REVIEW for Raven

A big thank you to Simon & Shuster for sending this book to me!

TITLE: RAVEN

AUTHOR: Alllison Van Diepen

GENRE: YA

RATING: 4 Stars

I have read and simply adored Street Pharm and Snitch and was really looking forward to this new book.Raven is completely different from the previous two books and if I am completely honest, I have to say that I preferred Street Pharm and Snitch as I like my YA fiction to be more day to day social issues.

Raven features our main character Nicole who feels as though she has no control over anything and that basically, her life is boring and about to implode. She, however, is friends with Zin, who represents to her all that she cannot be.

Together, they have a very special friendship.Zin is different and he seems very interested in her, yet he always manages to keep a 'safe' distance. With much self-doubt and prodding, Nicole will finally discover the dark and very old secret that Zin is hiding. I do not want to give away the plot - as it is a bit of a surprise turn and drives the rest of this book.However, suffice it to say that Nicole will never see her life in quite the same way again.

I love the way author Allison van Diepen writes. Her characters are always so well drawn out and you find yourself immersed into the storyline and Raven is no exception. I loved the dialogue and the interaction between the main characters and I even liked the sub-characters that are brought into the plot.

Van Diepen is also very skilled at describing situations and events and, in this book, this is particularly appreciated as you will called upon to use your imagination.

I am not a fan of this type of YA fiction as a rule and I still managed to rate this book as a 4 stars - based mainly on the author's strengths regardless of the book's genre.

However, I would love to see Van Diepen stick to her previous genre and focus on 'everyday' YA social issues.