Stepping Stones (The Stone Series, Book
1)
Release Date – August 25, 2015
Publisher – Urban Fey Press
Pages – 332
Genre – Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy
5 stars!!!
Links:
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/kacimari
Blurb:
Onnaleigh Moore is part of
a plan—and it isn’t hers. When her brother dies in a car accident, Onna is
desperate to preserve the tatters of her family. Any hope of finding normalcy
vanishes when her mother runs off and her dad turns to booze to numb his pain.
Onna’s grief is crippling, but the boy who showed up just when she needed him
is helping her cope.
Everett’s presence is comforting, though he knows things—Onna’s name just before they met, where she lives, and sometimes he comments on thoughts she doesn’t say aloud. She pegs him for a stalker, or maybe psychic, but the truth is deadlier than she imagines. As their feelings for one another deepen, Everett confesses a horrifying secret: Onna’s brother is only the beginning of the plan, and some fates are worse than death.
Everett’s presence is comforting, though he knows things—Onna’s name just before they met, where she lives, and sometimes he comments on thoughts she doesn’t say aloud. She pegs him for a stalker, or maybe psychic, but the truth is deadlier than she imagines. As their feelings for one another deepen, Everett confesses a horrifying secret: Onna’s brother is only the beginning of the plan, and some fates are worse than death.
About the Author:
KACEY VANDERKARR has a
penchant for fantasy and frequently listens to the voices in her head—most of
whom are teenagers. Her favorite place to write is an old salon chair in her
kitchen, with coffee in one hand and adoring cats sprawled across her arms. She
prefers her music loud and her skeptics quiet. When she’s not writing, Kacey
coaches winterguard, works as a sonographer, and hangs out with other weirdos
like her at the Flint Area Writer’s club. In addition to her novels, The
Reflection Pond Series, Antithesis, and The Stone Series, Kacey’s short fiction
is featured in Sucker Literary Vol III, Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things,
and Out of the Green: Tales from Fairyland.
MY REVIEW
Onna's life pretty much sucks in an EPIC way! For starters, her brother and her would-have-been niece die, her mother becomes a drug addict and runs off and her dad drowns his problems in alcohol and becomes suicidal. I honestly don't know how she can even stay upright.
I absolutely fawned over her relationship with her brother. So adorable and soo cute. I made grabby hands at Caleb throughout the book :P That made his death really more touching and sad. yeah this is not a spoiler by the way! Caleb..oh my god i felt like crying when he was gone!!
What i liked about Onna was her simplicity and the fact that she was normal. She had normal reactions and the author never promoted her as an 'awesome hero' type, more like a girl who's gone through hell and is trying to maintain order in her life. Normally when the YA heroines push the guys away, they do it for totally dumb reasons and i'm always like 'just pull him back'n kiss him!' But when Onna pushes Everett away, i really sympathized with her. Despite their undeniable attraction, she really had her head on her shoulders and knew that she had to sort out her life first.
At first i felt that maybe the fact that Onna went through SO MUCH was quite far-fetched. But as i kept reading, a really cool supernatural aspect came into play. One you really do not see coming, so that solved that part for me!
What else can i say about this great book? Check it out! Beautiful writing and a totally unique plot will definitely keep you wanting more! keep reading for an expert! (WHICH FEATURES CALEB!!!)
EXPERT 1
Divorce. The
word burrowed deep in Onna’s chest, barbed like the sharp quills of a
porcupine. The sting radiated from her heart into her lungs, her head, her
hands. She knew she should stick around and listen to her parents’ stumbling
apologies and paper-thin explanations, but she couldn’t.
She burst
through the front door into dazzling sunshine. The sky hung endless above her
from horizon to horizon—perfect, crisp blue. She glanced back at the windows,
rooms hidden by curtains and blinds. Houses were facades, masks to cover pain
and heartbreak. She could stare at the glass all day, where cheery vines and
flowers spilled from window boxes, and never see past the guise. Even now, her
parents were probably sitting in cruel silence, debating how to avoid each
other until one of them moved out.
It made
her sick.
Sliding
into the driver seat of her Grand Am felt like stepping into a sauna.
End-of-summer heat collected in the car and made the interior stifling. Onna
cranked the windows and cursed her parents for not buying her a car with
automatic anything, and the air
conditioner was broken. Her dad promised to fix it four months ago. Guess he
was too busy planning the divorce to get around to it.
Onna
pressed her phone to her ear before she backed out of the driveway. Caleb
answered on the first ring.
“Baby
sister,” he said, a smile in his voice. The knot around Onna’s heart eased.
“What’s shakin’?”
She
pictured him on the balcony of his apartment in Traverse City, feet propped on
the banister, staring out over Lake Michigan. She stayed with him for two weeks
in July, spending her days sprawled on the beach with a book in her hands while
Caleb studied for medical boards. At night, they prowled the town and sampled
swanky restaurants, and Cora, Caleb’s girlfriend, took Onna dancing at a
beachside club.
“Caleb—”
Onna said, wondering how to break the news.
“They
finally told you.”
Onna
nearly dropped the phone. An angry honk sounded from behind her, and she
realized she’d stopped at a green light. Muttering, she passed through the
intersection and pulled into a parking lot. The convenience store was dead, the
lot deserted. The relentless heat drove everyone indoors where there was air
conditioning and iced-tea and Saturday afternoon movie marathons. Neon signs
advertising beer and cigarettes flickered in the window. The attendant inside
leaned over the counter, watching her.
Returning
to her conversation with Caleb, she hissed, “You knew?” The pause was long
enough to serve as Caleb’s confession.
“Don’t be
upset, Leelee.” He fell back on her childhood nickname, even though she’d asked
him to stop. Onnie, Leelee, Leigha—her name, Onnaleigh Evelyn Moore, was too
easily shortened. “They fell out of love,” Caleb continued. “We can’t expect
them to stay together if they’re unhappy.”
“Easy for
you to say, you don’t live with them. You didn’t see how Dad looked at Mom. You
didn’t see him cry.” Onna closed her eyes. Tears burned behind her lids. She
wished she were with Caleb now. He’d tell her a dirty joke or let her drink
half his six-pack. He’d make it bearable.
Her
parents always laughed about Onna’s devotion to her older brother. Whenever she
hurt herself as a child, she ran to Caleb. From the time she could walk, Caleb
was the one who kissed her scrapes and chased the boogeyman from beneath her
bed. Even now, she called him with breakups and bad grades and for advice about
everything. He was the only twenty-five-year-old male Onna knew who would
listen to her ramble about boys, makeup, and what color dress she wanted for
prom.
During
Caleb’s drawn out silence, a vintage, kelly green Mustang pulled into the
convenience store lot, all sleek lines and muscle. Onna groaned as the driver,
instead of choosing a space near the entrance, pulled in next to her at the far
corner. She wiped her eyes and debated rolling up the windows. There was
nothing worse than crying in public, except having a witness. In the end, she
settled for glowering at the driver as he emerged.
Much like
his car, which was a sex-machine with four wheels, the guy was hard lines and
hotness. He wore board shorts and a blue t-shirt over dark, olive skin. A
longish crop of unruly brown hair hung to his eyebrows. Black aviators perched
on a straight nose.
Onna
swore she felt his gaze on her face. She sank lower into the seat and her
cheeks heated. The guy nodded in her direction before crossing the lot and
disappearing into the store. The doorbell’s jangle reached her ears, followed
by Caleb’s worried voice.
“Onna?
Hello?”
She
swallowed, heart thudding against her ribs in a frantic dash to be free. The
Grand Am’s vents blew hot against damp cheeks. She propped her door open and
gulped fresh air. Who is that guy?
“I’m
here,” she said, peeking over the seat back. She lost sight of the guy between
the shelves.
“Cora and
I are coming home next weekend. Can you survive until then? I have some time
off saved for a special occasion, but I wouldn’t mind spending it on you.” In
the background, the excited tone of Cora’s voice rose, and Caleb mumbled, “It’s
Onna.”
There was
a moment of deafening static, and then Cora was on the line. “We’re engaged!” she yelled.
Onna
squealed. “You’vegottabekiddingme!”
“Not kidding. He got me a rock. I can hardly hold my hand up.”
“Lies,”
Caleb said, voice far away. Another rumble of static and Caleb spoke again.
“She was supposed to wait until next
weekend.” His voice distorted as if he covered the mouthpiece with his palm. “You were supposed to wait... You know,
wait. Should I spell it for you?”
Cora
giggled and Caleb’s voice lifted to full strength. “Keep it to yourself. With
everything going on…” he trailed off and suddenly Onna was back in the living
room, seeing her mom glare at her dad while tension churned around them.
“Right,”
she said, forcing brightness into her words. “Congratulations, Caleb.”
“Thanks.
Hang in there. At least school starts soon. Senior year.” He faked a sob. “My
baby sister’s growing up. Anyways, call me if you want to talk. Cora and I are
headed out to tell her parents. She thinks her dad will chase me with a
shovel.”
Onna was
horrified. “He wouldn’t.”
“That’s
what I said,” Caleb agreed, laughing.
“He’s got
a shotgun,” Cora yelled.
She’d
just hung up when the guy came out of the store carrying two jumbo blue
slushes. Prickles crawled up Onna’s neck. She tossed her phone onto the
passenger seat and closed her driver door. When she looked up, he was outside
her window, dripping plastic cup held through the opening. A red swirly straw
sat atop the melting blue drink.
“You
looked like you could use this,” he said, leaning down so his face filled her
open window. His mouth curled in a sexy smile that made Onna lose conscious
thought. She wished she could see his eyes, but the lenses of his glasses were
so opaque she couldn’t guess the color behind them.
“Uh—thanks?”
she said, hoping he’d go away.
He pushed
the drink closer. The sharp sting of cold condensation falling onto her bare
legs jolted her from the stupor. She took the slippery cup, burning fingers
brushing his freezing ones. Her stomach tickled.
“See you
around, Onna,” he said, standing.
She
watched him climb into his car. He rolled down the windows—also manual—giving
her a view of an all leather interior and shiny four-speed shifter on the
floor. The guy put the straw of his slush—also red swirly—to his lips and drank
deeply. Onna thought she would die before that sip ended. Then he smiled,
backed neatly around her car, and tore out of the parking lot.
