Review: Intuition and Intangible by J. Meyers

Intuition (Intangible #0.5) by J. Meyers

Author: J. Meyers
Publication Date: October 17, 2011
Pages: 51
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Source: Free for Amazon Kindle Here
Book Description from Goodreads:
Luke and his twin sister Sera have unusual abilities. Hers is a gift - she can heal with a touch of her hand. His is a curse - he can see the future but he can't do anything about it.
On a hike up the mountain, Luke has a vision unlike any other - one that leaves him terrified. Knowing that it will come true - and that he must do everything in his power to stop it - leaves his own future uncertain.






Review:
     This was a great intro to the Intangible series. We get a run down of who Luke and Sera are and their abilities.


     Luke sees the future. He gets a feeling of "impending doom", you know when you're hesitant about going into a situation because you just know something's going to go wrong, that's how I'd like to describe his precognition state. Then he sees a vision of someone else and usually something terrible is about to happen to them.  


      Sera can heal people, actually she can heal their immediate injury and then her powers end up going above and beyond by repairing pretty much everything that might have ever been wrong with them, mentally or physically.


     Not to fret, they take the "with great power comes great responsibility" motto to heart because they're akin to unsung teenage superheroes that use their powers to save people and cure diseases, that kind of stuff.


     Luke's not all that thrilled with his powers because while he can see something terrible about to happen, he can't change a darn thing. He gets there miliseconds before it happens and all he can do is helplessly watch it unfold and let Sera pick up the pieces afterwards. Luke's frustration with his power becomes a major component of Intangible later on, when he has one of the most terrifying visions to date.


     Meyers absolutely captured my attention with Luke and Sera's sibling relationship, which was reflected really well in the cover. It was genuinely warm, affectionate and full of witty banter that only twins could get away with (there was a lot of finishing eachother's sentences). The vision at the end definitely had me intrigued for what was going to happen in Intangible.

Overall: 4/5 Hot cups of tea! It's a light and informative read. It's not completely necessary to read this before Intangible. But I found that it did help me comprehend the opening scenes a bit better.

Intangible (Intangible #1) by J. Meyers

Author: J. Meyers
Publication Date: January 31, 2012
Pages: 264
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Source: A review copy was provided by the author, Thank You!
Book Description from Goodreads:
Twins Sera and Luke Raine have a well-kept secret - she heals with a touch of her hand, he sees the future. All their lives they've helped those in need on the sly. They've always thought of their abilities as being a gift.
Then Luke has a vision that Sera is killed. That gift they've always cherished begins to feel an awful lot like a curse. Because the thing about Luke's ability? He's always right. And he can't do anything about it.






Review:
      Intangible manages to take some common fantasy elements such as paranormal abilities, vampires and other supernatural creatures that wouldn't normally go together and collects them into this really captivating story.
     
     The cover, while gorgeous in its simplicity didn't make much sense to me until part way through the book. It all clicked and it was a huge "OOOHHH" moment for me. I love it when covers do this, it takes the reader into the story a bit deeper.

     Intangible starts with Luke having an ominous vision that has been building in layered complexity since the end of Intuition. Each time he gets a little bit more to try and solve this puzzle before something terrible happens to Sera, but it's not that easy with so many variables out of his control. 


      The story is told from several different character's points of view. It was a bit confusing at first, and a bit unsettling looking through the eyes of possible villains as each of their individual actions culminated to the grand finale. 

      In the bigger picture, the plot centers on a prophecy that everyone seems to know about, except Luke and Sera of course. The other characters are either trying to avert it or make it come true - it could pan out to be a blessing or a total disaster. Soon it becomes a race between species - each with their own motive to capture the twins - dead or alive.


     Whenever I see twins, they're always inseparable. There's just something about sharing a womb for 9 months that makes them always in sync with each other. I'm really glad that Meyers managed to capture this kind of relationship so successfully and even spun the protective older brother dynamic into it.   

      The main players of the story are Luke and Sera. Luke is a really likeable character, he's easy going, jokes around and is just plain fun. But when he has a vision - especially a potentially deadly one, his mood completely shifts and it's like there's this brooding black cloud over his head as he tries in vain to avert the future. Eventually it eats at him, and it's pretty heart breaking to see such a genuinely good guy try so hard and not get very far. 


      Sera on the other hand is much more quiet and reserved. While her powers allow her to do great things she always distances herself from everyone to protect herself and Luke from any possible heartache that might come of someone knowing about their powers - it's a hard lesson they've had to learn. But temptation in the form of a very attractive and interesting young man comes knocking - and she soon finds herself at odds with her own rules. What I really admire about Sera is she always does what she feels is right for anyone that may need help. This time though, helping someone creates some of the most terrifying consequences to date. 


      The secondary characters who also act as narrators every now and then; harbour some of the biggest secrets ever, and probably the best part of the story was learning what they were, along with their own personal back stories. 
    
      Meyer's writing style is extremely effective in the subject matter being conveyed. She uses clear concise sentences that paint vivid actions and expressions on the characters. 


     The ending was pretty spectacular, I wasn't sure how Meyer was going to pull it all off - but each individual string is brought together at the end and tied up neatly in a very satisfying bow with a little sneak peak as to what she has in store for the next part of this epic tale, which I am definitely excited for! 

Overall: 4/5 Hot Cups of Tea! 

The whole precognition aspect kept me glued to the story - wondering how this whole thing was going to turn out. Meyers takes the mythology about creatures you thought you knew about - and puts a surprising twist on them!