I finished reading The End of the Line (Arcadia Series Prequel) and immediately picked up Arcadia's Gift. I'm so glad I did. I had questions that needed to be answered after reading the prequel, and what better way to get an answer than to read the next book?

Cady's family is shaken to the core by Lony's death. It's time to pick up the pieces and figure out how to live again. High school is hard enough, but facing classes and all of your sister's popular friends is more than anyone can bear. Each member of the family has to find their own way.

Thankfully Cady has a new friend at school that has been in that position. Bryan's lost his brother to hemophilia, a disease which Bryan has as well. Bryan is more than just a friend, and supports Cady through the story.

Twists and turns pop up as with any good tale, and Cady is going to have to be open to the fact that her sister's death has affected her in more ways than anyone would expect.

This is definitely a series that I will continue to read because of the depth of character development and there is so much more to tell about these young people. ( )

I enjoyed this book for a number of reasons: likable main character, interesting premise, romance that didn't feel forced or annoying, and IOWA. (I live in Iowa, and we get the short end of the stick so often. I loved the use of Dubuque as a setting, the level of detail included was just perfect, but it didn't feel like it was just a "regional" book to me. And of course, the setting itself plays an important role in what happens to Cady and her family.

I look forward to reading sequels, but I appreciate that this book felt like a complete story. It's clear that the author has more to tell us about Cady and her family and friends, but I didn't feel frustrated that I was left hanging as so many authors feel they need to do. I hope that Ryan spends some time exploring how Arcadia's Gift affects her relationships with her family and her love interest(s).

My only quibble was that the situation with Cady's mother felt a little forced or over the top, but that's kind of a minor quibble.

All in all, a great read from an author that I would like to read more of.

(downloaded from Amazon.com when it was free). ( )

I was offered a free e-book copy of Arcadia’s Gift by the Jesi Lea Ryan in exchange for an honest review. After reading the description she provided I thought, “This sounds like a story I’d definitely be interested in,” and agreed to check it out. I’ll say right up front – I enjoyed this story enough that I went ahead and purchased a copy of my own to support the author. This is a story filled with love, loss, and a nice paranormal twist (the gift) that went in a direction I was not expecting.

Starting with an emotional prologue, where Arcadia (or Cady as she is known) describes the hell she is going through, we are then taken back to the events leading up to the “psychic episode” that starts the story. Cady and her twin sister Avalon (Lony) are having a normal day with normal teenage problems – getting ready to go to school, mom yelling at their brother Aaron to get a move on, the trials and tribulations of a day in high school. And, oh yeah, dad just moved out into his own apartment. As we follow Cady through her day in this first-person narrative, we get to know her and Lony and are introduced to everyone – either directly or indirectly – that they care about. We meet the new guy in school, Bryan Sullivan, right along with Cady and we learn more about Lony and her boyfriend Cane and the kind of couple they are. Ryan gives us an opportunity to know these characters so that when tragedy strikes the next night we can experience the loss the way they do.

After the initial jolt of the prologue, Ryan settles into a nice steady pace. The story moves smoothly as Cady and her family react to the loss of Lony and try to cope with it the best they can. I thought this section of the book was handled realistically, and could totally empathize with the grief Cady was feeling; I was pretty emotional myself. Everybody handles loss differently, and some handle it better than others, which Ryan is very careful to show. We work through the grief with Cady and come out the other side as she slowly puts her life back together again without her twin and is changed irrevocably by the tragedy.

Cady is a great heroine. She is strong both inside and out, caring, and intelligent. She has moments of anger and depression, but works hard to pull herself back together again so she can help other family members cope. Her confusion and concern over the emotional roller-coaster she was on felt natural, and I liked her determination to gain control over her emotions when she discovered there was more going on than just a typical response to a devastating loss. Ryan gradually weaves Cady’s new “gift” into the story with little scenes here and there, taking her time to set the stage and let the ability grow naturally. I’ll admit, I had actually started to question when the paranormal element was going to kick in and what form it was going to take, if any. I enjoyed the relationship and character building that was going on, but I really wanted to know how Cady was going to be changed by everything that had happened. Once the hints started showing up, though, I happily followed Cady on her journey of discovery.

Helping Cady deal with everything is Bryan, who is able to bring his own empathy to bear. He, too, has experienced a tragic loss and knows exactly what Cady is going through. As Bryan offered his sympathy and support, I fell for him just like Cady did. I loved getting to know him and thought he was a strong, well-defined character – warm, compassionate, and easy to relate to. The great thing is, he’s not perfect. He makes a pretty serious relationship error in the story that he needs to own up to and correct. It is not smooth sailing, but he and Cady muddle through.

Character development is strong in Arcadia’s Gift. Ryan takes the time to show the strengths and weaknesses of each character. They were all very distinct, with plenty of personality and layers. I may not have liked the choices some of them made, but nothing ever came out of left field and left me wondering why someone would act the way they did. Not everyone had a lot of page time, but when they were present they made an impact. In addition to the two leads, I found myself especially intrigued by Cady’s brother Aaron and Lony’s boyfriend Cane. Cady’s neighbor Jinx was also an interesting character, appearing happy and energetic but with a troubled background and a surprising knowledge of Cady’s new ability.

I did find it a tad convenient that Cady was able to find an information powerhouse right next door to help her learn more about her gift, but this was a pretty small niggle in the big scheme of things. The only other small issue I had was a bit of predictability in how events played out once Cady put a name to her ability; it seemed inevitable that she would end up needing it to assist Bryan due to his family history. What I did not expect was the amazing way Cady took her ability to the next level in an exciting finale, and how nicely it set everything up for the next book. Happily, though, the final chapter actually ties up some threads so that it doesn’t feel like a cliff-hanger; there is definitely more to the story, with plenty of threads still left open, but the ending felt balanced and satisfying.

The last third of the book moved very quickly, with Cady learning to control her ability, Bryan’s relationship mistake (mentioned above), and an unexpected confrontation between Cady and Lony’s boyfriend Cane that sets up the possibility of a very intriguing love triangle – especially when you consider how Cady felt about him before her world fell apart. I think there is a bit more going on with Cady than can be accounted for with just her psychic ability; the fact that she is a twin may be pretty significant in the future.

Arcardia’s Gift is an emotional YA paranormal story that takes a well-balanced approach to love and loss. Pacing starts off smooth and steady, then speeds up as Cady works past her grief and realizes how her life has changed. Cady’s psychic ability takes a back seat to her tragic loss for the first half of the book, but then is gradually worked into the story until things take an exciting turn in the climactic finale. Characters are relatable and feel realistic. Nobody here is perfect and everyone makes mistakes – some bigger than others – but the characters recognize their errors and try to correct them. While there were a couple of moments that felt a bit predictable or a little too convenient, they were easy to overlook and forgive since everything else was handled so well. Author Jesi Lea Ryan has packed a lot of story into just over 200 pages and gotten Cady’s story off to an extremely promising start. I’ll be keeping an eye out for book two to find out what happens next. ( )