Review: Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby

Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby
Publisher: Accendo Press (March 23rd, 2011)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 328 pages
Source: Author (Thank You!)
Series: AVRA-K #1
Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Her mom is dead.
Ghosts follow her around.
Her best friend is an elephant.
And she’s about to meet the biggest game changer of all: a boy. With a secret.

When circus-dwelling Gemma Flannery learns she will be attending public school for the first time in her seventeen years, little does she know that fitting in with her 12th-grade classmates will be the least of her concerns. A pro at hiding her knack for seeing the dead (“shades”), Gemma is grieving the recent suicide of her mentally ill mother, a process eased by the introduction of her first real love interest, the charming and painfully handsome Henry Dmitri, who is harboring his own collection of dangerous secrets. Together, they will be presented with a frightening challenge: to assume their roles as heirs to a 3000-year-old magical text, the AVRAKEDAVRA, a book the über-rich, sleight-of-being master Lucian Dmitri would do anything to get his hands on. As each terrifying layer in her new reality melts away, Gemma unearths truths that her quiet, nomadic life with the Cinzio Traveling Players is not at all what she’d always cherished. Gemma and Henry must rely on each other to stop Lucian’s diabolical plotting that will bring the world to its tired, scab-riddled knees, and are sent on the flight of their young lives, to save themselves, their families, and the world from the darkest kind of destruction.

Let the chase begin.

Review: Sleight was a wonderful, unique tale and I can't wait to see where it goes with the next book. It is about Gemma, a young girl who knows no life beyond what she has while traveling around with circus. They have become her family and that is more important than ever since her mother just passed away. But things are more complicated for Gemma because she can see ghosts. 

Soon Gemma learns that the circus will be settling somewhere for a while, which means Gemma has to go to school. Fitting in isn't easy when people know you are with a traveling circus. I have to say that this setting was wonderful because I've never read a book about a circus. I was fascinated with how Gemma lived and what experiences she had while working there. Perfect setting for this story!

Henry is the son of the man investing in the circus and he is immediately interested in Gemma. But the gorgeous Henry isn't exactly the "player" people may think he is. He typically avoids everyone and that makes many of the high school girls angry. People know his father Lucian pretty much owns the town and although he is super hot, no one grabs his attention..until Gemma comes around. 

But as they get closer, more secrets are revealed. I was shocked by many of the new developments that occurred throughout this story. Gemma and Henry were easy to love. Their chemistry was strong from the beginning and it was great to see where their relationship went. The other side characters, like Ash, Janie, Ted, and Marlene, were just as wonderful! It could be assumed that people in the circus may be eccentric but they all fit together perfectly and made a great family unit. I couldn't imagine a more non-traditional family, or one that seemed to have as much love for one another.

The secrets and adventures in this book never stopped! I was truly on the edge of my seat. Sleight is action-packed, full of imagination, and highly suspenseful! Jennifer Sommersby created a story unlike any other I've read and I will be anxiously awaiting the next book!


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