Guest Review: Stitch – Samantha Durante

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…
The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.

Series:  Stitch Trilogy #1
Release Date:  August 1, 2012
Publisher:  Samantha Durante
Source:  Provided by Author
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Reviewer’s Thoughts:

Alessa surely wasn’t looking forward to college. Spending her senior year bottoming out in grades after her parent’s death didn’t leave her much choice. However, since the mysterious appearance of her ghost, things have definitely become more interesting. Now, figuring out who he is and why he has such an emotional impact on her will be her biggest challenge and a surprise she might not be ready for. None the less she steps up to the challenge and now she must continue a mission she had completely forgotten.

Isaac can remember the first time she appeared, so beautiful and like nothing he had ever seen. Her ghost haunts him even when the apparition is gone. In his world of quiet solitude and constant struggle, confiding about his findings just doesn’t fit. However, when this ghost suddenly appears in his room, real as can be, it takes every ounce not to come unglued. However, her presence comes with a devastating message and information that brings all this mystery to light. Now, he must find the courage to continue what was started and admit his true feelings for Alessa.

Both characters are immaculately similar in their reaction to each other. Both struggling with what is real and what was created to look real. Once the truth comes to light things start to pick up and so do the feelings between these two characters. I absolutely love Alessa’s character. Coming from the Hush, Hush series she is a breath of fresh air. She has the mild attitude of any teenager with the troubles accompanied but I have great admiration for her ability to step up to the plate and get it done. She makes for a strong female lead, which, in the YA books I have read seems far and few between.

This book takes on a lot of turn and was definitely not what I expected to read; Durante did a beautiful job of creating a surprise story. Having said that, the beginning of the book up till the middle had me at times wanting to put the book down and not pick it back up. Alessa losing her parents and trying to find her way in college seemed to take precedence in the first half of the book. Although I am a fan of detail, too much or too little have no place in books. Where there was too much explanation in some areas, there was very little given in others. Durante created a beautiful story and plot to stand alongside The Maze Runner and Hunger Games but unfortunately for some fans of YA this plot will be lost in the misplacement of detail.

Regardless, I would recommend this book to YA readers and I will look for the second in this trilogy.

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