I really enjoyed this book. I really hope there is a sequel!

This was a great book for a standalone which I'm usually not a fan of, the characters were both realistic and a still a little mysterious. The plot was great and very imaginative but I did get the feeling like I had read it before, but I also liked that it took place in Scotland.

I would recommend this book to students who enjoy fantasy romance because it is "clean YA," but I personally felt that the plot was tired, a repeat of many similar stories.

RATING: 3.5
I'll start off with, and I know this has been said a few times before, but reading Toward a Secret Sky, I felt like I was in a rotating vortex of Outlander meets Dan Brown, which I wasn't averse to. But to be entirely honest, I have some positive and negative things to say about this book.

Firstly, the positive. Overall, I did have fun with this one - if I can say anything for the author, I'd say she kept me very hooked. I'm always a sucker for anything Scottish Highlands, and men (0r *SPOILER* angels) in kilts! I liked the fast pacing of the novel, it felt punchy and things didn't lag. But in addition to that though, perhaps there were moments that could've benefited with a bit of fleshing out, namely some of Maren's decision making that occasionally seemed to just happen in such a flash that I was left thinking hang on, that just happened!

Now, for a couple of negatives. My main problem was that, though the story and plot kept me hooked and reading, unfortunately the character of Maren didn't engage me. I felt a lack of strong personality and motivation from her. Given everything that was happening in her world, I never felt her actions or emotions were very realistic - for example, anytime Gavin appeared, any other emotion or feeling she had a second before just disappeared! Now given, if I had a handsome Scottish highlander angel falling for me I'd get quite swoony too, but alas it just didn't allow me to connect with her. My other issue was that I felt that a lot of the paths and decisions that all the characters were taking felt like they were easy ways to advance the story but didn't feel logical based on what I understood to be their characters, particularly Maren and Gavin. Sometimes I don't have a big problem with that sort of thing, but this happened a couple more times for my liking.

But besides all that, I did enjoy the ride - and I don't know if a sequel is planned or not, but it sure feels like there is a bit more Maren and Gavin on the cards - and I'd be certainly happy to read more!

Great book. I really enjoyed reading it. I will recommend the book to patrons of my library.

It’s kind of like a teenage romance version of the Da Vinci Code with plenty of religious symbolism and codes like Dan Brown but with the forbidden love between a human and immortal AKA Twilight.

The settings were beautifully described and made me want to hop on a plane to the UK. Through some surprisingly well developed characters you visit Scotland’s highlands and castles then head into London.

There’s plenty of action to keep your attention and puzzles to keep you intrigued.

My only complaint is that it had the requisite YA love connection but in this case the characters seemed to fall in love way too quickly.

Overall though I’d say this is a fast-paced, well-written, exciting introduction to the YA genre for teens who are growing out of Harry Potter (who am I kidding, NO ONE grows out of HP) but aren’t ready for the romance novels their mom reads.

I really wanted to like this book but to be honest the love triangle and twilight vibe (not even written as good as twilight) ruined it for me. Also what the hell was with that date rape scene?

I really liked this book! Scotland, secrets, demons and angels! My only gripe is that I wish there wasn't a romance factor or that there was less of it. I rolled my eyes every time it was mentioned.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. The blurb about this book was amazing, and was right up my alley, finding out your family is in the middle of this war and having to figure things out as you go in a strange country, sounds great. But then I read the book, the short comings were there, maybe I've read too many books, but this had such a similar vibe to so many I've read. An ok read, just not well written to love or enjoy any of these characters or plot. Looked promising, didn't hold up well tho.

I found the main character's actions and motivations in this book to be very unbelievable. Her whole grieving process for her mother was kind of skipped over and not dealt with in a realistic fashion. Then when she moved to Scotland, she must have felt devastating isolation, having to leave her home, everything that is familiar, and experience major culture shock. The author does not really address those issues, however. It seems as though she keeps thinking, "Man, that was a frightening dream! Oh well!" "Today I have to go to a new school where I do not understand the culture and know absolutely no one...Oh well!" "My mom just died and left me a strange box with a mysterious code...Oh well!" "I really like this guy, but I'm almost positive that he is an actual demon...Oh well!" I really got tired of her not really dealing with and processing all of the things that were happening to her and that she was experiencing. It was like she just moved right on to the next thing. I found that very hard to believe. I did not enjoy it.

3.5 stars

"Toward a Secret Sky" is the story of Maren, an American teenager orphaned after her mother dies in a tragic but strange accident. She goes to live with her only surviving relatives, her father's parents, in Ireland. The first part of the book is her adjusting to her new life in Ireland and trying to ignore some odd dreams. Soon, she receives a package of her mother's belongings that call into question who her mother and father were and where they really worked. She must unravel the cryptograms and clues she finds to figure out who her parents were and learn more about the strange world around her.

It's labeled as a thriller, but I would put it firmly in the category of YA romance/fantasy in the vein of Twilight. There is some major insta-love and angst over the forbidenness of the relationship due to who they are. After a few sightings and part of a day together, there is suddenly professions of love but it won't/can't work. I think I actually rolled my eyes at that bit. The relationship aspect was a little out there/I didn't really buy into it.

The solving of the mystery was interesting, but pieces unraveled slowly- the romance was the main point of the story in my opinion. I didn't find any of it tense or scary, and the book was pretty easy to put down. That being said, it was still intriguing and I was able to finish it. The writing is well done but the plot could use some speeding up for the mysteries and slowing down for the heavy feelings/love. I don't want to say too much about the plot and mysteries so as to avoid spoilers. For fans of the Twilight series, this will be a real winner!

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I definitely enjoyed this fast-paced Davinci Code for teens with a spicy Scottish romance. But just as with The Davinci Code: you read it fast, and forget it even faster.