Drawn

Drawn
By: Chris Ledbetter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

( I received this book free from the Author in exchange for my honest review )

This was a fun read that had me guessing until the very end, but in saying that I have mixed feelings about this read. This book is what I like to call, driving through rush hour. Why? Because there's a lot of fast and slow moments, stop and go.

The beginning sets the stage for our lead, Cameron. For openings, it’s now one of my favourites. It was original, calming, and I felt like I was there with Cameron, watching the waves, and smelling the salt air.

The stories pace is good into those first few chapters. We learn more about Cameron and what his life is like. We meet his crush, Farrah, who is his eyes, can do wrong. She’s already taken, making this “love” a one sided one. I don’t quite know if I like her or not, she wasn’t all that present and all you really get about her is what Cameron thinks and the one, not-so-date, that was sort-of-a-date? It wasn’t enough for me to care about her.

After that point the story takes a bit of a dive, there’s about six pages where he is playing a war type game. I don’t care that he was playing the game, but those six pages were basically a transcript of the game itself. It all honesty it was filler and it didn’t need to be there. One page, maybe two, but not six. I skipped over most of it because it didn’t do anything for the me or plot.

There was a lot of that weird spacing. Especially after the dire situation that left Farrah fighting of her life. The sense of panic, and desperation wasn’t really there at the start, but did pick up towards the end. In truth I felt that it was spaced to far apart or better yet, it was stretched out to make the book longer. The last 30% of the book was fast, there was lots of action, suspense and had my heart pound. It was the true highlight of the book.

I did like Cameron, he does a lot of growing throughout this story. He’s talented and strong in his own right. He owns up to his mistake and takes ownership in that fact. When he was in too deep, he reached out for help knowing the consequences, and knowing that he might get rejected. He knew that in order to fix his mistake, he needed help, even if it might cause him his life.

Though I gotta say, my favourite character was Vittoria. She was mysterious, with a hint of evil. You don’t really know who’s side she’s on until the end. She’s a survivor, strong and cunning. She knows how to play her cards, and knows what to say to get what she wants. In truth, I felt that she was the main female lead. That and I felt like she had more of a connection with Cameron then Farrah.I hate to say it, but I was rooting for her.

The ending was amazing, but in my opinion, the ending could have ended with a twist, something unexpected. Cameron has a choice at the end, and I believe he should have taken the road less traveled. For a spelt second I though he was going to do it, I was biting my nails hoping he would, but that was not the case. In saying all that, the ending was still pretty outstanding and pulled at the heart strings. I had a wicked smile on my face, and it my or may not have looked goofy.

I highly recommend this book. Despite the awkward spacing and my crushed dream for the ending, this story is original and flat out, good. The writing is solid, strong, and the description was exceptional. I felt like I was in that world, both worlds, seeing the bright colours and feeling the sounds. I would to thank Chris Ledbetter for giving me the opportunity to read this one of a kind story.

Happy Reading

-Emily