From the very first paragraph, the story reaches
out to pull the reader in.
I died this morning. At exactly 8.17 am my heart stopped beating and I
lay cold and still in the street. At 8.24 am my heart resumed beating, and I
jumped up from the dusty pavement and ran home. Confused? Well, that makes two
of us.
Gabby discovers she is a Xaverique, a species
similar to humans, but more advanced.
Her father, who is also a Xaverique, explains that
on her fifteenth birthday, her Xaverique DNA changed from being human but if she
doesn’t use her powers, it will revert and she can live a normal life.
If she chooses to be a Xaverique, she will be stronger
and faster than any human. Even more amazing, she’ll be able to heal herself
and no-one will be able to kill her. The accident when she first died doesn’t
count because she didn’t choose to use her powers. Her body automatically
reacted to ensure she survived.
Gabby decides she doesn’t want to be different but
there are other Xaveriques, a renegade group, whose powerful and cruel master has
plans that include her.
When she meets Noah at school, Gabby is smitten for
the first time. Noah is a complex character and the emotive heart of the story
pivots on his inner struggle and his deepening relationship with her. Noah is a
renegade but he didn’t choose to be that way. He cares deeply about Gabby and
is conflicted by the role his master, Zlanythe, has given him.
Can Gabby trust him after he lied to her? Can she
forgive him because he tried to help? Is Noah able to change? Is he free to
choose love?
Xaverique is a story about the struggle between
good and evil, between darkness and light but it is equally about how choosing
between the two is far more difficult than it appears.
The ending will surprise and it will leave some
readers wondering if there is more to come.
Reviewed by Sandy Fussell
Title: Choosing
Xaverique
Author:
Karyn Sepulveda
Publisher: Vivid Publishing
Publication
Date: $18.95 RRP
Format: Paperback
Type: Young Adult
fiction
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