Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa’s body screams at her to run... but yet she’s powerless to move.
Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees – and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell – Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.
Because what Alessa hasn’t figured out yet is that she’s not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university’s idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface...
STITCH was a very interesting read for me. What I expected was not necessarily what I got, but that's not a bad thing either. Because of the blurb, I thought that STITCH would be a wholly paranormal read, immersing me in a world of unearthly things with mystery and a dash of dystopia. That does come, but not in the first part of the novel. In fact, the first 1/3 of STITCH reads like a contemporary. The reader experiences Alessa's life in college. A life that has gone off the expected track with the death of her parents some months before. The point-of-view is solely from Alessa's limited sight, so her feelings, experiences, and personality are what get the spotlight.
Then, a little unexpectedly, the point-of-view shifts to the ghost that Alessa often sees. Now, several chapters are devoted to his life and the thoughts and feelings he has about seeing a strange girl appear and disappear. From there, there is somewhat of an alternating viewpoint. The setup of the beginning of the book builds the mystery of what allows Isaac and Alessa to see each other, and gives a purpose to Alessa's actions. Though she is supposed to be attending classes, a majority of the focus is on her social life (being part of a sorority and meeting "real" guy, Nikhil) and her research into Isaac and his family.
Most books that start a series clearly show that they are building up to something. Something that probably won't happen in book one, because the drive for readers to continue the series needs to be there. STITCH has this same sense of a path being forged that will lead somewhere important, but there is plenty of substance in the story being told here. I didn't feel that same sense of impending doom about a cliffhanger that I usually do about paranormal YA series books, as I neared the final pages. I don't want to spoil or reveal anything about the end of STITCH, but I will say that the book was a satisfying read, with a combination of YA and New Adult issues presented in with a mash-up of mystery, suspense, and paranormal elements.
Book Rating:
12/15
3.5 Stars
B+
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Samantha Durante lives in New York City with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. Stitch is her first novel.
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This book was provided by the author, in exchange for my honest review only
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