Cursed Release

One of the first books that we reviewed on this site was Sacrificed by Nykki Mills. I liked this book a lot and actually gave it a 5/6. Now Mills has released a spin off called Cursed that stars one of the smaller characters. Her name is Gina and she sees dead people.

Heat: ♥♥

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Overall Rating 6/6 Glass Slippers

Gina’s family has a special talent that most people aren’t aware of. They can, in different ways, communicate or sense the dead. Luckily for Gina, she only really experienced seeing the dead was when she was little. Now, for some reason, they won’t leave her a lone and they are angry! A women in what looks like an old saloon dress keeps appearing and attacking Gina.

The mysterious Ben notices that Gina is having issues but he recognizes the signs and is eager to help. Gina is weary to accept the help because she doesn’t actually know him and he appears to be stalking her.

Then one of Gina’s classmates, Amber (she was in Sacrificed), is found dead and all evidence points to Gina as the killer. For lack of options, she leaves town with Ben and they attempt to figure out what happened and how they can clear Gina’s name. The book is now a murder mystery with a transparent suspect.

Ben calls in reinforcements, Adrian (be still my heart), and Lynn for help dealing with the ghosts. They soon uncover a town secret that has been plaguing young girls for several decades. What does the woman in red want? Is she after Gina? Will she go to jail for a murder she didn’t commit?  Can they stop her before even more lives are lost?

One of the things I liked about this book is that Gina isn’t your classic girl next door character. She has flaws, a neglectful mother, a devastating past, and a boyfriend who wants to use her. So how does she handle all of this? Gina masks her pain with sex and drugs. A lot of people don’t want to talk about self medicating or abuse because it isn’t pretty and no one wants young adults getting influenced. But that’s what happens in real life. Mills doesn’t shy away from the talking about tough topics and real issues that are facing normal teenagers who don’t see dead people.

I also loved the characters.At first I was nervous because I really like Kass, the main character from Sacrificed, and Gina is nothing like her. I don’t usually like the rebel female main characters but Gina is so likable and I don’t know how Mills did it. You root for her almost from page one and she soon becomes infectious.

Gina encounters a love triangle, maybe a square is more appropriate, and this definitely keeps the book interesting. Will she stay with her troubled boyfriend, the good guy just trying to help her, or the sexy stud who offers a physical distraction. Or will the ghosts over power her before she has the chance to make a choice?

There are some almost sex scenes and a very steamy shower scene but there is no outright penetration. This is am age appropriate romance that I think anyone would enjoy. But I would recommend reading Sacrificed first. We also did an interview with Nykki Mills a few weeks ago that you can check out to find out more about the mind behind the drama.

Mils informs us that this is book one in a series and from talking to her, it seems to be the teenage Supernatural!