Beneath Scarlett Valley: Book 1 (Volume 1) by Kerr-Ann Dempster
A YA Fantasy/Romance Novel published by Ink City Books (08/08/2014)
Summary:
“You’re not a monster,” Vicky said. “You certainly won’t earn the MVP of life award, but you’re not a lost cause.” (p. 231).
Cassidy and Harper move back to their hometown of Scarlett. It has been years and years since they’ve been gone. Cassidy is 117. They are both Furors, half human half something else and if they can’t find The Source and immortality they will Fade and be consumed by their inner fire. Cassidy is ready for death until she meets a boy in Scarlett. Will she still be able to choose the Fade or has Sebastian changed her mind about trying to live forever and spending at least a few years with the mortal boy?
Keywords:
Paranormal, Seers, Furors, Ghouls, Immortality, Power, Choices, Sisters, Time, Death, Fading Away, Promises, Searching, High School, Instalove, Crush, Rage, Killing, Heat, Dark Past
My Review:
Dempster’s premise is paranormal, but it is a different twist. The immortal ones (the two main characters searching for immortality) are female and there aren’t any conventional witches or werewolves in the story. The girls are Furors, which is a slightly different take on the usual paranormal. Most of Dumpster’s characters are otherworldly and she has built her own universe in Scarlett Valley.
Cassidy is content to help her sister Harper find the Source and let Death and the Fade consume her over time. Instead of letting life slowly take hold of her, she is involved in the local high school, falls for the local award winning swimmer boy for SVHS and takes midnight walks with the neighbor. She can’t seem to take herself out of life and is swept up into the world of a 17 year old. She even falls hard for Sebastian. It is instalove and she is 117 and he is 17. Why does she like him? Why hasn’t her heart matured? How is being a giddy teenager acceptable and adequate for someone who has lived many, many more years than everyone else around her? If you can forget she’s lived several lifetimes, you may enjoy the soft romance that develops between Cass and Sebastian.
The relationship between Cassidy and Harper was the most interesting in the whole book. Out of all the characters, their dynamic was the most intriguing. They fought but they were there for each other. How do you keep on living with someone for all those years! How amazing. And yet, Cassidy was willing to leave her sister behind, to die without her and leave Harper to live forever on her own.
To be 117, you have a different view of the world and your death and I liked how Dempster showed Cassidy’s interesting viewpoint and thoughts about her own impending death.
This novel was published by Ink City Books 08/08/2014 and is available on Amazon here.
TLDR Star Rating: 3.75
Links for more information:
Rachel Author Barnard 