While I don't have much issues with tween storylines (I know what to expect and what not to expect) this one never really gripped me. Wasn't a bad story just a bit boring and needless to say a bit far-fetched.

[Miranda Geurin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the main character, Gracie, for the majority of this book, but I eventually grew to like her. I definitely did not guess the ending to this book. It took a very different turn than I would have ever expected. The psychological aspects of this book were interesting. This was a quick read, and a quite enjoyable and interesting read as well.

[Priscilla Pittington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had enticing details and just the right amount of suspense. I have read this a few times just because I love the way she describes things when she is deep in thought. I still have favorite scenes to this day. A quick and interesting read.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mystery I enjoyed. Gracie has lost her mom. She has to go live with her aunt and cousin. Gracie has had premonitions before but none like this one. She sees a guy carrying a dead girl. Who is he? Who is she? A well-written mystery.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read, holds the attention well enough. No masterpiece but I wasn't bored throughout and constantly wondering when it would end, so there's that. There is one sequel to this which I would read if I could find it at the library but so far no luck.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was definitely a page turner with a lot of late nights reading.

[Lyndsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my 2nd time reading this book as I read it the first time over 10 years ago. Quick easy read but the climax of the story was a bit too quick for me, hence the 3 stars.

[O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had me on my toes

[Shandar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book

[Amaarah Noordien · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book kept me on the edge of my seat and I loved that I couldn't figure out what was the next thing that was going to happen, I enjoyed reading it but feel that the ending was a bit rushed.

[natalia ㅤꨄ︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.7/5

the main character, gracie, could be a total jerk sometimes (and edgy) but her character development made it all worth it in the end. very entertaining and an easy ready, good book!!

[Anjelica Cochrun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I’ve ever read!!

[Annaleise Gabica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was in my Airbnb.

[Mark Braun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took quite a turn there in the middle of the book. A minor character becoming quite major. Didn't expect that.

[Hom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

[S. Alyssa Azmir · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was actually unexpectedly good. I didn't have any high hopes for this book, considering I read it mainly out of boredom but it turned out amazing. Truth be told, I was rooting for Gracie, the main character, to die at the end because she was just so annoying and rude that if I had to spend one minute with her in real life, I would murder her. But I find myself wishing for her to survive when I read the ending. I'm glad because this is the first time I don't have to yell at the main character for being so stupid, because while being rude, Gracie is also clever and have a few tricks up her sleeves.

What I really liked about this book is that I didn't expect what ending it could go to. I had a couple of theories on how it would end in my head, but this book took a completely different and wild turn.

SPOILERS! Kindof.

I've always read about the "homeschooled adult becomes psyho" in the summary of many books and always hear people talking/complaining about said trope, but this is my first time reading one. It caught me by suprise, honestly. God, Jonah was an emotional minefield. You can actually feel sorry for him and sick by him at the same time. He's a complex character that I would die to see more of.

Enough said, this is a great book. It might look tacky and cliche because of the cover design and the summary, but this is truly one of a kind.

[Amir Uzumaki · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Premonitions" by Jude Watson is about a girl named Gracie who has the unique ability to see a vision of a distant future. Gracie has a very serious personality, she doesn't want to talk or deal with most people, like her friend Emily. She drove her off unintentionally while being trapped in the ocular trap that held her in place; struggling to escape and control what was going on, she angrily spoke, and drove Emily off. This fuels a lot of the plot because now she has to find her, it seems as if she's left the city. Gracie didn't like her at first, but now that she's gone, she misses her and her company. While on the journey to find her she has other visions that stray her off her task concerning other people she cares about. She even saw a vision of someone dying, she has too many things to fix and the next vision is always ready to come, so she has to figure out how to put the pieces together in order to make things right, to save or help anyone for the dreaded visions she sees.

There are a couple things a liked about the book, then again there are other things i heavily disliked about the book. The fact that her visions (Premonitions) kept coming and she didn't know what to do at first, every time, began to get very repetitive; especially because there are numerous plots and its hard to keep up with one. That plus, the book had a very slow start, not that there's anything wrong with that, i personally prefer to jump to the action rather than wait three to four chapters before any action occurs. Then again, when the action finally did start it was intense and i couldn't stop turning to the next page. The ending was relieving, the protagonist had solved her huge list of problems and everything fell into place. If the book's action started a little bit faster this book would be perfect.

Although the book had its little imperfections, its was still a great book over all, I'd recommend "Premonitions" because anyone who likes psychology, suspense, mystery, or even non-fiction books, this fills every category just right. There is also a movie made like this book, but not the same, starring Sandra Bullock, which was also a great movie very similar to this. I'll be reading the sequel, if Jude writes another.