Abithica by Susan Goldsmith (+ Giveaway!)

Summary/Cover Image from Author's Website:

She’s found the love of a lifetime, but there’s a catch: the body she inhabits belongs to another.

How much change can one soul endure? It would help if she knew what she was or even how such a thing was possible. The one thing she does know is that God has a sense of humor where she’s concerned. Why else would He continue to place her in one host body after another without warning or a clear memory of previous switches? Abithica’s responsibility is to repair her host’s lives while they take a back seat. To ensure her survival and protection, she vows never to get attached, but this latest switch is different from the start. Abithica breaks all her own rules, and is left with a choice. What will happen if she refuses to leave her host’s body?

Will love be her downfall or her salvation?

Review:

When I first heard about Abithica, I knew I had to read it. It sounded promising, and I have to admit, the pretty cover had a lot to do with my decision as well. In the end, Abithica turned out to be something completely different from what I had been expecting, but in the best way possible of course.

First, I just loved the character of Abithica. From the first page, I became completely immersed in her story. She was fearless, brave, and extremely compassionate as well as giving. What I adored most about her character, though, was seeing how she changed people's lives over the course of the novel with her help, actions, and words. From Lane, her love interest, to Sydney, the person whose body she inhabits, to Faith, Sydeny's mother, to Shae, Lane's sister, each one of them faced some sort of positive change because of her presence.

As mentioned above, the premise of this novel was something that originally intrigued me about this novel. I mean, the idea of a person inhabiting another's body long enough to help them and get somewhat attached then be ripped away? It sounded unique, and unique was exactly what it ended up being. It was always interesting to learn more about Abithica's past and what her purpose was. In addition, I enjoyed the addition of Sydney's past troubles and what they now meant for everyone. It always cased extreme twists and turns that fully caught my attention, and with the addition of another POV (this time from someone involved in a gang), I was even more eager to see how everything would come together in the end.

The only aspect of this novel I wasn't completely thrilled about was the huge focus on faith. It became a bit much after a while, especially when it was used to explain every odd occurrence that happened in the character's lives. However, at the same time, it wasn't exactly pushed in my face, so it didn't really affect my feelings toward the story that much.

Completely unique and intricate, Abithica has ended up becoming one of my new favorite reads, and given that nearly heart stopping conclusion, I'm really intrigued to see what's next for Abithica!

Grade: A

Abithica is now out!

Source: eBook version provided by author- thanks Susan!

Thanks to the Susan, I also have one SIGNED copy of Abithica to giveaway.

To enter the giveaway, please fill out the following form.

Official Giveaway Rules:

~ Must be 13 years or older to enter.
~ Must have a US or Canadian mailing address
~ This giveaway will end on September 3, 2011 at 12:00 PM EST