Somewhere between falling and flying… there is a girl.
Iris has a secret. She lost her memory eight years ago and never told a living soul. After an asthma attack one night she finds out that her dreams of a strange house on a snowy island may be a memory resurfacing but the more she learns about the past the more she realizes the life she has been living is a lie. As the façade her father has built starts to crumble around her she will have to decide which means more to her; the truth or her life.
Owlet by Emma Michaels is a quick young adult paranormal. By quick, I mean it’s only about fifteen chapters long (prologue and epilogue included). I consider that a quick read. A one day read if I’m lucky. And, I was lucky.
Emma Michaels is a beautiful writer. She instantly pulls you into her world through a dream sequence that leaves both the main character, Iris, and reader scratching their heads and asking for answers.
Iris is a girl with no memory of her mother or the past eight years. She’s also asthmatic, bad asthmatic. Not many characters have one, let alone two, issues going on, but Iris has amnesia and asthma. I loved it. Because of her asthma, Iris tries not to be her strong self. I feel that the constant attention to her health by her father and her caretaker, Diana, gives her the impression that she can’t do much. It kind of reminds me of Collin Craven in The Secret Garden, it isn’t until he meets his cousin that he sees his own strength.
The same goes for Iris, she is given one chance to see the world differently and it changes her both for the good and bad.
The world is another thing I absolutely loved about this book. Emma Michaels developed her own mythology, stories, and history to her world that goes in tandem with our own. The lyrics to their songs are haunting, beautiful, and I want to hear them to music. Once the reader realizes the truth about Iris’ world, they will notice the little nuances in the character movements or the music. I had a head smack moment once I saw how expertly Michaels showed her world without showing her world until later on.
Yes, this is a quick and beautiful read, but watch out, you will want more.
Casia's Corner 