Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.
Title: Arcadia's Gift
Subtitle: Arcadia Trilogy
Author: Jesi Lea Ryan
Narrator: Ashlyn Selich
Format: Unabridged
Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
Language: English
Release date: 10-25-13
Publisher: Jesi Lea Ryan
Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 4 votes
Genres: Teens, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Publisher's Summary:
Most people who experience death don't live to tell about it.
When sixteen year old Arcadia "Cady" Day wakes in a hospital after experiencing what can only be called a psychic episode, she finds her family in tatters.
With her twin sister gone, her dad moved out, her mom's spiraling depression and her sister's boyfriend, Cane, barely able to look at her, the only bright spot in her life is Bryan Sullivan, the new guy in school. When Bryan's around, Cady can almost pretend she's a regular girl, living a regular life; when he's not, she's wracked with wild, inexplicable mood swings.
As her home life crumbles and her emotional control slips away, Cady begins to suspect that her first psychic episode was just the beginning...
Members Reviews:
Strikingly Original Story
Would you listen to Arcadia's Gift again? Why?
I would as a preparation for listening to the next in the series. The narration is strong enough to enhance an already excellent story.
What other book might you compare Arcadia's Gift to and why?
Ashfall by Mike Mullins. Though not a paranormal and the boy is the protagonist, it gives an insight into what a teen is capable of when put in an unreal situation. How they deal with the unexpected.
Which character as performed by Ashlyn Selich was your favorite?
Arcadia. She was the most developed of them and was always changing subtly
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
As if normal teen emotions weren't bad enough...
Any additional comments?
Though not in audio yet, the second book takes her story a very different direction and is an excellent evolution to the story.
Pleasantly surprised
I received a review copy of the audiobook of Arcadia's Gift from the author. I was in no other way compensated for my review, though I have been following her on Twitter for years. I was glad for the chance to listen to this book, and relieved I liked it so well.
Arcadia's Gift is about half of a pair of twins, Arcadia (Cady) Day, and what happens to her when her sister Avalon (Lonnie) is taken from her in a terrible accident. She experiences Lonnie's death with her, which puts her into deep shock. Then, as she's getting her life back together, bonding with a boy who's helping her through her grief, she learns something has happened to her to complicate her recovery.
One might think a book about grief would drag, but this book isn't entirely about grief. It does handle the subject well. The book is about hope, and love, and what happens next.
Cady is drawn very believably. She's a teenage girl, flaws and all, and the text never excuses her mistakes. Everyone around her wants to go easy on her because of her grief, but she holds herself to a higher standard. She also experiences her grief in very real ways. She wants to stop hurting, but she fears leaving her sister behind. She wants to move on with her life, but then she feels guilty for feeling happy or carefree. She sympathizes with the classmates who miss her sister, but she grows infuriated by the stark reminder of her loss in the memorial left at her sister's locker. The push-and-pull of emotions is relatable to anyone who's ever lost someone close.
Her relationship with Bryan Sullivan, too, develops in a very real way.
