Review: The Healer by C.J. Anaya

Title: The Healer
Author: C.J. Anaya
Publication: May 31st 2014 by Beau Coup LLC
Genre: Young Adult ~ Paranormal ~ Romance
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Rating: 4/5

Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

 

Seventeen-year-old Hope longs for a normal teenage life, but with a gift like hers, normal equals healing illnesses and injuries instantly. Keeping a secret like that isn’t easy, especially when two handsome, young men move into town and begin unearthing other secrets concerning Hope’s future and past, revealing to Hope that her gift may be the fulfillment of a prophecy gone wrong.

I'm so glad I got the chance to read The Healer. My experience with young adult paranormal books hasn't been too great so I wasn't expecting to like this story as much as I did but wow I was so hooked. Gotta love books that sneak up on you like that.

It took me a good 20% to get into this book but after that I thought it was a really good read. The writing flowed really well and I actually loved the romance, which for me is a big accomplishment on its own. And as a huge mythology fan I was really interested in the japanese mythology aspect of the book. I never read a book about japanese mythology, which is why I decided to read and review this book, and let me tell you it was just awesome to be reading something new and original like it.

The characters in this book were all very realistic. I absolutely loved that. The reactions of the characters, especially Hope and Angie's reactions, to all the paranormal and freaky stuff happening was just real, you know. And that's hard to find in paranormal books these days. I really liked Hope as the main character. She was honestly a kind and good person. I loved how she wanted to help sick and injured people with her powers and she was just a great person to read about. 

I also loved her best friend Angie. Lord knows I laughed my ass off with her. Hope's dad is honestly one of the best parent characters I have come across. He was very protective of his daughter and actually knows about her powers, which is really refreshing if you ask me. 

Meeting the two love interests was interesting, with them being gods and all. I liked both of them and this certainly isn't just a love triangle. I actually liked the romance, which is very rare for me. Victor seemed like a very sweet guy to me, I liked him a lot but I agree (like Hope and Angie do in the book) that he's most suited for Angie. I do hope they'll end up together eventually. Tie... what can I say about him. He was very entertaining to read about and I just loved him so much. Him and Hope are perfection to me. And that is all!

The overall story was pretty intriguing. I felt myself trying to work out what exactly was going on with Tie, Victor and how they all fit together in the story. The ending was unexpected. I'm not sure what to think of it, to be honest. I want to find out what will happen to them all so badly. Yeah, this was a great book!

I must admit that sometime I zoned out a little when Hope was healing people so I guess that can be considered my least favorite part. Don't get me wrong, I loved her abilitiy and how serious she took it, but I guess it was just a little too much sometimes. 

The Healer was more than I expected. The story was really good, the characters realistic and never failed to bore me. I loved the author's writing because it read so easily and the romance was sweet and exciting all at once. Read this book, people!

About the Author:

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C. J. Anaya began writing short stories for family and friends when she was thirteen years old. This soon morphed into an extensive project every year during Christmas as a way to create a fun and inexpensive Christmas gift.

Her passion for reading and writing led her to following her own dreams of becoming a published author. She was born in Utah and raised everywhere else. She even lived a few years in Brazil, enjoying the people, the culture and learning the beautiful language of Portuguese.

As a mother of four children she can be found at any given time changing diapers, playing dress-ups with her daughters, getting her fanny kicked in Mario Kart by her snarky little son, and escaping into a corner of the house with her kindle for a nice, quiet (lol in her dreams) read. She is also married to the most deliciously, handsome looking Latino. As always, she has plenty to write about.