Meridian by Amber Kizer

Meridian
by Amber Kizer
Pub: August 2009
320 pages

Synopsis:
Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility.

Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate’s tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home—and Meridian’s body explodes in pain. Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she’s a danger to her family and hustled off to her great-aunt’s house in Revelation, Colorado.

It’s there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos.

What a pleasure to read! The prologue is especially gripping. (Funny bit - up until this year, I didn't read prologues - I know, seems weird, and FYI you should always read the prologues. It helps. - and now they're what's making me pick up a book!)

Chapter one starts off with the confusing morning of Meridian's sixteenth birthday that swiftly escalates into the narrowly survived car crash. From there, Meridian is carted off to her aunt's in a whirlwind of unanswered questions.

The mythology was imaginative and intriguing. I also enjoyed the character of Meridian. She was great - strong and mature, yet vulnerable and a believable teenager.

Auntie is an amazing woman and the relationship between her and Meridian is touching. The romance between Meridian and Tens (his name gave me pause for a while, but eventually I became accustomed to it, but really, Tens?) grows in a realistic way. There's no Bam! Instant love going on from Meridian's end. She's attracted to him from the start -- who wouldn't be, he's hot -- but her feelings for him develop through time and trials.

It's not as action packed as I anticipated, and that's usually a problem for me, but not this time. I was engaged in the story and characters and flipping pages at a speed that would've had me finishing this book in one day if it hadn't been for school. Hate when that happens.

Bottom line: Excellent pacing. Wonderful cast of characters. Awesome premise. Tension packed. A sweet romance. And very, very well written.

Meridian is an excellent read for any paranormal/urban fantasy fiction lover, and especially for anyone who has an interest in death and/or the after-life.

Opening Lines:

Prologue: The first creatures to seek me were the insects; my parents cleaned the bassinet free of dead ants the morning they brought me home from the hospital. My first word was "dead."

Bam! If your interest hasn't been morbidly peaked, there's a good chance there's something wrong with you. This had me begging for more.

First Chapter: I got up the morning of December twenty-first anticipating a four-day weekend for the Christmas holiday. I went to a snotty prep-school that took breaks the way most people went to the dentists -- only when they really, really had to.

Not all that gripping, but it does give you an excellent introduction to Meridian's character.

The Cover: Except for seeing the character's face, I love it! Especially all the skulls weaved in with the roses. The second cover is the German version (the subtext reads Dark Em brace). I might like it a bit better than the US.

And FYI, Kizer is definitely working on a sequel. Yay! And the latest is that she has agreed to do an interview with us and provide a SIGNED copy to whoever wins her book!Meridan has just been added as one of the many great books available in our MegaBook Giveaway. Be sure to ENTER! Good Luck!