Birthright [Book Review & Giveaway]

Hello everyone!

Title: Birthright (The Legacy #1)

Author: Jessica Ruddick

Publisher: Self-published

Published Date: 20^th March 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

*Thanks to the author for the review copy*

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Synopsis: How do you live with yourself when you decide who dies?

Ava Parks would have killed for an iPod for her sixteenth birthday. Anything would have been better than coming into her birthright of being a seeker for the Grim Reaper, an arrangement made by her fallen angel ancestor in exchange for his re-admittance to heaven. And she isn’t just any seeker—she finds souls that have the potential for becoming angels and sentences them to death. A year and two souls into her role as a seeker with her conscience overflowing with guilt, Ava comes up with a plan to thwart the system. When it goes awry, she is forced to submit the name of a classmate, Cole Fowler, an ornery, rough around the edges guy who always seems to come to her rescue, whether she likes it or not. Her feelings for Cole prompt her to intervene, and she saves him from death, upsetting the Grim Reaper’s agenda. 

While Ava schemes to find a way to save Cole, she learns he has some secrets of his own. She lets him believe he is protecting her, and not the other way around, until a final showdown with the Grim Reaper forces Ava to make choices Cole may never forgive.

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Review: As soon as I discovered that this novel had something to do with Grim Reapers, I was hooked. I wanted to read Birthright because something about death is kind of fascinating, especially the paranormal perspective where there is someone who comes to take you somewhere when your time is up. This novel is told from the perspective of someone who is that person that determines it is your time to die, because they can see when your aura is ready. Uh, does that sound amazing to anyone? It certainly did to me! I wondered if the execution of the novel was going to be good enough to pull it off, and Ruddick did not fail me.

I was thrown right into the story. The author wastes no time with unnecessary backstory, and that worked just fine with me. Ruddick gives you enough information to know what is happening, and gradually you paint enough of a picture to understand all the paranormal elements as well. No info dumps. No confusion. I really liked the beginning, and that is rare because the opening of books usually just don’t do it for me.

I raced through the novel in a few days. The writing style was so easy to sink into, making it the ideal young adult read. The style fits the teenager kind of vibes perfectly, without sounding too juvenile. It was like I was completely immersed in the protagonist’s mind, which is exactly as it should be when reading a first person narrative where emotion matters as much as it did in this novel. The pace of the novel made sure I was never bored.

And if I hadn’t appreciated it enough at the start of the review, the world building in this one is brilliant. I love the world, and all the roles it includes – from the grim reapers, to those who are higher up in the chain of the entire practice, and Ava’s role as the selector for those who need to pass on. Everything was so captivating and well explained. There are some gaps in our knowledge, but those are gaps that Ava has as well, and is pursuing in the novel. Nothing a reader can’t handle to add to the suspense.

The plot was so good as well. It was what kept me turning pages the most. I wondered how things were going to work out for them, because Ava kind of put them in a situation which didn’t seem to have a resolution to me. But there were lots of different twists and elements which all contributed to the main plot line, making it more intense. Some things didn’t quite add up – if she projects her aura while sleeping, why isn’t she nervous about sharing a room with Cole? – and a few things like that. But aside from them, it was a very enjoyable plot to follow.

I was a bit skeptical about the ending. It was kind of bizarre, out of the pattern of the rest of the story. It also seemed to go a bit too fast in comparison to the build of the story, and I wanted it to have been explained a bit better. However, I do know there is a sequel and I am sure that holds even more answers for me in the future.

I’m looking forward to reading that sequel and finding out what happens in Ava and Cole’s story next!

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Gif Summary:

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Giveaway! Enter to a win an ecopy of Birthright! Open internationally!

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Links: Goodreads and Amazon!

Olivia’s Question: If your soul had an aura, what kind of traits would you think were the most prominent?

Olivia-Savannah x