How would you feel if your family’s history could destroy your future?
Kyle just wants to run away from the cursed town where everyone looks at his family (now just him and his mother) with such contempt. He needs a fresh start so they move away as fast as they can. Kyle starts to attend the prestigious Kildeer Academy; he is full of fear but also a little hope that he can finally leave the past behind him. But why was everyone so disgusted by his family? Kyle’s father murdered an innocent women.
The story is told from two perspectives: Kyle’s and Naomi’s. Kyle has just moved on campus and hopes that he won’t be recognised. He meets Naomi Steadman. She has the same name and same eyes as someone from his past. She is definitely the child of one of his dad’s victims.
Naomi has lived on campus for a long time. She has good friends, her grades are great and her grandparents live in a house next to the Academy. It’s true that her grandpa is very sick, so sick that he doesn’t even recognise his own granddaughter but at least she is near them.
When she was young she saw some things that nobody should ever see; her mother was killed in front of her. Luckily, she recovered but she still thinks about her mum a lot. When a new student Kyle arrives at school she realises she is attracted to him… kind of.
Kyle tries as hard as he can to stay away from her, even though she is really nice to him. He just can’t be in love with someone whose mother was killed by his father. But when strange things start happening at school, where no one knows about Kyle’s past life, the pair start to investigate, together.
Kat Ellis creates a really haunting story. Strange things are happening in the Academy; it’s as if Kyle brought a curse to it. The characters are fairly likeable, although I can’t really say I was a fan of any of them. We see how a person can be broken by his own family and how much it can effect their future. Kyle isn’t a bad boy, he really isn’t, he was just born into a bad family. But how do you fully convince someone that you will definitely not turn out like your murderous father? It’s not easy. On the other hand, Naomi had to grow up without her beloved mother and every girl needs a mother.
When Kyle and Naomi meet, there is definitely some invisible bond between them. Kat Ellis knows how to choose the right words to make the story thrilling and exciting. Even though it wasn’t one of the best books I have ever read, I would definitely recommend it to lovers of thrilling (and a little romance) books.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop
