Spark - Rachael Craw

Published by Walker Books Australia Pty Ltd: Newtown, Australia, 2014.

This book was written by the friend of a friend, and was recommended to me by them as a good local book written in the Young Adult genre. 

The first thing that comes to mind when talking about Spark is the amount of longing in the book. Wow! It's like Twilight-level desire. The main characters are deeply attracted to each other, and it oozes out of the page, never to an explicit or deeply uncomfortable level, but it is still a main feature of the book. It is also not just a longing between two romantically-inclined characters; there are also other types of longing in the book that are not attached to emotional desire.

The longing involved is a major part of the story, too. Evie Everton is living with her aunt after the death of her mother, when her friend Kitty and former flame/Kitty's brother Jamie arrive back in the area. Evie is suffering from strange hallucinations and bursts of strength, and when she touches Kitty there is a strange reaction, causing her to faint. Upon reawakening, she feels a strong bond to Kitty - which for a while does read a little like romantic interest - and is determined to protect her friend from whatever sinister force seems intent to do harm to her.

Aunt Miriam explains that Evie is a 'Shield', a genetically-modified super-soldier who now is bound to protecting her 'Spark' (Kitty) from a similarly linked evildoer known as a 'Stray'. The bond between Evie and Kitty will remain until the Stray (or Spark) is dead, and then at some point in the future Evie will be 'Sparked' again by someone else. The only hints Evie has to the identity of this assailant is that they too must have touched Kitty at some point. Miriam is also a Shield, and so is Jamie. Thrust back into Jamie's sphere, Evie finds herself drawn to him as well, but in a different, more romantic way. However, there are complications to their fledgling love that may or may not undermine it's chances at flourishing.

There is quite a lot to take in. The story starts of a little confusing as Evie refers to characters we haven't yet met, and has hallucinations that we don't yet know are definitely hallucinations, but as the story continues the book finds its rhythm and turns into a fairly action-packed teen melodrama in the vein of other similar themed books. 

It was a interesting read, although Evie at times was a little too moody for my liking and too quick to hold a grudge (though not outside the realms of teenage angst, nor her 'Shield' genetic traits).

Decent. 

Completed 1 August 2021.

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