Human Blend by Lori Pescatore

Published: June 10, 2010

Publisher: Self published

E-arc received for review from author

Summary: Goodreads

Marion, Virginia seemed like a nice place to live a normal life, but she is not a normal girl. Laney has special abilities that keep her looking over her shoulder as she makes her escape from the men who had kidnapped her. A young doctor's interest is piqued when he witnesses her mysteriously curing a young child's illness. He befriends her due to his growing fascination with uncovering the true nature of her abilities, but not without harboring secrets of his own. Laney's budding relationship with a local boy puts both of them in danger when the men she was hiding from find her. All of their lives will change forever as ancient secrets become unearthed.

I really loved 'Human Blend' which is a little bit different from most books I've read lately. Laney/Julie is an interesting main character with a strange secret, which she is detetermined to keep to herself. She reads as a genuinely nice person and I liked her. It is obvious right at the start that she is running away from someone, or something, unpleasant and this provides a 'mysterious' thread throughout the book. When she finds herself in a small rural town, she decides to stay for a while and becomes involved with some of the local residents while working at the hospital and the interaction between Julie and the nurses was a lot of fun.

I also enjoyed the growing relationship between Julie and Austin, a local boy who befriends her on her arrival. Their relationship escalates fairly quickly, but sexual references in the book are nicely done and are not explicit, and bear in mind, both of them are 18. There are some strange goings on with Dr. Eli and Julie's 'powers' and when Marcus arrives on the scene, things really get interesting. Mix that in with some seriously creepy bad guys and genuine suspense, and be prepared for some thrills and excitement. I definitely started reading faster as the story progressed!

When the reader finds out exactly what the characters are, I felt it was a little bit of a coincidence that they all ended up in the same place at the same time, but that's what's so great about fiction, it doesn't matter. Everything ties up quite nicely with just enough left hanging for a sequel, which I personally would be happy to read. I'm dying to find out what happens with Julie/Austin/Eli, and how they manage to cope with their powers. I did feel that perhaps the story could have benefitted from a little editing, (remember I was reading an arc) but the plot and characters were intriguing enough that it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment. And don't let the cover fool you - it makes sense when you get towards the end - still not one of my favourites tho'. Ms Pescatore, all-in-all I really enjoyed this one, and I'm happy to recommend it. I hope it becomes easier to find in Canada tho'. Remember me when the sequel comes out, if there is one!