Review: Inescapable by Amy A. Bartol

"My name is Evie Claremont and this was to be the making of me–my freshman year of college. I’d been hoping that once I’d arrived on Crestwood’s campus, the nightmare that I’ve been having would go away. It hasn’t. I may be an inexperienced seventeen-year-old, but I’m grounded…sane. I look for rational explanations to even the strangest circumstances. Since meeting sophomore Reed Wellington, however, nothing makes any sense. Whenever he’s near, I feel an attraction to him–a magnetic kind of force pulling me towards him. I know what you’re thinking…that sounds fairly awesome. Yeah, it would be…if he liked me, but Reed acts as if I’m the worst thing that has ever happened to Crestwood…or him. But get this, for some reason every time I turn around he’s there, barging into my life. What is the secret that he’s keeping from me? I’m hoping that it’s anything but what I suspect: that he’s not exactly normal…and neither am I. So, maybe Crestwood won’t be the making of me, but it could be the breaking of me. I’ve been left to wonder if the dark future my dream is foretelling is…inescapable."

Evie Claremont is about to start the next chapter in her life: college. And at the beginning, everything seems to be going well -- she's enjoying her classes, she's making new friends, and even finding time to try out some new sports, too. But that all changes when she meets Reed Wellington. Whenever she's around him, she feels automatically drawn to him, like there is something pulling them together. But every time he sees her, Reed acts as if he can't get away fast enough. It's almost as if he hates her for some reason and Evie can't seem to figure out why. Unfortunately, that isn't the only thing that she hasn't been able to figure out lately. The nightmare that has been recurring for a while now didn't stop when she went off to college, like she thought it would. Between this dark dream and Reed's odd behavior, Evie can't help but wonder if maybe there is something strange going on in the little town of Crestwood -- and if she might somehow be at the center of it all. Inescapable is the first in the Premonition Series and, as the title suggests, it proves to be a story that any reader will have trouble escaping from.

I rate this book: 

I'm the kind of reader that will read anything and everything that she can get her hands on, and won't pass judgment until she's finished the book. I'm usually looking for something to read, especially when I've zipped through every book in a series or I'm waiting for the next installment to come out. While browsing Amazon one day, I came across Inescapable and, on a whim, I decided to give it a try -- and I'm so glad I did! This book is amazing. The characters are really down to earth and easy to relate to, which is always something that makes reading through a book go smoothly. But what I really enjoyed about this book was the story itself. I wasn't able to put this book down, the plot was that interesting. I was hooked from the very first page and continued to be drawn in with every secret that was revealed about the characters. It's no surprise that immediately after finishing this book, I rushed to purchase the next one in the series. Inescapable is definitely worth a read. It's a refreshing new series that hooks you from the beginning and keeps you enveloped in its world well past the final page. Be sure to check it out! You won't be disappointed. 

Amy A. Bartol lives in Michigan with her husband and their two sons. Her family is very supportive of her writing. When she's writing, they often bring her the take-out menu so that she can call and order them dinner. They listen patiently when she talks about her characters like they're real. They rarely roll their eyes when she tells them she'll only be a second while she finishes writing a chapter...and then they take off their coats. They ask her how the story is going when she surfaces after living for hours in a world of her own making. They have learned to accept her "writing uniform," consisting of a slightly unflattering pink fleece jacket, t-shirt, and black yoga pants. And they smile at her nerdy bookishness whenever she tries to explain urban fantasy to them. In short, they get her, so they are perfect and she feels blessed. Check out her website: http://www.amyabartol.com.